TREATMENT:

You have been asked to participate in this research study because you have rectal cancer.  The purpose of this study is to compare the chemotherapy drug capecitabine as a pill by mouth, twice a day, during the weeks you receive radiation therapy is as good as the standard treatment with the drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) given continuously into your vein during the weeks you receive radiation therapy. This study will look at two different treatment options and obtain important information regarding the quality of life for both.  At this time we do not know which chemotherapy drug, when combined with radiation therapy, is better for the type of cancer that you have.  The final purpose for doing this study is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers the use of capecitabine to be investigational for cancer such as yours.  Capecitabine in combination with radiotherapy must be tested further in patients with your type of cancer.

Your chemotherapy and radiation therapy will last about 6 weeks.  Even if your chemotherapy and radiation therapy are delayed due to side effects, they will not continue beyond 9 weeks.  We would like to keep track of your medical condition for the rest of your life to look at long-term effects of the study.

Patient Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria:

- See http://clinicaltrials.coh.org for additional information.

This site is run by CenterWatch, a publishing company that focuses on the clinical trials industry. The information provided in this service is designed to help patients find clinical trials that may be of interest to them, and to help patients contact the centers conducting the research. CenterWatch is neither promoting this research nor involved in conducting any of these trials.

Trial listings updated: October 6, 2008 at 2:28:26 PM