Active Cancer NIHR-supported project Digestion, Kidneys & Other Organs

Substudy 1: Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Without Liver Metastases: A Phase II, Open-Label, Multicenter, Master Protocol to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Novel Study Interventions and Combinations in Participants with Colorectal Cancer (CANTOR)

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

A new drug called volrustomig is being tested in combination with standard chemotherapy for people whose bowel cancer has spread beyond the bowel but not to the liver. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with nearly 44,000 new cases each year. Current treatments—surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted medicines—still leave many patients without effective options once the cancer has spread. This substudy focuses specifically on patients whose metastases have not reached the liver, a group that may respond differently to immunotherapy. Volrustomig works by blocking two molecules, PD-1 and CTLA-4, that cancer cells use to evade the immune system. Around 120 participants across 12 countries will be randomly assigned to receive either volrustomig plus standard treatment or standard treatment alone, with a two-in-three chance of receiving the new drug. If volrustomig proves safe and effective, it could offer a new treatment option for a subset of bowel cancer patients who currently have limited alternatives—potentially improving survival without the need for liver-directed therapies.

View original technical description
Colorectal cancer (also known as bowel cancer) is the 4th most common cancer in the UK. Almost 44,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It can affect anyone, but more than 90% of new cases are in people over the age of 50. 1 in 17 men and 1 in 20 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.Current treatments available for colorectal cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapdy and targeted medicines. There is still an unmet need for further treatments.Cancer cells may stay in the bowel or they might spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver or lungs. Sub-Study 1 will recruit participants with metastatic colorectal cancer that hasn’t spread to the liver.The aim is to learn more about the effectiveness and safety of volrustomig when it is given in combination with a standard treatment for colorectal cancer.Volrustomig may help the immune system fight cancer by sticking to and blocking signaling from two molecules called PD-1 and CTLA-4. Cancer cells use PD-1 and CTLA-4 to avoid being attacked by the immune system. By stopping cancer cells from using these molecules, volrustomig may help the immune system to find and attack cancer cellsParticipants will be randomly assigned to either Arm A (volrustomig + standard treatment) or Arm B (standard treatment). They will have a 2 in 3 chance of being given volrustomig and both the participant and the study doctor will know which treatment is being administered. Study treatments will be administered by intravenous (IV) infusion over a 14-day cycle.About 120 participants in 12 countries at 75 study sites will take part in this study.This study is being sponsored by AstraZeneca AB.

Researchers

Khurum Khan (Principal Investigator)

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Original classification

Cancer

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