QUASAR 2: Multicentre international study of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid, vs capecitabine plus irinotecan as adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer
Sharon Love with David Kerr, Justine Smith (Oxford)
There are 150 000 newly diagnosed colorectal cancers in Europe each year and 80% of them present no macroscopic evidence of residual tumour after surgical resection. However, as many as 40-50% of patients who undergo potentially curative surgery alone will ultimately relapse and die of subsequent metastatic disease. This observation has led to the development of cytotoxic adjuvant therapy in order to kill tumour cells, undetectable by current radiological techniques. This study will randomise patients to one of three regimens as shown in the diagram below.
The main study objective is to compare the efficacy of the three regimens with respect to
primary endpoint Disease free survival
secondary endpoints Overall survival, side effect profiles
The trial has been designed, achieved funding, and received MREC approval, and is moving to the stage of the accrual of patients.
