New triple therapy aims to wipe out rectal cancer before surgery
NCT ID NCT07663071
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase II trial is testing whether adding an experimental immunotherapy drug (retlirafusp alfa) to short-course radiation and standard chemotherapy can completely eliminate locally advanced rectal cancer before surgery. The study plans to enroll 44 adults aged 18-70 with stage T3N+ or T4 rectal cancer. The main goal is to see how many patients have no cancer left after treatment, either on scans or after surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Retlirafusp alfa (an experimental immunotherapy drug) combined with short-course radiotherapy and CAPOX chemotherapy (oxaliplatin and capecitabine)
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could offer a more effective way to shrink or eliminate rectal cancer before surgery, potentially improving survival and reducing the need for more aggressive treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 44 patients and no comparison group, so results may not apply broadly. The combination of treatments may cause significant side effects, and the experimental drug may not improve outcomes over standard care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for RECTAL CANCER PATIENTS are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, No. 150 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150081, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Blood test and CT combo may spare rectal cancer patients a second surgery
- Radiation may spare early rectal cancer patients from radical surgery
- New drug cocktail aims to shrink rectal tumors and avoid colostomy
- Vaccinia virus targets rectal tumors in new immunotherapy combo
- Robot vs. transanal surgery: which is better for low rectal cancer?
- New drug combo could boost rectal cancer remission before surgery