CONVERT: Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Alone Versus Preoperative Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients

Summary

Although neoadjuvant radiotherapy greatly decreases local recurrence in locally advanced rectal cancer patients undergoing surgery, it inevitably results in short-term and long-term toxicities. More importantly, it has not been confirmed that neoadjuvant radiotherapy could improve overall survival. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of chemotherapy alone using a combination regimen known as XELOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin ) and selective use of the standard treatment to the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation.

Timeline

Start

2014-08-13

Primary completion

2021-03-17

Completion

2024-03

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper The non-inferiority of nCT was not confirmed with a very low incidence of local recurrence in both group. PMID 41712876 ↗

Publications

• Results Mei WJ, Wang XZ, Li YF, Sun YM, Yang CK, Lin JZ, Wu ZG, Zhang R, Wang W, Li Y, Zhuang YZ, Lei J, Wan XB, Ren YK, Cheng Y, Li WL, Wang ZQ, Xu DB, Mo XW, Ju HX, Ye SW, Zhao JL, Zhang H, Gao YH, Zeng ZF, Xiao WW, Zhang XP, Zhang X, Xie E, Feng YF, Tang JH, Wu XJ, Chen G, Li LR, Lu ZH, Wan DS, Bei JX, Pan ZZ, Ding PR. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With CAPOX Versus Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer With Uninvolved Mesorectal Fascia (CONVERT): Initial Results of a Phase III Trial. Ann Surg. 2023 Apr 1;277(4):557-564. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005780. Epub 2022 Dec 20.
• Mei WJ, Wang XZ, Zhang X, Sun YM, Yang CK, Lin JZ, Wu ZG, Zhang R, Wang W, Li Y, Zhuang YZ, Lei J, Wan XB, Ren YK, Cheng Y, Li WL, Wang ZQ, Xu DB, Mo XW, Ju HX, Ye SW, Zhao JL, Zhang H, Gao YH, Zeng ZF, Xiao WW, Zhang XP, Li YF, Xie E, Feng YF, Tang JH, Wu XJ, Chen G, Li LR, Lu ZH, Wan DS, Bei JX, Pan ZZ, Yu JH, Ding PR. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With CAPOX Versus Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer With Uninvolved Mesorectal Fascia (CONVERT): Final Results of a Phase III Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2026 Apr 10;44(11):970-980. doi: 10.1200/JCO-25-00731. Epub 2026 Feb 19.

Drugs

Indications