Immunotherapy added to standard treatment aims to save the anus in Ultra-Low rectal cancer
NCT ID NCT07132463
First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether adding the immunotherapy drug tislelizumab to standard chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy can help people with ultra-low rectal cancer avoid surgery that removes the anus. The trial enrolls 196 adults with previously untreated rectal adenocarcinoma whose tumors sit within 3 centimeters of the anal opening. Participants receive chemoradiotherapy followed by chemotherapy, with or without tislelizumab. Those whose tumors disappear may continue treatment and be watched closely instead of having immediate surgery, while those with remaining disease are advised to have standard rectal removal surgery. The main goal is to see how many participants keep their anus.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- tislelizumab, an immunotherapy drug, added to chemotherapy
- What this could lead to
- If adding tislelizumab helps more people clear their tumors without surgery, it could offer a way to preserve the anus for rectal cancers very close to the anal opening.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is still testing whether tislelizumab adds benefit over standard chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy. Immunotherapy can cause immune-related side effects, and not everyone responds, so organ preservation may not be achievable for all participants.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 196 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Able to provide written informed consent, understand, and comply with the requirements and evaluation schedule. 2. Age ≥18 and ≤75 years old. 3. Histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma. 4. Immunohistochemistry confirmed pMMR (positive for MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2), or PCR/NGS confirmed MSI-L or MSS. 5. Tumor distal margin confirmed to be ≤ 3 cm from the anal verge by colonoscopy, digital rectal examination, or MRI. 6. Clinical stage cT1-3N1M0 or cT3N0M0 (the 8th UICC/AJCC; T and N evaluated by MRI). 7. Resectable primary tumor assessed by the Investigator. 8. No prior anti-tumor treatment for rectal cancer. 9. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score ≤ 1. 10. Adequate organ function. 11. Female subjects with the ability to become pregnant must have a serum pregnancy test with a negative result within 72 hours before the first dose and be willing to use highly effective contraceptive methods during the trial and for 120 days after the last dose. Male subjects whose partners are women of childbearing potential should be surgically sterilized or agree to use a highly effective method of contraception during the trial and for 120 days after the last dose. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Histologically confirmed poorly differentiated/undifferentiated adenocarcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma, or signet ring cell carcinoma. 2. Previously received treatment for rectal cancer or have evidence of distant metastasis. 3. Presence of the following high-risk factors assessed by MRI: MRF+, EMVI+, cN2, positive lateral lymph nodes, T3d. 4. Presence of or at high risk for obstruction, perforation, or bleeding. 5. Unsuitability for long-course radiotherapy. 6. Inability to tolerate surgery. 7. ≥ 2 colorectal cancer lesions at the same time. 8. Contraindications for MRI examination. 9. Other malignant tumors in the past or currently present. 10. Active autoimmune disease requiring systemic therapy within the past 2 years. 11. HIV infection. 12. Untreated chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers (HBV DNA \> 500 IU/mL) or active HCV carriers with detectable HCV RNA. 13. Hypersensitivity to any ingredient of tislelizumab, capecitabine, and oxaliplatin, or to any component of their containers. 14. Other conditions judged by the researcher as not meeting the enrollment requirements.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University
RECRUITINGShanghai, China
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