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A randomized controlled pilot study to compare capecitabine-oxaliplatin with 5-FU-leucovorin as neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation in locally advanced adenocarcinoma of rectum.

CONTEXT
Established as an adjuvant chemotherapy, CapeOX has recently been shown to have radiosensitizer property in a phase I and II studies, with appreciable downstaging and tolerable toxicities.


AIMS
The study was designed to evaluate whether the capecitabine-oxaliplatin combination was superior to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-leucovorin as radiosensitizer for neoadjuvant chemoradiation in downstaging locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma and to compare the toxicities between the two arms.


SETTINGS AND DESIGN
Single institutional, double blinded, prospective, noncrossover, randomized control pilot study.


SUBJECTS AND METHODS
In arm A (n = 21), patients received capecitabine (1,000 mg/m(2) daily) in twice dailydoseon days 1-14 and 25-38 and oxaliplatin (85 mg/m(2)) intravenous ( IV) over 2 h, on D1 and D29. In arm B (n = 21), patients received leucovorin (20 mg/m(2)) and 5-FU (350 mg/m(2)) from D1-5 and D29-33. Patient in both the arms received concurrent radiation (50.4 Gy in 28 #, in conventional fractionation of 1.8 Gy per fraction). Six to eight weeks after concurrent chemoradiation, patients underwent assessment and surgery with total mesorectal resection. Postoperatively, adjuvant chemotherapy with m-FOLFOX 6 of 4 months was given to all patients.


STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED
Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables between the groups.


RESULTS
Objective response rate (ORR) in arm A was 80.95% compared to arm B which had 66.66% (P = 0.3055). Pathological complete response (pCR) rate of arm A was comparable to arm B (23.8 vs 14.28%, P value = 0.6944). Surgery with R0 resection was possible in 80.95% cases of arm A compared to 66.66% cases of arm B (P = 0.4827). Grade III toxicities were quite comparable between two treatment arms.


CONCLUSIONS
In terms of ORR, pCR rate, R0 resection, and toxicity profile; both the arms were comparable.