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Watchful Waiting for Rectal Cancer

Phase 2
Recruiting
Led By Amr Aref, MD
Research Sponsored by Ascension South East Michigan
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Be older than 18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up three years
Awards & highlights
No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial is testing whether it's better to do surgery right away or wait and see if the tumor grows back before doing surgery in a selected group of patients.

Who is the study for?
This trial is for adults over 18 with rectal cancer that's close to the anal opening and hasn't spread far (stage T3/N0-N1M0). It includes those who have a slightly less advanced stage (low T2) but need major surgery. People under 18, with other cancers, or tumors farther from the anal verge or at different stages can't join.
What is being tested?
The study is testing 'watchful waiting' in patients at high risk of surgical complications. Instead of immediate radical surgery after local excision, doctors will closely monitor patients and only offer major surgery if the tumor starts growing again.
What are the potential side effects?
Since this approach avoids initial radical surgery, it may reduce surgical risks like wound problems. However, there's a chance that delayed treatment could impact long-term cancer control.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~three years
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and three years for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
Local recurrence free survival
Secondary study objectives
Quality of life using LARS score

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group
All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

1Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Watchful WaitingExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Six cycles of FOLFOX (infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) will be administered every two weeks according to protocol. After a 3 week recovery period, this will be followed by conventional concurrent radiation and 5FU/capecitabine. Patients will be re-staged two to three weeks after completion of induction FOLFOX therapy to ensure no disease progression. The patients will be re-staged again at least 7-11 weeks post completion of nCRT. Patients with restaging results showing either complete or near complete response, will be allocated to "watchful waiting."

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Ascension South East MichiganLead Sponsor
18 Previous Clinical Trials
32,393 Total Patients Enrolled
Amr Aref, MDPrincipal InvestigatorAscension St. John Hospital
1 Previous Clinical Trials
15 Total Patients Enrolled

Media Library

Watchful Waiting Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT05526079 — Phase 2
Colorectal Cancer Research Study Groups: Watchful Waiting
Colorectal Cancer Clinical Trial 2023: Watchful Waiting Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT05526079 — Phase 2
Watchful Waiting 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT05526079 — Phase 2
~11 spots leftby Jul 2028