SCRT Combined With CAPOX and PD-1 Antibody Versus LCRT Combined With CAPOX for Early Low-lying Rectal Cancer (TORCH-E3) (TORCH-E3)

November 10, 2026 updated by: Zhen Zhang, Fudan University

A Prospective, Randomized, Phase III Clinical Trial Comparing Short-course Radiotherapy Combined With CAPOX and PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody Versus Long-course Chemoradiotherapy Combined With CAPOX for the Treatment of Early-stage Low Rectal Cancer.

TORCH-E3 is a prospective, multicentre, randomized phase III trial. 394 low-lying early (T1-3b/N0-1M0, distance from anal verge ≤5cm) patients will be recruited and assigned to Group 1 and Group 2 (1:1). Group 1 receives SCRT (25Gy/5Fx) followed by 4 cycles of capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (CAPOX) chemotherapy and PD-1 antibody. Group 2 receives LCRT (50Gy/25Fx) followed by 2 cycles of CAPOX. A WW option can be applied to patients achieving cCR while surgery will be recommended for those who fail to achieve cCR. The primary endpoint is 3y TME-free survival. The secondary endpoints include complete response (CR, pathological complete response [pCR] plus cCR) rate, the grade 3-4 acute adverse effects (AE) rate, anal preservation rate, 3-year DFS rate, etc.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
394

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200030
        • Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. age 18-75 years old, female and male
  2. pathological confirmed adenocarcinoma
  3. clinical stage T1-3bN0-1, tumor maximum diameter less than 4cm
  4. the distance from anal verge less than 5 cm
  5. without distance metastases
  6. KPS >=70
  7. with good compliance
  8. microsatellite repair status is MSS/pMMR
  9. without previous anti-cancer therapy or immunotherapy
  10. signed the inform consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. pregnancy or breast-feeding women

  2. pathological confirmed signet ring cell carcinoma

  3. clinical stage T1N0 and can be resected locally

  4. history of other malignancies within 5 years

  5. serious medical illness, such as severe mental disorders, cardiac disease, uncontrolled infection, etc.

  6. immunodeficiency disease or long-term using of immunosuppressive agents

  7. baseline blood and biochemical indicators do not meet the following criteria: neutrophils≥1.5×10^9/L, Hb≥90g/L, PLT≥100×10^9/L, ALT/AST

    • 2.5 ULN, Cr≤ 1 ULN

  8. DPD deficiency

  9. allergic to any component of the therapy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: SCRT plus immunochemotherapy group

Patients will receive SCRT (25Gy/5Fx, SCRT), followed by 4 cycles of CAPOX and PD-1 antibody, finally receive the TEM or TME surgery or adopt WW option.
Radiation: Short-course radiotherapy

SCRT: 25Gy/5Fx

Drug: PD-1 antibody (Sintilimab)

Sintilimab 200mg d1 q3w

Other Names:
  • Sintilimab
Drug: Oxaliplatin

Oxaliplatin: 130mg/m2 d1 q3w

Drug: Capecitabine

Xeloda
Other: LCRT plus chemotherapy group

Patients will receive LCRT (50Gy/25Fx,LCRT, concurrent capecitabine), followed by 2 cycles of CAPOX, finally receive the TEM or TME surgery or adopt WW option.
Drug: Oxaliplatin

Oxaliplatin: 130mg/m2 d1 q3w

Drug: Capecitabine

Xeloda

Radiation: Long-course radiation

LCRT: 50Gy/25Fx

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
3 year TME-free survival rate
Time Frame: the proportion of patients who remain alive and have not undergone total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery within three years from the start of treatment.

Rate of 3 year TME-free survival
the proportion of patients who remain alive and have not undergone total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery within three years from the start of treatment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
3 year local recurrence free survival rate
Time Frame: From date of initiation of treatment until the date of first documented pelvic failure, assessed up to 36 months.

Rate of 3 year local recurrence free survival
From date of initiation of treatment until the date of first documented pelvic failure, assessed up to 36 months.
complete response (CR) rate
Time Frame: 1 month after the surgery or the decision of W&W

Rate of complete response (CR), including the rate of pathologic complete response (pCR) after surgery and the rate of cCR with W&W strategy.
1 month after the surgery or the decision of W&W
Organ preservation rate
Time Frame: from date of receiving neoadjuvant therapy, assessed up to 3 years

Organ preservation rate
from date of receiving neoadjuvant therapy, assessed up to 3 years
3 year disease free survival rate
Time Frame: From date of initiation of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 36 months.

Rate of 3 year disease free survival
From date of initiation of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 36 months.
3 year overall survival rate
Time Frame: From date of initiation of treatment until the date of death from any cause, assessed up to 36 months

Rate of 3 year overall survival
From date of initiation of treatment until the date of death from any cause, assessed up to 36 months
3 year Quality of Life
Time Frame: From date of initiation of treatment until the date of death from any cause, assessed up to 3 years

Quality of life will be evaluated using EORTC QLQ-C30 score.
From date of initiation of treatment until the date of death from any cause, assessed up to 3 years
Grade 3-4 adverse effects rate
Time Frame: From date of randomization until 3 months after the completion neoadjuvant therapy

Rate of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy related adverse events
From date of randomization until 3 months after the completion neoadjuvant therapy

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fudan University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 10, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • FDRT-2026-388-5240

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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