Preoperative Radiotherapy With Capecitabine and Bevacizumab in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: CRAB Phase II Study (CRAB)

The use of preoperative chemoradiation and adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-FU based chemotherapy reduced local recurrence rate to less than 10%, but has only had limited effect on overall survival due to the constantly high (more than 30%) rate of distant metastasis.

However, it has been shown that complete eradication of the primary tumour observed in the histopathological specimen (pathological complete response, pCR) correlates with a favourable overall prognosis so obtaining a pCR might be beneficial. The aim of the study is to investigate whether the addition of bevacizumab to preoperative fluoropyrimidinebased chemoradiation improves pathological complete remission rate in locally advanced rectal cancer with acceptable toxicity. Secondary objectives are to evaluate pathological downstaging rate, histopathological R0 resection rate,sphincter preservation rate, perioperative surgical complication rate, local control, DFS, OS, late toxicity and quality of life.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: bevacizumab, capecitabine

Detailed Description

• radiotherapy: 45 Gy to the pelvis (25x 1.8 Gy on days 1-33, excluding weekends) plus 5.4 Gy on days 36-38 as a boost to the primary tumour (3 fractions of 1.8 Gy).Three- dimensional CT planing and a four field box technique with high energy photons (15 MV) will be used. All fields will be treated daily. Multileaf collimators will be used to shape individual radiation fields. Patients will be irradiated in a prone position with a full bladder and by using belly board to minimize exposure of the small bowel.
• capecitabine 825 mg/m² p.o. twice daily on days 1-38 (including weekends),
• bevacizumab: at dose 5 mg/kg on days -14, 2, 16,30.
• Radical surgery (TME): to be undertaken ideally 6-8 weeks following completion of chemoradiation.

Postoperative treatment (in patients achieving histopathological R0 or R1 resection):capecitabine 1250 mg/m² p.o. twice daily for 14 consecutive days every three weeks; 4 cycles (R0)or 6 cycles (R1) beginning 6-8 weeks after surgery

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 60
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Slovenia
  • Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1000
    • Onstitute of Oncology, Zaloška 2

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female patients with histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the rectum (tumour located below the peritoneum), T3/4 or any node positive disease (clinical stage according the TNM classification system)
• No evidence of metastatic disease.
• The disease must be considered either resectable at the time of entry or thought to become resectable after preoperative chemoradiation.
• Age 18 - 80 years
• WHO Performance Status 0-2
• No prior radiotherapy, chemotherapy or any targeting therapy for rectal cancer
• Adequate hematological, hepatic and renal function Ability to swallow tablets
• Signed informed consent
• Patients must be willing and able to comply with the protocol for duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Malignancy of the rectum other than adenocarcinoma
• Any unrested synchronous colon cancer
• Other co-existing malignancy or malignancy within the past 5 years, with the exception of adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the cervix or basal cell carcinoma of the skin
• Significant heart disease (uncontrolled hypertension despite of medication (> 150/100 mmHg), NYHA class III or IV heart disease,unstable angina or myocardial infarction within the past 1 year prior the study entry, history of significant ventricular arrhythmia requiring treatment)
• Serious, non-healing wound, ulcer or bone fracture
• Evidence of active peptic ulcer or upper GI bleeding
• Evidence of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy
• Chronic daily treatment with high-dose aspirin(>325mg/day)
• Current or recent (>10 days) use of full-dose of parenteral anticoagulants or thrombolytic agents for therapeutic purpose
• Patients receiving a concomitant treatment with drugs interacting with capecitabine such as flucitosine, phenytoin, or warfarin
• Known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD)deficiency
• Major surgery within 4 weeks prior to study treatment starts, or lack of complete recovery from the effects of major surgery or open biopsy
• Known hypersensitivity to biological drugs
• Treatment with any investigational drug within 30 days before beginning treatment with the study drug
• Pregnant or lactating patient
• Females with a positive or no pregnancy test unless childbearing potential can be otherwise excluded (amenorrheic for at least 2 years,hysterectomy or oophorectomy)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Pathological complete remission rate (pCR)	after pathological examination of surgical speciments

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Pathological response rate	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up
Rate of sphincter sparing surgical procedure	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up
Histopathological R0 resection rate	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up
Acute and late toxicity	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up
Loco-regional failure rate	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up
Disease-free survival	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up
Overall survival	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up
Quality of life	Toxicity/safety:during preoperative treatment, early and late postoperative follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Institute of Oncology Ljubljana
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Vaneja Velenik, MD, PhD, Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Sauer R, Becker H, Hohenberger W, Rodel C, Wittekind C, Fietkau R, Martus P, Tschmelitsch J, Hager E, Hess CF, Karstens JH, Liersch T, Schmidberger H, Raab R; German Rectal Cancer Study Group. Preoperative versus postoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. N Engl J Med. 2004 Oct 21;351(17):1731-40. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa040694.
• Dunst J, Reese T, Sutter T, Zuhlke H, Hinke A, Kolling-Schlebusch K, Frings S. Phase I trial evaluating the concurrent combination of radiotherapy and capecitabine in rectal cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2002 Oct 1;20(19):3983-91. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2002.02.049.
• Willett CG, Boucher Y, Duda DG, di Tomaso E, Munn LL, Tong RT, Kozin SV, Petit L, Jain RK, Chung DC, Sahani DV, Kalva SP, Cohen KS, Scadden DT, Fischman AJ, Clark JW, Ryan DP, Zhu AX, Blaszkowsky LS, Shellito PC, Mino-Kenudson M, Lauwers GY. Surrogate markers for antiangiogenic therapy and dose-limiting toxicities for bevacizumab with radiation and chemotherapy: continued experience of a phase I trial in rectal cancer patients. J Clin Oncol. 2005 Nov 1;23(31):8136-9. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2005.02.5635. No abstract available.
• Camma C, Giunta M, Fiorica F, Pagliaro L, Craxi A, Cottone M. Preoperative radiotherapy for resectable rectal cancer: A meta-analysis. JAMA. 2000 Aug 23-30;284(8):1008-15. doi: 10.1001/jama.284.8.1008.
• Velenik V, Anderluh F, Oblak I, Strojan P, Zakotnik B. Capecitabine as a radiosensitizing agent in neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced resectable rectal cancer: prospective phase II trial. Croat Med J. 2006 Oct;47(5):693-700.
• Duda DG, Jain RK, Willett CG. Antiangiogenics: the potential role of integrating this novel treatment modality with chemoradiation for solid cancers. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Sep 10;25(26):4033-42. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2007.11.3985.
• Czito BG, Bendell JC, Willett CG, Morse MA, Blobe GC, Tyler DS, Thomas J, Ludwig KA, Mantyh CR, Ashton J, Yu D, Hurwitz HI. Bevacizumab, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine with radiation therapy in rectal cancer: Phase I trial results. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2007 Jun 1;68(2):472-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.02.001.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 11, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 11, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): February 12, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 26, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 23, 2012
• Last Verified: March 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: capecitabine; bevacizumab; radiotherapy; rectal cancer
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Intestinal Neoplasms; Rectal Diseases; Colorectal Neoplasms; Rectal Neoplasms; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Antimetabolites; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Angiogenesis Modulating Agents; Growth Substances; Growth Inhibitors; Capecitabine; Bevacizumab
• Other Study ID Numbers: ML21901