OBJECTIVES:
Primary
* Determine the complete remission rate at 6 months after neoadjuvant radiotherapy, capecitabine, and oxaliplatin (XELOX), and cetuximab followed by surgery, adjuvant FOLFOX 4, and cetuximab in patients with synchronous locally advanced or metastatic cancer of the rectum with resectable metastases (T3-4 Nx or T2 N+ M1).
Secondary
* Determine progression-free survival.
* Determine overall survival.
* Assess toxicities.
* Evaluate objective response in patients with measurable metastases.
* Determine the rate of local recurrence.
* Evaluate the downstaging and downsizing of patients with operable disease.
* Evaluate surgical complications in patients with operable disease.
* Evaluate biological markers predictive of response to cetuximab.
OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.
* Neoadjuvant therapy: Patients undergo radiotherapy for 5 weeks and receive concurrent oral capecitabine twice daily on days 1-5 of each week and oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1 of each week (XELOX). Patients also receive cetuximab IV on day 1 of the first week and on days 1-7 of weeks 2-5.
* Surgery: At 6 weeks after completing chemoradiotherapy, patients with resectable disease undergo surgery comprising total mesorectal excision. Patients with progressive disease, nonresectable tumor, or who require R2 surgery are removed from the study.
* Adjuvant therapy: Patients who undergo surgery, with or without removal of metastases, receive FOLFOX 4, comprising oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours, fluorouracil IV over 46 hours, and leucovorin calcium IV on day 1, and cetuximab IV. Treatment repeats every 2 weeks for up to 6 courses (approximately 3 months). Patients who have not undergone prior surgical resection of metastases may have surgery to remove metastases after completing this second regimen of chemotherapy.
After completion of study therapy, patients are followed periodically for up to 5 years.
