Clinical Trial: Capecitabine or Observation After Surgery in Treating Patients With Biliary Tract Cancer

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: A Randomised Clinical Trial Evaluating Adjuvant Chemotherapy With Capecitabine Compared to Expectant Treatment Alone (Observation) Following Surgery for Biliary Tract Cancer

Brief Summary:

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving capecitabine after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. Sometimes, after surgery, the tumor may not need more treatment until it progresses. In this case, observation may be sufficient. It is not yet known whether capecitabine is more effective than observation in treating biliary tract cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying capecitabine to see how well it works compared with observation in treating patients with biliary tract cancer.


Detailed Summary:

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

  • To determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine has any effect on 2-year survival compared to expectant treatment alone (observation) in patients who have undergone a macroscopically complete surgical resection of a biliary tract cancer.

Secondary

  • To compare capecitabine versus observation in terms of 5-year survival, relapse-free survival, toxicity, quality of life, and health economics.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized study. Patients are stratified according to surgical center, disease site (hilar/extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma vs intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma vs gallbladder vs intrapancreatic/common bile duct), type of resection (R0 vs R1), and ECOG performance status (0 vs 1 vs 2). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

  • Arm I: Patients receive oral capecitabine twice a day on days 1-14. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 8 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
  • Arm II: Patients undergo expectant treatment (observation). Quality of life is assessed at baseline, every 3 months for 1 year, and then every 6 months for 1 year.

All patients are followed for up to 5 years post-randomization.

Peer Reviewed and Funded or Endorsed by Cancer Research UK

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 360 patients will be accrued for this study.


Sponsor: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

Current Primary Outcome: Survival at 2 years

Original Primary Outcome:

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Survival at 5 years
  • Relapse-free survival
  • Toxicity
  • Quality of life
  • Health economics


Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Dates:
Date Received: August 10, 2006
Date Started: March 2006
Date Completion:
Last Updated: August 23, 2013
Last Verified: October 2011