Purpose

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out if giving extra adaptive radiation therapy after standard chemoradiation treatment is safe and helpful for people with rectal cancer. The main questions the study aims to answer are: - Can this approach help target the most aggressive cancer cells more accurately, while protecting nearby healthy tissue? - Can it reduce the side effects that people may experience during treatment? Participants will: - First receive standard treatment: radiation (45 Gy in 25 sessions) along with a chemotherapy pill called capecitabine. - Then get extra radiation using MRI scans every two weeks to adjust the treatment based on how the tumor responds. - Use a small balloon during treatment to help aim the radiation and protect healthy areas. - Finally, receive additional chemotherapy (such as FOLFOX) for four months.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Subjects must have histologically or cytologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma. 2. Subjects must have T2-3, N0-1, M0 rectal cancer. Staging will be done by MRI pelvis and CT chest and abdomen with contrast. PET-CT will be an acceptable alternative for the CT chest and abdomen. 3. Subjects must be willing to undergo MRI scans. 4. Age ≥18 years. 5. ECOG performance status 0 or 1. 6. Estimated survival of ≥ 12 months. 7. Subjects must have normal organ and marrow function as defined below - Absolute neutrophil count > =1,000/mcL - Platelets >= 75,000/mcL - Total bilirubin < 3 mg/dL 8. Subjects must be able to tolerate the chemotherapy regimens outlined in the treatment plan (Section 5.0), both before and after ART. - Before ART: Capecitabine at a dose of 825 mg/m² - After ART: FOLFOX combination chemotherapy, or 5-FU, or capecitabine 9. Subjects must possess the ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent and HIPAA consent document. Translation services including translation of informed consent documents will be provided, as feasible, to encourage diversity of inclusion of eligible patients.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Subjects who have been previously treated for rectal cancer are excluded. 2. Subjects with rectal cancer involving the anal canal are excluded. (Rectal cancer abutting the anal canal will be allowed.) 3. Subjects must not be receiving any other investigational agents. 4. Subjects may not have had prior pelvic radiation. 5. Subjects should not have had a cancer actively treated within the last 3 years, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer. 6. Subjects must not have uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements. 7. Any condition or significant co-morbidity that prevents safe delivery of ART per the discretion of the treating physician(s). 8. Subjects must not be pregnant or breast-feeding.

Study Design

Phase
Phase 1
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Adaptive Radiotherapy Boost Following Standard Pelvic Chemoradiation
Adaptive Radiotherapy
  • Radiation: Adaptive Radiotherapy Boost
    Patients will receive one boost fraction every two weeks, targeting the primary tumor within the rectum plus a 2 mm Planning Target Volume (PTV) margin. Any regional lymph nodes that measure at least 5 mm in short axis on the day of treatment will receive treatment with the ART dose being given to the primary rectal tumor.

Recruiting Locations

Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia 4560349, Pennsylvania 6254927 19111
Contact:
Joshua Meyer, MD
267-449-1431
Joshua.Meyer@fccc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Fox Chase Cancer Center

Study Contact

Joshua Meyer, MD
215-728-2667
Joshua.Meyer@fccc.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.