Rectal Cancer clinical trials at UCSF

This phase I/II trial studies the side effects and how well encorafenib, binimetinib, and nivolumab work in treating patients with microsatellite stable, BRAFV600E gene-mutated colorectal cancer that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic). Encorafenib and binimetinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving encorafenib, binimetinib, and nivolumab may work better in treating patients with colorectal cancer compared to standard treatments.

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 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).