A trial looking at chemotherapy for people with rectal cancer (Copernicus)
Cancer type:
Status:
Phase:
This trial looked at whether it was useful for people with cancer of the back passage (rectal cancer) to have chemotherapy before surgery.
Cancer Research UK supported this trial.
More about this trial
Radiotherapy, followed by surgery and chemotherapy is the usual treatment for rectal cancer. This is 
.
Research has shown that for some cancers giving chemotherapy before and after surgery can help to delay the cancer coming back.
In this trial doctors gave people the same amount of radiotherapy and chemotherapy as standard treatment. But some of the chemotherapy was given before surgery.
The researchers wanted to find out
- if it was possible to give chemotherapy before surgery
- if having chemotherapy before and after surgery helped to delay rectal cancer coming back
- about the side effects
Summary of results
The trial team found it was possible to give chemotherapy before surgery to remove rectal cancer.
This was a phase 2 trial. Everyone had chemotherapy before surgery to remove their rectal cancer.
60 people joined the trial. 3 people didn’t have surgery.
57 people had chemotherapy, radiotherapy then surgery. The average gap between finishing their radiotherapy and having surgery was 7 days.
The cancer was completely removed in all 57 people.
After surgery 45 people had more chemotherapy and 12 didn’t.
The researchers have followed up the people who had surgery for at least 1 year after surgery to see how they are.
The worst side effect of the chemotherapy and radiotherapy before surgery was a significant drop in white blood cells causing an increased risk of infection.
The trial team concluded that it is possible to give chemotherapy before surgery for rectal cancer. A larger phase 3 trial is being considered to study this further.
We have based this summary on information from the research team. As far as we are aware, the information they sent us has not been reviewed independently () or published in a medical journal yet. The figures we quote above were provided by the research team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Chief Investigator
Dr Simon Gollins
Supported by
Bobby Moore Fund (BMF)
Cancer Research UK
Cardiff University
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
Wales Cancer Trials Unit (WCTU)
Other information
This is Cancer Research UK trial number CRUK/10/020.
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
