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Appendix Cancer

Our Impact

Appendix Cancer

“Thank you to the Cycle for Survival community for supporting research to help people with appendix cancer. This funding will enable us to find the most effective form of chemotherapy, and that will greatly impact patients’ outcomes and quality of life.”
Andrea Cercek, MD
Gastrointestinal Oncology Service
Andrea Cercek, MD

Problem

Researchers need to find the most effective way to treat appendix cancer so patients don’t suffer from recurrence and metastatic disease.

Ideas

Drs. Andrea Cercek and Garrett Nash are conducting a Phase II trial for patients with cancers of the appendix, colon, or rectum that have spread to the abdominal lining. These patients typically receive chemotherapy directly into the abdomen immediately following surgery. In this trial, researchers are comparing two types of this “intraperitoneal” chemotherapy to see which is more successful at killing residual cancer cells.

How

One group of patients will receive early post-operative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) with the drugs floxuridine and leucovorin for three days. The second group will receive a heated chemotherapy, called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), using the drug mitomycin, for 100 minutes after surgery. Heating the chemotherapy drug may improve its efficacy at destroying cancer cells.

You should know:

  • Cycle for Survival funding supports this ongoing trial, and has enabled investigators to add an additional component: measuring circulating tumor DNA in blood samples of patients before and after surgery. The goal is to evaluate for early signs of recurrence in the blood stream.
  • 40 patients are currently enrolled in the trial, with a goal of recruiting approximately 200 total patients.
  • This is the first-ever prospective trial of any treatment for patients with appendix cancer worldwide.
  • This is also the first time EPIC and HIPEC chemotherapies have been used in a randomized trial for appendix cancer in the U.S.
  • HIPEC is being administered in an MSK trial to treat ovarian cancer.

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