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Advanced CancersPhase 2/3NCT02597478

Fentanyl Sublingual Spray for Exercise-Induced Breakthrough Dyspnea

A Phase 2/3 study testing Fentanyl Sublingual Spray, Shuttle Walk Test and Questionnaires in people with Advanced Cancers, run by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at 1 site 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 goal of this clinical research study is to learn if fentanyl can help shortness of breath in cancer patients. Researchers also want to learn if the study drug can help to improve your physical function. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Advanced Cancers
What is being tested?
Fentanyl Sublingual Spray, Shuttle Walk Test and Questionnaires
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
50 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
4 Jan 2016to 27 Jan 2021
Phase
Phase 2/3
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

  • Diagnosis of cancer with evidence of active disease
  • Breakthrough dyspnea, defined as dyspnea with an average intensity level over the past 7 days of at least 3/10 on a numeric rating scale upon significant exertion or continuous dyspnea </=7/10 with worsening upon significant exertion
  • Outpatient at MD Anderson Cancer Center seen by the Supportive Care Service, Thoracic Medical Oncology, Cancer Pain Clinic, or Cardiopulmonary clinic
  • Ambulatory and able to walk with or without walking aid
  • On strong opioids with morphine equivalent daily dose of 80-500 mg for at least one week, with stable (i.e. +/- 30%) regular dose over the last 24 hours
  • Karnofsky performance status >/=50%
  • Age 18 or older
  • Able to complete study assessments

Who cannot join

  • Dyspnea at rest >/=7/10 at the time of enrollment
  • Supplemental oxygen requirement >6 L per minute
  • Delirium (i.e. Memorial delirium rating scale >13)
  • History of unstable angina or myocardial infarction 1 month prior to study enrollment
  • Resting heart rate >120 at the time of study enrollment
  • Systolic pressure >180 mmHg or diastolic pressure >100 mmHg at the time of study enrollment
Show all 12Show fewer
  • History of active opioid abuse within the past 12 months
  • History of allergy to fentanyl
  • Severe anemia (Hb <7g/L) if documented in the last month and not corrected prior to study enrollment*
  • Diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism within past 2 weeks
  • Diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension
  • Unwilling to provide informed consent

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

    Houston, Texas, 77030

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Preliminary Study of Prophylactic Fentanyl Sublingual Spray for Exercise-Induced Breakthrough Dyspnea

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if fentanyl can help shortness of breath in cancer patients. Researchers also want to learn if the study drug can help to improve your physical function.

Read the detailed description

If you agree to take part in this study, the study staff will collect information from your medical record about your age, sex, race, and disease type, as well as how well you are able to perform the normal activities of daily living, any drugs you are taking, and any possible causes of shortness of breath.

Study Groups:

You will be randomly assigned (as in the flip of a coin) to receive either low-dose or high-dose fentanyl spray. This is done because no one knows if one study group is better, the same, or worse than the other group.

Study Visit:

During your study visit, you will complete 2 questionnaires about any breathing problems or other symptoms you may be having. It should take about 10 minutes total to complete these questionnaires.

You will blow into a device called a spirometer a few times to measure your lung function. You will also be asked to inhale into another device called a negative inspiratory force meter (NIF). This device measures the volume of air that can be inhaled after normal breathing.

The study staff will then record your vital signs (heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and your blood-oxygen level). Your blood-oxygen level will be measured with a device that will be clipped gently onto your fingertip). You will then be asked how hard it is to catch your breath and to rate your level of tiredness.

When instructed, you will walk back and forth between 2 cones in an indoor hallway for up to 12 minutes. This is called the Shuttle Walk Test. The purpose of this timed test is to see how far and fast you can walk without stopping for a rest. You will be asked to pivot briskly around the cones and continue back the other way. You may stop this test at any time if you feel you cannot continue.

After that, you will sit down and rest for up to 1 hour. During this time, the study drug will be prepared, and you may be asked at different times how hard it is to catch your breath.

After the rest period, you will be given the fentanyl to spray into your mouth and under your tongue. About 10 minutes later, you will be asked about any side effects you may be having.

At that point, you will perform a second Shuttle Walk Test. Then the study staff will ask you again about any side effects you may be having, your level of tiredness, and how hard it is to catch your breath. Your vital signs will also be measured. The total distance you walked will also be recorded.

After each walk test, you will also be asked to complete 4 tests of your mental abilities, including finger tapping, simple math questions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), recall of numbers, and recall of objects. It should take 15 minutes total to complete these tests.

At the end of the study visit, you will be asked which dose level of the study drug you think you received (high-dose or low-dose). You will also complete a questionnaire about how the study drug may have helped you and how satisfied you are with the study. It should take about 5 minutes to complete the questionnaire.

At the end of the study, if you think that taking fentanyl helped to improve your breathing, your doctor will be told, so that you and your doctor may discuss if fentanyl would be helpful to you in the future.

Length of Study:

Your active participation in this study is over after you complete the last questionnaire. You will be taken off study if intolerable side effects occur or if you are unable to follow study directions.

Follow-Up:

Fourteen (14) days after your study visit you will be called by the study staff and asked how you are feeling and about any side effects you may be having. This call should last about 10 minutes.

This is an investigational study. Fentanyl is FDA approved and commercially available for the treatment of pain. Its use to control shortness of breath is investigational.

Up to 30 participants will be enrolled in this study. All will take part at MD Anderson.

Being tested
Fentanyl Sublingual Spray, Shuttle Walk Test, Questionnaires, Mental Ability Tests, Phone Call
Keywords
Advanced Cancers, Fentanyl Sublingual Spray, Fentanyl SL Spray, FSS, Questionnaires, Surveys, Mental Abilities Test, Phone Call, Shuttle Walk Test

What participants receive

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

  • Fentanyl Sublingual SprayDrug

    Also called Fentanyl SL Spray, FSS

    Low-dose Fentanyl Goup: 15-25% of the morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) sprayed into mouth and under tongue one hour after first Shuttle Walk Test.

    High-Dose Fentanyl Group: 35-45% of the morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) sprayed into mouth and under tongue one hour after first Shuttle Walk Test.

  • Shuttle Walk TestProcedure or surgery

    Participants walk back and forth between 2 cones in an indoor hallway for up to 12 minutes. After one hour Fentanyl Spray delivered, then second walk test performed.

  • QuestionnairesBehavioural

    Also called Surveys

    Questionnaire completed about any breathing problems or other symptoms participant may be having at baseline. End of study questionnaire asks which dose level of study drug participant thinks they received. Participant also completes a questionnaire about how study drug may have helped them and how satisfied they are with the study. It should take about 5 minutes to complete the questionnaire.

  • Mental Ability TestsBehavioural

    After each walk test, participant completes 4 tests of their mental abilities. It should take 15 minutes total to complete these tests.

  • Phone CallBehavioural

    Thirty days study visit participant called by study staff. This call should last about 10 minutes.

Study groups in NCT02597478
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Low-Dose Fentanyl Spray GroupExperimentalQuestionnaires completed at baseline and at end of study visit. Participant performs Shuttle Walk Test before and after receiving low-dose Fentanyl sublingual spray. Four mental ability tests completed after each walk test. Low-dose Fentanyl sprayed into mouth and under tongue one hour after first Shuttle Walk Test.
Receives: Drug: Fentanyl Sublingual Spray; Procedure: Shuttle Walk Test; Behavioral: Questionnaires; Behavioral: Mental Ability Tests; Behavioral: Phone Call
High-Dose Fentanyl Spray GroupExperimentalQuestionnaires completed at baseline and at end of study visit. Participant performs Shuttle Walk Test before and after receiving high-dose Fentanyl sublingual spray. Four mental ability tests completed after each walk test. High-dose Fentanyl sprayed into mouth and under tongue one hour after first Shuttle Walk Test.
Receives: Drug: Fentanyl Sublingual Spray; Procedure: Shuttle Walk Test; Behavioral: Questionnaires; Behavioral: Mental Ability Tests; Behavioral: Phone Call

What is being measured

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

  1. Modified Dyspnea Borg Scale (Dyspnea Intensity)

    The primary outcome was dyspnea intensity "now" using the modified Borg scale, which ranges from 0 ("no shortness of breath") to 10 ("worst possible shortness of breath"). We measured the change in modified dyspnea Borg scale (0-10) between the first and second shuttle walk tests. This scale has been validated in multiple studies, with a minimal clinically significant difference of 1 point.

    Measured: Before and after the first and second shuttle walk tests

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Modified Dyspnea Borg Scale (Dyspnea Unpleasantness)

    The modified Borg scale (dyspnea unpleasantness), which ranges from 0 ("no shortness of breath") to 10 ("worst possible shortness of breath"). We measured the change in modified dyspnea Borg scale (0-10) between the first and second shuttle walk tests.

    Measured: Before and after the first and second shuttle walk tests

  2. Walk Distance

    We measured the difference in walk distance (in meters) between the first and second shuttle walk tests.

    Measured: After the first shuttle walk test and after the second shuttle walk test

  3. Walk Time

    We measured the difference in walk time (in minutes) between the first and second shuttle walk tests.

    Measured: After the first shuttle walk test and after the second shuttle walk test

  4. Fatigue Modified Borg Score

    The fatigue modified Borg scale, which ranges from 0 ("none") to 10 ("worst"). We measured the change in modified fatigue Borg scale (0-10) between the first and second shuttle walk tests.

    Measured: Before and after the first and second shuttle walk tests

Timeline

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

  1. First posted5 Nov 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study start4 Jan 2016
  3. Primary completion27 Sep 2018
  4. Study completion27 Jan 2021

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 2/3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
50 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02597478
Sponsor's protocol ID
2015-0137
Other IDs
NCI-2015-02132
Status last verified
Jan 2021
First submitted
3 Nov 2015
Last updated
9 Feb 2021
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2/3 study testing Fentanyl Sublingual Spray, Shuttle Walk Test and Questionnaires in people with Advanced Cancers, run by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 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 8 inclusion and 12 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 9 Feb 2021. 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 combined 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.

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

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 8 Dec 2020). 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?

Modified Dyspnea Borg Scale (Dyspnea Intensity) (time frame: Before and after the first and second shuttle walk tests). 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 9 Feb 2021.

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