A phase II study of preoperative oxaliplatin, capecitabine, and external beam radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. : Abstract #3552

3552 Background: Local recurrence after surgery is a cause of treatment failure in pts with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Preoperative RT decreases local recurrence but not distant spread. Oxaliplatin (OX) and capecitabine (CAP) are both highly active cancer drugs for advanced colorectal cancer and have radiosensitizing properties. Therefore, adding CAP and OX to preoperative RT should improve its efficacy in terms of local control and prevention of metastases. Methods: This study was designed to investigate the efficacy (based on pathological response rate) and safety of preoperative chemo-RT in patients with LACR (T3-T4 and/or N+ staged by endorectal ultrasound). RT was administered for 5 weeks, 5 days a week (1.8 Gy/fraction, total dose 45 Gy, 3D conformation technique) in combination with OX 50 mg/m2 intravenously, weekly for 5 weeks and oral CAP 825 mg/m2 twice a day, each day of radiation. Surgery was performed 6–8 weeks after completion of RT. Results: Since December 2002, 37 out of the 40...