Radiation Therapy, Surgery, and Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Rectal Cancer That Can Be Surgically Removed

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug, giving the drugs in different ways, and combining radiation therapy and surgery with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare radiation therapy alone before surgery with radiation therapy plus fluorouracil and leucovorin before surgery, with and without fluorouracil and leucovorin after surgery in patients with rectal cancer that can be surgically removed.

Sex

All

Maximum age

80 Years

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed resectable adenocarcinoma of the rectum

  * Any grade
  * Tumor macroscopically within 15 cm of anal margin on rigid rectoscopy
  * Tumor tethered or partially fixed on digital rectal exam and/or T3-4 on rectal ultrasound
* No acute or subacute bowel obstruction without colostomy diversion
* No chronic inflammatory disease of the ileum and/or colon
* No primary adenocarcinoma of the anal canal
* No distant metastasis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 80 and under

Performance status:

* WHO 0-1

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* Granulocyte count greater than 2,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count greater than 130,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Not specified

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 1.36 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

* No angina pectoris

Other:

* No other prior malignancy except basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* No prior biologic therapy for adenocarcinoma of the rectum

Chemotherapy

* No prior chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the rectum

Endocrine therapy

* No prior endocrine therapy for adenocarcinoma of the rectum

Radiotherapy

* No prior radiotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the rectum

Surgery

* No prior surgery for adenocarcinoma of the rectum

• BACKGROUNDBonnetain F, Bosset JF, Gerard JP, Calais G, Conroy T, Mineur L, Bouche O, Maingon P, Chapet O, Radosevic-Jelic L, Methy N, Collette L. What is the clinical benefit of preoperative chemoradiotherapy with 5FU/leucovorin for T3-4 rectal cancer in a pooled analysis of EORTC 22921 and FFCD 9203 trials: surrogacy in question? Eur J Cancer. 2012 Aug;48(12):1781-90. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2012.03.016. Epub 2012 Apr 14. PMID 22507892
• BACKGROUNDden Dulk M, Putter H, Collette L, Marijnen CAM, Folkesson J, Bosset JF, Rodel C, Bujko K, Pahlman L, van de Velde CJH. The abdominoperineal resection itself is associated with an adverse outcome: the European experience based on a pooled analysis of five European randomised clinical trials on rectal cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2009 May;45(7):1175-1183. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2008.11.039. Epub 2009 Jan 6. PMID 19128956
• RESULTMonnien F, Zaki H, Borg C, Mougin C, Bosset JF, Mercier M, Arbez-Gindre F, Kantelip B. Prognostic value of phosphorylated STAT3 in advanced rectal cancer: a study from 104 French patients included in the EORTC 22921 trial. J Clin Pathol. 2010 Oct;63(10):873-8. doi: 10.1136/jcp.2010.076414. PMID 20876317
• RESULTTiv M, Puyraveau M, Mineur L, Calais G, Maingon P, Bardet E, Mercier M, Bosset JF. Long-term quality of life in patients with rectal cancer treated with preoperative (chemo)-radiotherapy within a randomized trial. Cancer Radiother. 2010 Oct;14(6-7):530-4. doi: 10.1016/j.canrad.2010.06.017. Epub 2010 Aug 24. PMID 20797891
• RESULTCollette L, Bosset JF, den Dulk M, Nguyen F, Mineur L, Maingon P, Radosevic-Jelic L, Pierart M, Calais G; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Radiation Oncology Group. Patients with curative resection of cT3-4 rectal cancer after preoperative radiotherapy or radiochemotherapy: does anybody benefit from adjuvant fluorouracil-based chemotherapy? A trial of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Radiation Oncology Group. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Oct 1;25(28):4379-86. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2007.11.9685. PMID 17906203