New study aims to make rectal cancer more responsive to radiation

New study aims to make rectal cancer more responsive to radiation

City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced research and treatment organizations in the United States with its National Medical Center named top 5 in the nation for cancer by U.S. News & World report, has opened a Phase 1 trial in which one day rectal cancer can be cured from a largely radiation-resistant disease to one with radiation and chemotherapy can.

Many cancers are cured by radiation therapy alone or radiation combined with chemotherapy, including prostate, head and neck, lung, cervical and anal cancers. For patients who have warranted a wake-and-wait approach, improving the effectiveness of radiation and avoiding the need for surgery can improve quality of life, especially when patients receiving surgery require a permanent colostomy and require a stool to collect in an external bag. “

Terence Williams, MD, Ph.D., Chair of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope and Principal Investigator of the clinical trial (NCT06834126)

Papaverine is an investigational agent that has been found in both preclinical and ongoing clinical trials to sensitize tumor cells to radiation therapy by blocking oxygen consumption in tumor cells. Researchers will test whether papaverine can be used in different ways to turn off oxygen consumption in the tumor cell and increase oxygen levels. Because radiation works better when oxygen is present, physician-scientists believe this technique allows for maximum tumor destruction and prevents or prolongs the need for rectal cancer surgery.

The City of Hope Dinomite study has the primary goal of determining the side effect profile and most effective dose of papaverine when administered with radiation therapy to patients with rectal cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) but has not spread beyond the pelvis.

Surgery would be reserved for patients whose tumors appear in the pelvis after radiation and chemotherapy.

The ultimate goal in this study is to improve radiation therapy in a way that sensitizes tumors, but not normal organs and tissues, and prevent patients with localized rectal cancer from requiring surgery.

City of Hope experts capitalize on a lab-designed discovery, building on recent work in Dr. Williams and previous work in a colleague's laboratory. City of Hope is a leading institution known for its “bench to bedside” approach to translational medicine, moving quickly from the laboratory to clinical trials and patient care.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and rectal cancer accounts for about a third of colorectal cancer. Innovations in radiation oncology to make radiation more effective, such as the approach tested in this study, could prevent patients from having life-changing surgery.

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