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SarcomaPhase 1/2NCT01027910

PCI-24781 in Combination With Doxorubicin to Treat Sarcoma

A Phase 1/2 study testing PCI-24781, Doxorubicin and GCSF in people with Sarcoma, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 2 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this research study is to determine the safety and maximum tolerated dose of PCI-24781 that can be given safely with doxorubicin (phase I) and the safety and efficacy of PCI-24781 when used in combination with doxorubicin (phase II) in patients with advanced sarcomas. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Sarcoma
What is being tested?
PCI-24781, Doxorubicin and GCSF
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Feb 2009to Mar 2015
Phase
Phase 1/2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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

  • Participants must have histologically confirmed metastatic or unresectable sarcoma
  • All participants must have received no more than a lifetime cumulative maximum dose of 300 mg/m2 or less of prior doxorubicin and no other anthracycline therapy.
  • Participants must have measurable disease, defined as at least one unirradiated lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension as 20mm or greater with conventional techniques or as 10mm or greater with spiral CT scan.
  • ECOG performance status of 2 or less
  • Ability to swallow oral capsules without difficulty
  • Participants must have normal organ and marrow function as outlined in the protocol.
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum/urine pregnancy test within 7 days prior to receiving the first dose of PCI-24781.
  • An ECHO or MUGA demonstrating EF > 50% is required within 4 weeks prior to study drug administration.
  • 18 years of age or older

Who cannot join

  • Participants who have had immunotherapy, chemotherapy, experimental therapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks before first day of study drug dosing or those who have not recovered to grade 1 or baseline from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier.
  • Participants who have previously received > 300 mg/m2 cumulative lifetime dose of doxorubicin, or who have received any other anthracycline chemotherapy.
  • Major surgery within 4 weeks before first day of study drug dosing
  • Participants with known central nervous system/brain metastases
  • Participants receiving chronic corticosteroids > 20 mg prednisone equivalent per day for > 7 consecutive days (Topical, inhaled or nasal corticosteroids are permitted).
  • Participants with any documented malabsorption syndromes or other conditions that may impair the absorption of PCI-24781 capsules.
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  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
  • Participants requiring concurrent therapeutic anticoagulation or have received therapeutic anticoagulation within 2 weeks of the first day of dosing.
  • Risk factors for Torsades de Pointes, or use, within 4 weeks of starting study drug administration, of medications known to prolong QTc interval or that may be associated with Torsades de Pointes.
  • QTc prolongation or other significant ECG abnormalities defined as 2nd degree AV block type II, 3rd degree AV block, or bradycardia.
  • History of myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndromes, coronary angioplasty and/or coronary artery stenting within the past 6 months.
  • For patients with history of major coronary artery disease in the judgement of the responsible physician, a cardiac stress test that demonstrates clinically significant abnormalities when performed within 28 days of first dose of study drug
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Women of childbearing potential, or sexually active men unwilling to use adequate contraceptive protection during the course of the study
  • HIV-positive individuals
  • Other medical or psychiatric illness or organ dysfunction that, in the opinion of the investigator, would either compromise the patient's safety or interfere with the evaluation of the safety of PCI-24781

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114

  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Phase I/II Study of PCI-24781 in Combination With Doxorubicin for Treatment of Advanced Sarcomas Following Failure or Prior Anthracycline Therapy

The purpose of this research study is to determine the safety and maximum tolerated dose of PCI-24781 that can be given safely with doxorubicin (phase I) and the safety and efficacy of PCI-24781 when used in combination with doxorubicin (phase II) in patients with advanced sarcomas. The study drug, PCI-24781, is believed to regulate genes involved in tumor cell growth. The other study drug, doxorubicin, is considered a standard chemotherapeutic treatment for advanced sarcoma patients. We hypothesize that combining PCI-24781 with doxorubicin can overcome chemoresistance to doxorubicin.

Read the detailed description
  • In the phase I portion of the study, since we are looking for the highest dose of PCI-24781 that can be administered safely without severe or unmanageable side effects in participants that have advanced sarcoma, not everyone who participates in this research study will receive the same dose of PCI-24871.
  • Each treatment cycle is 3 weeks (21 days). Participants will take capsules of PCI-24871 for five consecutive days starting on Day 1 of each 3 week cycle. On Day 4 of each cycle, participants will come to the clinic to receive doxorubicin intravenously.
  • At specific time intervals, participants will return to the clinic for the following tests and procedures: physical examination, vital signs, blood tests, urine test, EKG, assessment of the tumor by CT scan, and an ECHO or MUGA.
  • Participants may remain on the study for a maximum of 6 cycles (about 4-5 months). After the last cycle, as long as the participant is showing benefit, they may elect to continue taking PCI-24781 alone, in which case they will continue in this research study until there is evidence of their tumor growing.
Conditions
Sarcoma
Being tested
PCI-24781, Doxorubicin, GCSF
Keywords
PCI-24781, doxorubicin
Medical subject headings
Sarcoma

What participants receive

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

  • PCI-24781Drug

    Also called PCI24781

    Capsules taken orally for 5 consecutive days starting on Day 1 of each 3 week cycle

  • DoxorubicinDrug

    Also called Adriamycin

    Administered intravenously on Day 4 of each 3 week cycle

  • GCSFDrug

    Also called Neupogen

    Administered on Day 5 of each 3 weeks cycle in Arm 1 if determined to be clinically indicated, and in all patients enrolled into Arm 2

Study groups in NCT01027910
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
PCI-24781 without mandated GCSFExperimentalPCI-24781 in combination with doxorubicin without mandated GCSF
Receives: Drug: PCI-24781; Drug: Doxorubicin; Drug: GCSF
PCI-24781 with mandated GCSFExperimentalPCI-24781 in combination with doxorubicin with mandated GCSF
Receives: Drug: PCI-24781; Drug: Doxorubicin; Drug: GCSF

What is being measured

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

  1. Maximum Tolerated Dose

    Measured: up to 30 days after starting study drugs

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Dose Limiting Toxicities

    number of patients who experienced dose limiting toxicities

    Measured: 1 year

  2. Number of Partial Responses (PR)

    number of patients who demonstrated partial response to therapy as determined by RECIST v1.0 for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), >=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Overall Response (OR) = CR + PR.

    Measured: 1 year

  3. Rate of Progression-free Survival at 6 Months in Participants Who Received PCI-24781/Doxorubicin Combination Administration.

    Measured: 2 years

Timeline

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

  1. First posted9 Dec 2009 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2009
  3. Primary completionMar 2015
  4. Study completionMar 2015

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 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01027910
Sponsor's protocol ID
09-352
Status last verified
Jul 2025
First submitted
8 Dec 2009
Last updated
24 Jul 2025
Data monitoring committee
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Lopez G, Liu J, Ren W, Wei W, Wang S, Lahat G, Zhu QS, Bornmann WG, McConkey DJ, Pollock RE, Lev DC. Combining PCI-24781, a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, with chemotherapy for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2009 May 15;15(10):3472-83. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-2714. Epub 2009 May 5.

    PubMed 19417021
  • Buggy JJ, Cao ZA, Bass KE, Verner E, Balasubramanian S, Liu L, Schultz BE, Young PR, Dalrymple SA. CRA-024781: a novel synthetic inhibitor of histone deacetylase enzymes with antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Mol Cancer Ther. 2006 May;5(5):1309-17. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-05-0442.

    PubMed 16731764
  • Adimoolam S, Sirisawad M, Chen J, Thiemann P, Ford JM, Buggy JJ. HDAC inhibitor PCI-24781 decreases RAD51 expression and inhibits homologous recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Dec 4;104(49):19482-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0707828104. Epub 2007 Nov 27.

    PubMed 18042714
  • Yang C, Choy E, Hornicek FJ, Wood KB, Schwab JH, Liu X, Mankin H, Duan Z. Histone deacetylase inhibitor PCI-24781 enhances chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in multidrug-resistant sarcoma cell lines. Anticancer Res. 2011 Apr;31(4):1115-23.

    PubMed 21508354
  • Yang C, Choy E, Hornicek FJ, Wood KB, Schwab JH, Liu X, Mankin H, Duan Z. Histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI) PCI-24781 potentiates cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin in bone sarcoma cells. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2011 Feb;67(2):439-46. doi: 10.1007/s00280-010-1344-7. Epub 2010 May 12.

    PubMed 20461381
  • Lopez G, Torres K, Liu J, Hernandez B, Young E, Belousov R, Bolshakov S, Lazar AJ, Slopis JM, McCutcheon IE, McConkey D, Lev D. Autophagic survival in resistance to histone deacetylase inhibitors: novel strategies to treat malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Cancer Res. 2011 Jan 1;71(1):185-96. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-2799. Epub 2010 Nov 16.

    PubMed 21084276
  • Choy E, Flamand Y, Balasubramanian S, Butrynski JE, Harmon DC, George S, Cote GM, Wagner AJ, Morgan JA, Sirisawad M, Mani C, Hornicek FJ, Duan Z, Demetri GD. Phase 1 study of oral abexinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, in combination with doxorubicin in patients with metastatic sarcoma. Cancer. 2015 Apr 15;121(8):1223-30. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29175. Epub 2014 Dec 23.

    PubMed 25536954

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing PCI-24781, Doxorubicin and GCSF in people with Sarcoma, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 2 sites 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 9 inclusion and 16 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites 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 combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 14 Feb 2017). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Maximum Tolerated Dose (time frame: up to 30 days after starting study drugs). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01027910, which also lists 7 linked publications.

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 24 Jul 2025.

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