Testing two ways to boost radiation to prevent rectal surgery
Part of Cancer, Digestive system clinical trials.
This study looks at whether two different added “boosts” of radiation can work as well for rectal cancer patients, aiming to avoid or reduce the need for rectal cancer surgery. You would receive a specific combination of radiation (including brachytherapy) and chemotherapy, and your tumor’s location and size will determine if you can take part.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- You are age 18 or older with rectal cancer that has not spread to distant organs
- Your MRI or ultrasound staging shows limited lymph-node involvement (N0–1) and no metastasis
- Your rectal tumor is small: under 5 cm long, and takes up less than half the bowel circumference
- Your tumor is low in the rectum (within 10 cm of the anus) and is not too deep (less than 5 mm into the fat around the rectum)
- You must be able to receive brachytherapy (radioactive seeds/approach for radiation) and still have access for a colonoscopy
- You must not have had radiation to the pelvis before, and your tumor must not be T4 or extend into the anal canal
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
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