Bevacizumab and combination chemotherapy in rectal cancer until surgery (BACCHUS): A phase II, multicenter, open-label, randomized study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone without radiation in patients with MRI-defined high-risk cancer of the rectum not threatening the circumferential margin.

Abstract Background Preoperative 5-FU-based chemoradiation is currently a standard treatment for advanced rectal cancer, particularly in Western countries. Although it reduced the local recurrence, it could not necessarily improve overall survival. Furthermore, it can also produce adverse effects and long-term sphincter function deficiency. Adjuvant oxaliplatin plus capecitabine (XELOX) is a recommended regimen for patients with curatively resected colon cancer. However, the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant therapy for rectal cancer patients who have not undergone preoperative chemoradiation remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of surgery and postoperative XELOX without preoperative chemoradiation for treating rectal cancer. Methods We performed a prospective, multicenter, open-label, single arm phase II study. Patients with curatively resected high-risk stage II and stage III rectal cancer who had not undergone preoperative therapy were treated with a 120 min intravenous infusion of oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2) on day 1 and capecitabine (2000 mg/m2/day) in 2 divided doses for 14 days of a 3-week cycle, for a total of 8 cycles (24 weeks). The primary endpoint was 3-year disease-free survival (DFS). Results Between August 2012 and June 2015, 60 men and 47 women with a median age was 63 years (range: 29–77 years) were enrolled. Ninety-three patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status scores of ‘0’ and 14 had scores of ‘1’. Tumors were located in the upper and lower rectums in 54 and 48 patients, respectively; 8 patients had stage II disease and 99 had stage III. The 3-year DFS was 70.1% (95% confidence interval, 60.8–78.0%) and 33 patients (31%) experienced recurrence, most commonly in the lung (16 patients) followed by local recurrence (9) and hepatic recurrence (7). Conclusions Postoperative XELOX without preoperative chemoradiation is effective for rectal cancer and provides adequate 3-year DFS prospects. Trial registration This clinical trial was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network registry system as UMIN000008634 at Aug 06, 2012.

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INNOVA: A phase II randomized study comparing INterval versus NeOadjuVAnt chemotherapy in magnetic resonance imaging-defined high risk rectal cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2018.36.4_suppl.tps879 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. TPS879-TPS879

Author(s):

Ramakrishnan Ayloor Seshadri ◽

Trivadi S. Ganesan ◽

Arunkumar M N ◽

Shirley Sundersingh

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

High Risk ◽

Adjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Pathological Complete Response ◽

Locally Advanced ◽

Complete Response ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation ◽

Rectal Cancers

TPS879 Background: Patients with rectal cancers treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy are not exposed to systemic doses of chemotherapy until very late in the treatment schedule. Preoperative chemotherapy, either in the neoadjuvant or interval setting can lead to early treatment of micrometastasis, improve the tumor response and possibly the overall survival. Phase II studies of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in rectal cancer have shown good response to chemotherapy with no tumor progression and good compliance. A phase II study evaluating the effect of giving chemotherapy in the interval waiting period between chemoradiation and surgery has shown acceptable toxicity and high pathological complete response rates. Methods: This single centre, randomized, open label, phase II trial compares the safety and efficacy of two pre-operative regimens in locally advanced MRI defined high-risk rectal cancers. Based on the Simon optimal two-stage design, 94 patients will be randomised to either Arm A [3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) followed by chemoradiation (50.4 Gy with capecitabine) and then surgery] or Arm B [neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by 3 cycles of interval chemotherapy and then surgery]. Patients in both arms receive 3 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. The primary end-point is the pathological complete response rate. Secondary end-points include frequency and severity of adverse events, RO resection rates, tumor regression grading and compliance to treatment. The inclusion criteria: age 18 to 70 years; ECOG performance status 0-2; non-metastatic, locally advanced rectal cancer with any one of the following features on high-resolution thin slice MRI: any T3/T4 tumor in the lower rectum, T3c/T3d/T4 tumor in the mid rectum, N2 disease, threatened mesorectal fascia, or extramural vascular invasion. Patients are randomly assigned to one of the two intervention arms in a 1:1 ratio. Prespecified activity goal for the first stage of accrual was met; second stage accrual began in July 2017. Clinical trial information: CTRI/2015/01/005385.

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EORTC 1707 VESTIGE: Adjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resected gastric cancer following preoperative chemotherapy with high risk for recurrence (ypN+ and/or R1)—An open-label randomized controlled phase II study.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.tps4156 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. TPS4156-TPS4156

Author(s):

Elizabeth Catherine Smyth ◽

Ellen Peeters ◽

Maren Kristina Knoedler ◽

Anne Giraut ◽

Anna Dorothea Wagner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Surgical Resection ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Phase Ii Study ◽

Disease Free Survival ◽

Open Label ◽

Free Survival ◽

Adjuvant Immunotherapy ◽

Disease Free

TPS4156 Background: Gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) patients with metastatic lymph nodes (ypN+) or a microscopically incomplete surgical resection (R1) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy are at high risk of disease recurrence. Current practice is to continue with the same perioperative chemotherapy used prior to surgery, despite these suboptimal outcomes. Adjuvant immunotherapy with nivolumab has shown efficacy in poor risk GEA patients following chemoradiotherapy and surgery in the CheckMate 577 trial, and nivolumab and ipilimumab have demonstrated activity in advanced GEA. We hypothesise that high risk (ypN+ and/or R1) post resection GEA patients who are treated with nivolumab and ipilimumab will have better disease free survival than patients who continue with standard post-operative chemotherapy. Methods: VESTIGE is an ongoing, international, open label randomized phase II study designed to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus standard post-operative chemotherapy in high risk (ypN+ and/or R1) post resection GEA patients. Eligible patients (n=240) will be randomised 1:1 to receive post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy (identical regimen as pre-operatively) or nivolumab 3mg/kg IV q2w plus ipilimumab 1mg/kg IV q6w x 1 year. Key inclusion criteria include ypN+ and/or R1 status following neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus surgery and an adequate pre-specified surgical resection. The primary endpoint of the study is disease free survival, with secondary endpoints of overall survival, safety, toxicity and quality of life. Since start of recruitment in August 2019, the trial has recruited 85 of 240 patients at 18 sites in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, and United Kingdom. The VESTIGE translational research programme includes collection of pre-treatment biopsies, post-chemotherapy resection specimens and serial liquid biopsy on treatment to explore biomarkers predictive of immune checkpoint blockade efficacy. Clinical trial information: NCT03443856.

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INNOVA: Interval or neoadjuvant chemotherapy in rectal cancer—A phase II randomized study comparing interval versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy in magnetic resonance imaging-defined high-risk rectal cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.3_suppl.91 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 91-91

Author(s):

Ramakrishnan Ayloor Seshadri ◽

Trivadi S. Ganesan ◽

Manikandan Dhanushkodi ◽

Arunkumar M N ◽

Shirley Sundersingh

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Rectal Cancer ◽

High Risk ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Randomized Study ◽

Neoadjuvant Treatment ◽

Complete Response ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Clinical Trial Registry ◽

Grade 3

91 Background: Total neoadjuvant treatment is a promising option in rectal cancer. We aim to compare neoadjuvant versus interval chemotherapy in high risk rectal cancer to identify the optimal sequencing of treatment. Methods: Using a Simon two-stage design, newly diagnosed MRI defined high risk rectal cancer patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive three 21 day cycles of chemotherapy with Capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 and Oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 either before (Arm A-neoadjuvant) or after (Arm B-interval) chemoradiation followed by surgery. Primary end point was the pathological complete response (pCR) following surgery. A heirarchial model was used to assess the primary and secondary end points (toxicity and compliance) and compare the two regimens. (Clinical Trial Registry of India No. CTRI/2015/01/005385). Results: In this single centre study conducted between November 2015 and February 2020, 42 patients were randomised in the first stage. A pCR was seen in 4 patients in Arm A and 6 in Arm B. Hence another 52 patients were randomised in the second stage of which an additional 3 and 2 patients had a pCR leading to an overall pCR of 7 and 8 patients (15.5% vs 17% and 18.4% vs 19.5% in the intent-to-treat and per-protocol populations in Arm A and B respectively. This exceeded the minimum predetermined number of 5 pCR needed to qualify for further evaluation for each arm. Grade ≥3 toxicity was observed in 2.2% of 132 cycles and 4.6% of 129 cycles of chemotherapy delivered in 45 and 43 patients in Arm A and B respectively while 11/43 (25.5%) and 10/47 (21.2%) patients experienced grade ≥3 toxicity during chemoradiation. Treatment break of > 7 days was seen in 23.2% and 29.7% of patients in Arm A and B respectively while 93.3% in Arm A and 100% of patients in Arm B completed all 3 planned cycles of pre-operative chemotherapy. A non-significant trend towards greater pathological downstaging was seen in Arm B than in Arm A (ypT1-2 39% vs 26.3%; p = 0.1 and ypN0 68.3% vs 57.9%; p = 0.5 respectively). Conclusions: In this phase two study, both neoadjuvant and interval chemotherapy emerged eligible for further evaluation against the standard of care in a future phase III study. Although we could not pick one winner based on pCR, toxicity or compliance, the greater downstaging observed with interval chemotherapy suggests it could play a greater role in an organ preservation approach. Clinical trial information:CTRI/2015/01/005385, UTN no: U111111650578.

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Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Capecitabine, Oxaliplatin and Bevacizumab Followed by Concomitant Chemoradiation and Surgical Resection in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer with High Risk of Recurrence – A Phase II Study

Anticancer Research ◽

10.21873/anticanres.11617 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 2683-2691 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

High Risk ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Surgical Resection ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Phase Ii Study ◽

Locally Advanced ◽

Advanced Rectal Cancer ◽

Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer ◽

Concomitant Chemoradiation

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Postoperative XELOX therapy for patients with curatively resected high-risk stage II and stage III rectal cancer without preoperative chemoradiation: A prospective, multicenter, open-label, single arm phase II study.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.e16039 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e16039-e16039

Author(s):

Takeshi Kato ◽

Masataka Ikeda ◽

Atsuyo Ikeda ◽

Junichi Hasegawa ◽

Hirofumi Ota ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

High Risk ◽

Local Recurrence ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Group Performance ◽

Phase Ii Study ◽

Preoperative Chemoradiation ◽

Stage Ii ◽

Stage Iii ◽

Open Label

e16039 Background: Preoperative 5-FU-based chemoradiation is currently a standard treatment for advanced rectal cancer, particularly in Western countries. Although it reduced the local recurrence, it could not necessarily improve overall survival. Furthermore, it can also produce adverse effects and long-term sphincter function deficiency. Adjuvant oxaliplatin plus capecitabine (XELOX) is a recommended regimen for patients with curatively resected colon cancer. However, the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant therapy for rectal cancer patients who have not undergone preoperative chemoradiation remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of surgery and postoperative XELOX without preoperative chemoradiation for treating rectal cancer. Methods: We performed a prospective, multicenter, open-label, single arm phase II study. Patients with curatively resected high-risk stages II and III rectal cancer who had not undergone preoperative therapy were treated with a 120 min intravenous infusion of oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2) on day 1 and capecitabine (2,000 mg/m2/day) in 2 divided doses for 14 days of a 3-week cycle, for a total of 8 cycles (24 weeks). The primary endpoint was 3-year disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Between August 2012 and June 2015, 60 men and 47 women with a median age was 63 years (range: 29–77 years) were enrolled. Ninety-three patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status scores of ‘0’ and 14 had scores of ‘1’. Tumors were located in the upper and lower rectums in 54 and 48 patients, respectively; 8 patients had stage II disease and 99 had stage III. The 3-year DFS was 70.1% (95% confidence interval, 60.8–78.0%) and 33 patients (31%) experienced recurrence, most commonly in the lung (16 patients) followed by local recurrence (9) and hepatic recurrence (7). Conclusions: Postoperative XELOX without preoperative chemoradiation is effective for rectal cancer and provides good 3-year DFS prospects.And this is probably the first and last report in the world for such cases. Trial registration: This clinical trial was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network registry system as UMIN000008634 at Aug 06, 2012.

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