Rectal Cancer clinical trials at UC Irvine

This phase II trial investigates the effect of nivolumab and ipilimumab when given together with short-course radiation therapy in treating patients with rectal cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and ipilimumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving nivolumab, ipilimumab, and radiation therapy may kill more cancer cells.

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate epacadostat when given with routine radiation therapy and chemotherapy (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) to treat rectal cancer before routine surgery is performed to remove the tumor. The Phase II portion of the trial has not started recruiting.

Radical rectal cancer resection, namely total mesorectal excision (TME), is the cornerstone of the treatment of resectable rectal cancer. In combination with chemotherapy and radiation treatment (CRT), complete TME with negative resection margins is associated with sustained local and systemic control even in locally advanced disease. Over the last 2 decades, laparoscopic and robotic techniques have been increasingly adopted due to reduced surgical trauma and faster patient recovery. Yet, both approaches are associated with equivalent postoperative morbidity and disturbances in sexual, urinary and defecatory function relative to open TME. Furthermore, laparoscopic and robotic TME remain associated with substantial conversion rates and variable rates of TME completeness as a result of the procedural difficulties reaching the low rectum from the abdominal approach. Transanal TME (taTME) with laparoscopic assistance was developed to facilitate completion of TME using a primary transanal endoscopic approach. Transanal TME uses a "bottom-up approach" to overcome the technical difficulties of low pelvic dissection using an abdominal approach. Published results from single-center taTME series and an international registry suggest the short-term procedural and oncologic safety of this approach in resectable rectal cancer. No multicenter phase II study has yet been conducted to validate the procedural safety, functional outcomes or long-term oncologic outcomes of this approach. Study Design: This is a 5-year phase II multicenter single-arm study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low anterior resection (LAR) with taTME using laparoscopic or robotic assistance in 100 eligible subjects with resectable rectal cancer. Hypothesis: taTME is non-inferior to standard LAR with respect to the quality of the TME achieved.

The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of chemotherapy followed by less invasive surgery on patients and their early rectal cancer. The approach of this trial will be considered a success if at least 65% of participants are able to keep the rectum.

This study is being done to answer the following questions: Is the chance of rectal cancer responding the same if chemotherapy alone is given before limited surgery compared to chemotherapy and radiation therapy given together before limited surgery? If radiation therapy is not given, is quality of life better?

The standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer involves chemotherapy and radiation, known as 5FUCMT, (the chemotherapy drugs 5-fluorouracil/capecitabine and radiation therapy) prior to surgery. Although radiation therapy to the pelvis has been a standard and important part of treatment for rectal cancer and has been shown to decrease the risk of the cancer coming back in the same area in the pelvis, some patients experience undesirable side effects from the radiation and there have been important advances in chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation which may be of benefit. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects, both good and bad, of the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation to chemotherapy using a combination regimen known as FOLFOX, (the drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin and leucovorin) and selective use of the standard treatment, depending on response to the FOLFOX. The drugs in the FOLFOX regimen are all FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved and have been used routinely to treat patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and leucovorin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Fluorouracil may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Leucovorin calcium may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy, and it may help fluorouracil work better by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drug. Giving radiation therapy together with chemotherapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving radiation therapy together with fluorouracil with or without combination therapy works in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for stage II or stage III rectal cancer.

The investigators hypothesize that the combination of eflornithine and sulindac will be effective in reducing a three-year event rate of adenomas and second primary colorectal cancers in patients previously treated for Stages 0 through III colon or rectal cancer.

This randomized phase II trial studies how well trastuzumab and pertuzumab work compared to cetuximab and irinotecan hydrochloride in treating patients with HER2/neu amplified colorectal cancer that has spread from where it started to other places in the body and cannot be removed by surgery. Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab, may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cetuximab and irinotecan hydrochloride, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving trastuzumab and pertuzumab may work better compared to cetuximab and irinotecan hydrochloride in treating patients with colorectal cancer.

This phase II MATCH screening and multi-sub-trial studies how well treatment that is directed by genetic testing works in patients with solid tumors, lymphomas, or multiple myelomas that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) and does not respond to treatment (refractory). Patients must have progressed following at least one line of standard treatment or for which no agreed upon treatment approach exists. Genetic tests look at the unique genetic material (genes) of patients' tumor cells. Patients with genetic abnormalities (such as mutations, amplifications, or translocations) may benefit more from treatment which targets their tumor's particular genetic abnormality. Identifying these genetic abnormalities first may help doctors plan better treatment for patients with solid tumors, lymphomas, or multiple myeloma.

The study is designed to test the hypothesis that patients with Locally advanced rectal cancer ( LARC) treated with Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) and Total mesorectal excision (TME) or Non-operative management (NOM) will have an improved 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) compared to patients with similar tumors treated with Chemoradiation therapy (CRT), Total mesorectal excision (TME) and Adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT).