AzTrials
AzTrials

Neuroendocrine CancerPhase 2FR-WB-TT/cheNCT00178698

Hyperthermia/Thermal Therapy With Chemotherapy to Treat Inoperable or Metastatic Tumors

A Phase 2 study testing thermochemotherapy and Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Interferon-a in people with Neuroendocrine Cancer and Small Cell Lung Cancer, run by The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston at 1 site in United States.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Thermal therapy (hyperthermia, or heat) increases chemotherapy cancer cell kill. By itself, thermal therapy can also kill cancer cells. Whole body thermal therapy is a systemic treatment; whole-body fever-range thermal therapy can safely treat cancer cells wherever they are throughout the entire body. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
thermochemotherapy and Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Interferon-a
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
36 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jul 2002to Jun 2014
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Any patient with inoperable or metastatic small-cell lung cancer, neuroendocrine cancer (any organ), gastric cancer, of lung cancer are eligible for protocol treatment.
  • However the patient:
  • Must not have metastasis to the brain
  • Must be able to achieve positive results on preliminary tests
  • Must have a good ECOG performance status

Who cannot join

  • Metastasis to the brain
  • Poor results on preliminary physiological tests
  • a Poor ECOG performance status score

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Joan M Bull, M.D. contact

713-500-6820

Joan.M.Bull@uth.tmc.edu

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Memorial Hermann Hospital

    Houston, Texas, 77030

    Joan M Bull, M.D., 713-600-6820, Joan.M.Bull@uth.tmc.edu

    Esperanza N Fernandez, 713-500-6774, Esperanza.N.Fernandez@uth.tmc.edu

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Phase II Clinical Trial of Cisplatin + Gemcitabine HCl (GEM) + Low-Dose Metronomic Interferon-a (IFN-a) Combined With Fever-Range Whole-Body Thermal Therapy (FR-WB-TT) in Patients With Metastatic/or Locally Advanced Malignancies (Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Neuroendocrine Cancer, Gastric Cancer)

Thermal therapy (hyperthermia, or heat) increases chemotherapy cancer cell kill. By itself, thermal therapy can also kill cancer cells. Whole body thermal therapy is a systemic treatment; whole-body fever-range thermal therapy can safely treat cancer cells wherever they are throughout the entire body. In this study, we are testing the combination of fever-range heat treatment and chemotherapy to test 1) The response of three types of cancer (small-cell lung, neuroendocrine cancer, lung cancer, and gastric cancer) to the thermo-chemotherapy improves cancer response compared to the effect of only chemotherapy drugs in current use; 2) whether the thermo-chemotherapy treatment helps the person's own body fight the cancer cells; and 3) whether this treatment is safe and comfortable for the patient. This study does not offer heat treatment alone. Any patient with inoperable or metastatic small cell lung cancer, neuroendocrine cancer (any organ), gastric cancer, or lung cancer, can be treated with the Phase II protocol therapy; however, the patient will need to undergo selected medical tests to make sure this treatment would be safe for them.

Read the detailed description

The treatment cycle begins with 6 hours of intravenous (IV) hydration followed by an infusion of the anti-cancer drug, Cisplatin. In addition, at the beginning of this treatment, you will begin low-dose Interferon-alpha that will continue for the entire duration of your participation in this study. The low-dose Interferon-alpha interrupts the division of cancer cells, kills blood vessels feeding the cancer, and slows tumor growth, and as well boosts the body's immunity against the cancer.

Thirty-six hours after the cisplatin infusion, you will be treated with fever-range thermal therapy (whole-body hyperthermia). The fever-range whole-body thermal therapy enhances the effect of chemotherapy drugs against the cancer, and is thought to also boost your own immune response against the cancer. When the core body temperature reaches 104oF (40oC), a 30-minute (IV) infusion of another chemotherapy drug, gemcitabine (Gemzar) is given. Cisplatin, low-dose interferon-alpha and gemcitabine are the only chemotherapy drugs used in this treatment protocol. No other chemotherapy drugs are allowed to be given under this treatment plan.

The fever-range whole-body heat treatment is performed while you are lightly sedated. With this type of sedation, you are awake and can talk during the treatment but you are not uncomfortable. This type of sedation method is used to reduce any discomfort of the 6-hour heat treatment procedure yet allows you to talk to the nurses.

Your body temperature is raised to 104oF (40oC) over a period of 60-120 minutes. When your body first reaches the target 104oF, we administer the gemcitabine chemotherapy over 60 minutes and continue to maintain the 104oF body temperature for six hours. At the conclusion of the six hours of thermochemotherapy, you will be cooled off to your normal body temperature, which takes about 30-45 minutes. The entire treatment lasts approximately 8 hours. After the treatment is completed, we will observe you for 2 to 12 hours to make sure you have tolerated the treatment.

You will continue the low-dose Interferon-alpha injections once weekly. Additionally, you will be given 5-10 days of Leukine (sargramostim, GM-CSF) injections beginning 3-5 days after receiving chemotherapy to help support your immune system by helping your body create more white blood cells, which are important in helping your body fight infection.

After treatment, you will need a complete blood count with platelet and differential count each week. These lab studies can be done at your own doctor's office or hospital as long as you make sure that the results are faxed to us. They can also be done in our clinic. We will see you again in approximately three to four weeks and the treatment cycle will be repeated.

We always attempt to perform at least two thermo-chemotherapy cycles. After the second treatment, CT and/or MRI scans are repeated to see if your cancer is smaller. These scans, along with a physical examination and the lab studies, are used to determine if additional heat treatments will be performed. Additional treatments continue based on how well your response to the treatment. There is no limit to the number of heat treatments a patient may have.

Being tested
thermochemotherapy, Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Interferon-a
Keywords
thermochemotherapy, fever range whole body, cisplatin, gemcitabine, daily low dose interferon alpha
Medical subject headings
Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine, Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung, Stomach Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • thermochemotherapyOther

    Also called fever-range systemic thermal therapy

    cisplatin 60 mg/m2 i.v. over 4 hours on day 1 gemcitabine 600 mg/m2 i.v. over 60 minutes on day 3 interferon-alpha 1 million international units s.c. daily for protocol duration

  • Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Interferon-aDrug

    cisplatin 60 mg/m2 i.v. over 4 hours gemcitabine 600 mg/m2 i.v. over 1 hour interferon-alpha 100,000 i.u. s.c.daily fever-range whole-body thermal therapy to 40 oC (104 oF) for 6 hours duration

  • thermochemotherapyOther

    After hydration and anti-emetics, cisplatin 60 mg/m2 i.v. is given over 4 hours on day 1. Also on day 1, begin daily low-dose interferon-alpha 1 million international units s.c. On day 3, 36 hours after cisplatin infusion, induce fever-range whole-body thermal therapy to 40 oC (104 oF) for a duration of 6 hrs. When the target temperature of 40 oC is reached, gemcitabine 600 mg/m2 is administered i.v. over 60 minutes, and the temperature is maintained at plateau for a total of 6 hours. The cycle is repeated at 21 to 28 day intervals.

Study groups in NCT00178698
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1OtherThermochemotherapy
Receives: Other: thermochemotherapy; Drug: Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Interferon-a

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Tumor Response by RECIST criteria (CR+PR)

    Measured: 5 years

  2. Response Duration

    Measured: 5 years

  3. Survival

    Measured: 5 years

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Toxicity

    Measured: 5 years

  2. Quality of Life

    Measured: 5 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted15 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2002
  3. Primary completionJun 2013 (estimated)
  4. Study completionJun 2014 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
36 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00178698
Sponsor's protocol ID
HSC-MS-04-259
Acronym
FR-WB-TT/che
Status last verified
Mar 2011
First submitted
13 Sep 2005
Last updated
3 Mar 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing thermochemotherapy and Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Interferon-a in people with Neuroendocrine Cancer and Small Cell Lung Cancer, run by The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Mar 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Joan M Bull, M.D. (713-500-6820, Joan.M.Bull@uth.tmc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Tumor Response by RECIST criteria (CR+PR) (time frame: 5 years). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Mar 2011.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in