Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

Early Identification and Treatment of Occult Metastatic Disease in Stage III Colon Cancer

Trial Status: active

This phase III trial studies how well either FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and irinotecan), active surveillance, atezolizumab, or encorafenib, binimetinib, and cetuximab, or pertuzumab and trastuzumab work in decreasing recurrence (chance of the cancer coming back) in patients with stage III colon cancer who are ctDNA positive. If all the cancer is not killed after initial treatment, bloods tests may be able to detect tumor DNA in the blood called circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). This is genetic material unique to the cancer that may be present in the blood stream and can be identified through a ctDNA blood test. Cancer researchers believe that ctDNA in the blood stream may be an indicator that cancer is more likely to recur. Chemotherapy drugs, such as leucovorin, fluorouracil, and irinotecan, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as atezolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Encorafenib in combination with binimetinib and cetuximab may target the BRAF V600E-mutation in colorectal cancer. When this mutation is present, it switches on pathway called the MAPK pathway which stimulates cell division and leads to uncontrolled cell growth. Encorafenib, binimetinib and cetuximab target different parts of this important signaling pathway in tumor cells with this mutation and may slow down their growth and communication. Encorafenib and binimetinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Pertuzumab and trastuzumab are monoclonal antibodies and forms of targeted therapy that attach to a receptor protein called HER2. HER2 is found on some cancer cells. When pertuzumab or trastuzumab attach to HER2, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the tumor cell may be marked for destruction by the body's immune system. This study is being done to determine whether there are differences in cancer recurrence in ctDNA positive patients treated with additional therapy versus put on active surveillance.