Short Course Radiation Therapy and Combination Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Stage II-III Rectal Cancer
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2026-10-15
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This phase I trial investigates how well short-course radiation therapy followed by
combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with stage II-III rectal cancer.
Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Chemotherapy
drugs, such as leucovorin, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine, work in different
ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from
dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving short-course radiation therapy and
combination chemotherapy may reduce the need for surgery and therefore improve quality of
life.