A case report of typhlitis during novel use of ropidoxuridine–capecitabine–radiotherapy for treatment-naïve rectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Rectal carcinomas are tumors that arise from the last 12 cm of the large intestine closest to the anus. They generally have a modest prognosis exacerbated by a high local recurrence rate if radiosensitizing chemotherapy is not given during radiotherapy. This case report discusses the clinical trial treatment of a patient with rectal adenocarcinoma by a new ropidoxuridine–capecitabine–radiotherapy combination. This case report is novel due to the patient’s participation in an accelerated titration phase I clinical trial and the resultant rare adverse event of treatment-related sigmoid typhlitis. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was an 82-year-old female who noticed hematochezia and change in stool caliber over a period of 3 months. A rectal mass was identified by biopsy as a microsatellite stable adenocarcinoma. A planned total neoadjuvant treatment involved eight cycles of leucovorin calcium (folinic acid)–fluorouracil–oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) chemotherapy, followed by a clinical trial combination of ropidoxuridine–capecitabine–radiotherapy, prior to definitive surgery. The patient began daily intensity modulated pelvic radiotherapy with concurrent twice-daily oral ropidoxuridine and twice-daily oral capecitabine to be given over 6 weeks. After 14 days of ropidoxuridine–capecitabine–radiotherapy, the patient developed sigmoid typhlitis requiring a 10-day hospitalization and 14-day disruption of treatment. The patient died 27 days after the start of ropidoxuridine–capecitabine–radiotherapy. This adverse event was listed as a definite attribution to the ropidoxuridine–capecitabine treatment; pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data showed low ropidoxuridine metabolite DNA incorporation and high capecitabine metabolite concentration. The accelerated titration phase I clinical trial has been subsequently closed to accrual (NCT04406857). CONCLUSIONS: We believe this case report demonstrates the decision-making process for terminating a phase I accelerated titration designed clinical trial. The report also presents the rare complication of sigmoid typhlitis as a treatment-attributed adverse event. In this case, a ropidoxuridine–capecitabine combination was used as an investigational radiosensitizing treatment now with a narrower future clinical development pathway.