Conditions: Chemotherapeutic Agent Toxicity Colorectal Cancer Diarrhea
Keywords: diarrhea chemotherapeutic agent toxicity recurrent colon cancer recurrent rectal cancer stage IV colon cancer stage IV rectal cancer
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 100
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
RATIONALE: Calcium aluminosilicate anti-diarrheal (CASAD) may help treat and prevent diarrhea caused by irinotecan. It is not yet known whether CASAD is more effective than a placebo in treating and preventing diarrhea in patients receiving irinotecan.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying CASAD to see how well it works compared with a placebo in treating and preventing diarrhea in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving irinotecan.

Detailed description:
OBJECTIVES:

Primary

* To compare the efficacy of calcium aluminosilicate anti-diarrheal (CASAD) versus placebo in reducing the incidence of grade 3 or 4 diarrhea in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving an irinotecan-based chemotherapy regimen.

Secondary

* To compare stools per day in patients treated with these drugs.
* To compare chemotherapy dose reductions and delays due to diarrhea in patients treated with these drugs.
* To compare quality of life of patients treated with these drugs.
* To compare the safety of these drugs in these patients.
* To compare the incidence of grade 3 or 4 diarrhea in patients treated with these drugs.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to chemotherapy regimen (irinotecan hydrochloride in combination with fluorouracil and/or biologic therapy vs irinotecan hydrochloride alone). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

* Arm I: Patients receive oral calcium aluminosilicate anti-diarrheal (CASAD) 4 times daily for 6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who develop grade 3 or 4 diarrhea and are removed from the study may receive CASAD for an additional 6 weeks.
* Arm II: Patients receive oral placebo 4 times daily for 6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who develop grade 3 or 4 diarrhea and are removed from the study may then receive CASAD for 6 weeks.

Patients undergo quality-of-life assessment at baseline and at weeks 3, 5, and 6.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed for 30 days.

Arms:
arm 1: Oral calcium aluminosilicate anti-diarrheal (CASAD) 4 times daily for 6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Participants who develop grade 3 or 4 diarrhea may receive CASAD for an additional 6 weeks. arm 2: Oral placebo 4 times daily for 6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Participants who develop grade 3 or 4 diarrhea may then receive CASAD for 6 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: calcium aluminosilicate anti-diarrheal intervention 2: placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Given orally intervention 2: Given orally

Protocol document: