New combo therapy aims to save rectums from surgery
NCT ID NCT04703101
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-phase trial tests whether a short course of radiation followed by chemotherapy can shrink advanced rectal tumors enough to avoid surgery. About 25 people with stage II or III rectal cancer will receive the treatment. The goal is to preserve the rectum and improve quality of life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- short-course radiation therapy followed by chemotherapy (FOLFOX or CapeOX)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could allow many patients with locally advanced rectal cancer to avoid major surgery and keep their rectum, improving quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early phase 1 trial with only 25 participants, so results are preliminary. The treatment may not work for everyone, and there are risks from radiation and chemotherapy side effects.
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 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 25 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2021
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2027
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 years and older
- 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: * Histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma * Patients must have stage II (cT3, cN0) or stage III (cT1-3, cN1-3) tumor as staged by MRI * No evidence of metastatic disease * Resectable primary lesion * Karnofsky performance status (KPS) \>= 70 or Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-2 * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \> 1.5 cell/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin (Hgb) \> 8.0 gm/dL * Platelets (PLT) \> 150,000/mm\^3 * Total bilirubin \< or equal to 1.5 x upper limit of normal * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \< or equal to three times upper limit of normal * If a woman is of childbearing potential, a negative serum pregnancy test must be documented prior to initiation of radiation therapy Exclusion Criteria: * Active treatment of a separate malignancy * Distant metastatic disease as assessed by staging positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) or CT of the chest and abdomen within 6 weeks of starting radiation therapy * Prior radiotherapy to the region of the study cancer that would result in overlap of radiation therapy fields * Pregnant and/or breastfeeding * Medical/psychological contraindication to MRI
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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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UCLA / Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90095, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can Pre-Surgery radiation stop rectal cancer from returning?
- Can a counseling program restore intimacy after rectal cancer?