Rectal Cancer clinical trials at UCSD

This phase II trial studies how well retreatment with panitumumab works compared to standard of care regorafenib or trifluridine and tipiracil hydrochloride (TAS-102) in treating patients with colorectal cancer that is negative for RAS wild-type colorectal cancer has spread to other places in the body (metastatic), and/or cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable), and is negative for resistance mutations in blood. Treatment with panitumumab may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Some tumors need growth factors to keep growing. Growth factor antagonists, such as regorafenib, may interfere with the growth factor and stop the tumor from growing. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as TAS-102, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving panitumumab may work better in treating patients with colorectal cancer than with the usual treatment of regorafenib or TAS-102.

The standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer involves chemotherapy and radiation, known as 5FUCMT, (the chemotherapy drugs 5-fluorouracil/capecitabine and radiation therapy) prior to surgery. Although radiation therapy to the pelvis has been a standard and important part of treatment for rectal cancer and has been shown to decrease the risk of the cancer coming back in the same area in the pelvis, some patients experience undesirable side effects from the radiation and there have been important advances in chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation which may be of benefit. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects, both good and bad, of the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation to chemotherapy using a combination regimen known as FOLFOX, (the drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin and leucovorin) and selective use of the standard treatment, depending on response to the FOLFOX. The drugs in the FOLFOX regimen are all FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved and have been used routinely to treat patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

The investigators hypothesize that the combination of eflornithine and sulindac will be effective in reducing a three-year event rate of adenomas and second primary colorectal cancers in patients previously treated for Stages 0 through III colon or rectal cancer.

This phase II MATCH trial studies how well treatment that is directed by genetic testing works in patients with solid tumors or lymphomas that have progressed following at least one line of standard treatment or for which no agreed upon treatment approach exists. Genetic tests look at the unique genetic material (genes) of patients' tumor cells. Patients with genetic abnormalities (such as mutations, amplifications, or translocations) may benefit more from treatment which targets their tumor's particular genetic abnormality. Identifying these genetic abnormalities first may help doctors plan better treatment for patients with solid tumors, lymphomas, or multiple myeloma.

This phase II trial studies whether tucatinib combined with trastuzumab and TAS-102 works to shrink tumors in patients with HER2 positive colorectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic) and has one of the following gene mutations detected in blood: PIK3CA, KRAS, NRAS, or BRAF V600. Tucatinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of the abnormal protein that signals tumor cells to multiply. This helps stop or slow the spread of tumor cells. Trastuzumab is a form of targeted therapy because it attaches itself to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of tumor cells, known as HER2 receptors. When trastuzumab attaches to HER2 receptors, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the tumor cell may be marked for destruction by the body's immune system. TAS-102 is a combination of 2 drugs; trifluridine and tipiracil. Trifluridine is in a class of medications called thymidine-based nucleoside analogues. It works by stopping the growth of tumor cells. Tipiracil is in a class of medications called thymidine phosphorylase inhibitors. It works by slowing the breakdown of trifluridine by the body. Giving tucatinib, trastuzumab, and TAS-102 together may work better than usual treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer.

This randomized phase II trial studies how well veliparib or pembrolizumab work with combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients with rectal cancer that has spread from where it started to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced). Veliparib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as modified (m)FOLFOX6 regimen, 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving veliparib or pembrolizumab with combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells, make the tumor smaller, and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed.