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Recurrent Kaposi SarcomaPhase 2NCT03077451

Nelfinavir Mesylate in Treating Patients With Kaposi Sarcoma

A Phase 2 study testing Laboratory Biomarker Analysis and Nelfinavir Mesylate in people with Recurrent Kaposi Sarcoma and Skin Kaposi Sarcoma, run by AIDS Malignancy Consortium at 12 sites in 3 countries.

Completed

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

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

This pilot phase II trial studies how well nelfinavir mesylate works in treating patients with kaposi sarcoma. Nelfinavir mesylate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Recurrent Kaposi Sarcoma, Skin Kaposi Sarcoma
What is being tested?
Laboratory Biomarker Analysis and Nelfinavir Mesylate
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
36 participants
Where
12 sitesin 3 countries
Study dates
13 Mar 2017to 13 Apr 2023
Phase
Phase 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

  • Biopsy-proven KS involving skin (with or without visceral involvement) without need for urgent cytotoxic therapy; there should be no evidence of improvement in KS in the 4 weeks immediately prior to study enrollment
  • Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection status, as documented by any nationally approved, licensed HIV rapid test performed in conjunction with screening (or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], test kit, and confirmed by approved test at each study site; United States (U.S.) participants only: alternatively, this documentation may include a record demonstrating that another physician has documented the participant's HIV status based on either:
  • Approved diagnostic tests, or
  • The referring physician's written record that HIV infection was documented, with supporting information on the participant's relevant medical history and/or current management of HIV infection
  • Participants enrolled outside the U.S. must have a confirmatory diagnostic test sequence as appropriate per national standards, detailed as above, performed regardless of prior documented HIV status; for HIV-negative participants, testing must be performed no more than 1 month prior to study enrollment; NOTE: the term "licensed" refers to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved kit or for sites located in countries other than the United States, a kit that has been certified or licensed by an oversight body within that country and validated internally; WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines mandate that confirmation of the initial test result must use a test that is different from the one used for the initial assessment; a reactive initial rapid test should be confirmed by either another type of rapid assay or an enzyme/chemiluminescence immunoassay (E/CIA) that is based on a different antigen preparation and/or different test principle (e.g., indirect versus competitive), or a Western blot or a plasma HIV-1 ribonucleic acid (RNA) viral load
  • Participant may be either previously untreated for KS or refractory to or intolerant of any one or more prior KS therapies
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  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =< 2 (Karnofsky >= 50%)
  • Life expectancy of greater than 3 months
  • Leukocytes >= 3,000/mm^3
  • Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mm^3
  • Platelets >= 100,000/mm^3
  • Total bilirubin: within normal limits at each study site local laboratory
  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine transaminase (ALT) (serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
  • Creatinine levels =< upper limit of institutional normal; or creatinine clearance >= 60 mL/min/1.73 m^2 for participants with creatinine levels above institutional normal
  • HIV seropositive participants must be on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with the following criteria:
  • A complete ART regimen that does not include the study drug as one of a minimum of 3 active drugs, which may include an integrase inhibitor or efavirenz in combination with nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
  • The ART regimen must not include protease inhibitor (PIs); participants must not have received a PI-based regimen for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment
  • Participants must either have an undetectable HIV plasma ribonucleic acid (RNA), or if plasma RNA detectable, must be on the same stable regimen for a minimum of 12 weeks prior to study enrollment
  • No minimum cluster of differentiation (CD)4 count, but maximum HIV plasma RNA of 1,000 copies/mL
  • Women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study enrollment and for the duration of study participation; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Who cannot join

  • Participants who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to study enrollment or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks prior to study enrollment
  • Participants who are receiving any other investigational agents
  • Participants with known brain metastases should be excluded from this clinical trial
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to nelfinavir
  • Participants receiving any medications or substances that have antiviral activity against KSHV or that are strong inhibitors or inducers of cytochrome P450, family 3, subfamily A (CYP3A) or cytochrome P450, family 2, subfamily C, polypeptide 19 (2C19) are ineligible; each ART regimen must be reviewed by the PI before determining eligibility to receive nelfinavir mesylate (NFV); sensitive substrates should be avoided; of the antiretroviral drugs, only delavirdine, nevirapine, cobicistat-boosted antiretrovirals (strong CYP3A4 inhibitor), maraviroc (sensitive CYP3A4 substrate), and PIs (strong CYP3A4 inhibitor) are excluded; the following drugs are also prohibited:
  • Strong Inhibitors of CYP3A4:
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  • Antibiotics: clarithromycin, erythromycin, telithromycin, troleandomycin
  • HIV: non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (delavirdine, nevirapine), protease inhibitors (ritonavir, indinavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, saquinavir), cobicistat-boosted antiretrovirals (e.g., elvitegravir); NOTE: Clinical trials have demonstrated that there are no clinically significant drug-drug interactions between nelfinavir and the following antiretrovirals: efavirenz (strong CYP3A4 inhibitor), etravirine (strong CYP3A4 inhibitor); therefore, these antiretrovirals will not be excluded
  • Antifungals: itraconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, posaconazole
  • Antidepressants: nefazodone
  • Antidiuretic: conivaptan
  • GI: cimetidine, aprepitant
  • Hepatitis C: boceprevir, telaprevir
  • Miscellaneous: seville oranges, grapefruit, or grapefruit juice and/or pomelos, star fruit, exotic citrus fruits, or grapefruit hybrids
  • Strong Inducers of CYP3A4:
  • Glucocorticoids: cortisone (> 50 mg), hydrocortisone (> 40 mg), prednisone (> 10 mg), methylprednisolone (> 8 mg), dexamethasone (> 1.5 mg)
  • Anticonvulsants: phenytoin, carbamazepine, primidone, phenobarbital and other enzyme inducing anti-convulsant drugs (EIACD)
  • Antibiotics: rifampin (rifampicin), rifabutin, rifapentine
  • Miscellaneous: St. John's Wort, modafinil
  • Strong Inhibitors of CYP2C9:
  • Antifungals: fluconazole; lists including medications and substances known or with the potential to interact with the CYP3A or 2C19
  • Drugs with KSHV antiviral activity:
  • Participants receiving any medications or substances that may interfere with KSHV replication are ineligible Because the lists of these agents are constantly changing, it is important to regularly consult a frequently-updated list; medical reference texts such as the physicians' desk reference may also provide this information; as part of the enrollment/informed consent procedures, the participant will be counseled on the risk of interactions with other agents, and what to do if new medications need to be prescribed or if the participant is considering a new over-the-counter medicine or herbal product; lists include medications and substances known or with the potential to interfere with KSHV replication
  • 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
  • Pregnant women are excluded from this study; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with high dose nelfinavir
  • Chronic diarrhea as defined by loose or watery stools occurring more than 3 times daily at baseline lasting more than 4 weeks or not abating on condition-appropriate therapy prior to study enrollment
  • Participant is < 2 years free of another primary malignancy; exceptions include basal cell skin cancer, stage 0-I squamous cell cancer of the skin, cervical carcinoma in situ, anal carcinoma in situ
  • Use of systemic corticosteroid therapy (except for replacement doses of glucocorticoid and/or mineralocorticoid for adrenal insufficiency); inhaled or intranasal corticosteroids for allergic or bronchospastic conditions are permitted

Trial locations and contacts

12 sites in 3 countries.

12 sites in 3 countries

United States10 sites

  • Emory University/Grady Hospital

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30308

  • Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21231-2410

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215

  • Ohio State University

    Columbus, Ohio, 43210

  • Baylor College of Medicine

    Houston, Texas, 77030

  • University of Miami

    Miami, Florida, 33136

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

    New York, New York, 10065

  • Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason Medical Center

    Seattle, Washington, 98101

  • Washington University School of Medicine

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110

  • Montefiore Medical Center

    The Bronx, New York, 10461

Other trials in United States

South Africa1 site

  • African Cancer Institute, Stellenbosch University

    Cape Town

Other trials in South Africa

Uganda1 site

  • Uganda Cancer Institute

    Kampala

Other trials in Uganda

About this study

Official title: A Pilot Study of Nelfinavir for the Treatment of Kaposi Sarcoma

This pilot phase II trial studies how well nelfinavir mesylate works in treating patients with kaposi sarcoma. Nelfinavir mesylate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To determine the efficacy of a therapeutic escalation strategy consisting of standard dose nelfinavir (nelfinavir mesylate), followed by high dose nelfinavir, for the treatment of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) tumor lesions. With 36 evaluable participants, the null hypothesis will be rejected if 11 or more participants respond.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To evaluate the safety of high dose nelfinavir among participants with KS. II. To assess the effect of nelfinavir on Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) lytic gene expression in tumor tissue.

III. To correlate nelfinavir and the primary active metabolite, M8, concentrations with tumor response, antiviral response, and adverse effects in participants with KS.

IV. To assess the effect of nelfinavir on KSHV copy number in saliva.

TERTIARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To assess the effect of nelfinavir on KSHV copy number in PBMC and plasma. II. To assess the effect of nelfinavir on herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) copy number in saliva.

OUTLINE:

STANDARD DOSE NELFINAVIR MESYLATE: Patients receive standard dose nelfinavir mesylate orally (PO) twice daily (BID) for 4 weeks in the absence of progressive disease (PD). Patients with PD at 4 weeks proceed to high-dose nelfinavir mesylate. At week 8, if there is stable disease (SD) or partial response (PR), patients advance to high-dose nelfinavir mesylate. Patients discontinue standard dose nelfinavir mesylate 4 weeks after documentation of complete response (CR).

HIGH DOSE NELFINAVIR MESYLATE: Patients with PD continue to receive high-dose nelfinavir mesylate PO BID for 4 more weeks. If there is PD documented after 4 weeks at the high dose level, nelfinavir mesylate is discontinued. If there is SD or PR, patients continue receiving nelfinavir mesylate for 16 weeks. If there is CR, patients discontinue high-dose nelfinavir mesylate 4 weeks after documentation of CR.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 8 weeks.

Being tested
Laboratory Biomarker Analysis, Nelfinavir Mesylate
Medical subject headings
Sarcoma, Kaposi

What participants receive

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

  • Laboratory Biomarker AnalysisOther

    Correlative studies

  • Nelfinavir MesylateDrug

    Also called AG1343, Viracept

    Given PO

Study groups in NCT03077451
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment (nelfinavir mesylate)ExperimentalDOSE NELFINAVIR MESYLATE: Patients receive standard dose nelfinavir mesylate PO BID for 4 weeks in the absence of PD. Patients with PD at 4 weeks proceed to high-dose nelfinavir. At week 8, if there is SD or PR, patients advance to high-dose nelfinavir mesylate. Patients discontinue standard dose nelfinavir mesylate 4 weeks after documentation of CR. HIGH DOSE NELFINAVIR MESYLATE: Patients with PD continue to receive high-dose nelfinavir mesylate PO BID for 4 more weeks. If there is PD documented after 4 weeks at the high dose level, nelfinavir is discontinued. If there is SD or PR, patients continue receiving nelfinavir mesylate for 16 weeks. If there is CR, patients discontinue high-dose nelfinavir mesylate 4 weeks after documentation of CR.
Receives: Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Drug: Nelfinavir Mesylate

What is being measured

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

  1. Efficacy of Therapeutic Escalation of Standard Dose Nelfinavir, Followed by High Dose Nelfinavir, for Treatment of Kaposi Sarcoma Lesions for HIV Positive Participants

    The binomial proportion and its exact 95% confidence interval will be used to estimate the overall response rate in the study. Overall response is defined as Complete response or partial response. Response and progression will be evaluated in this study using the AIDS Clinical Trials Groups (ACTG) response criteria for Kaposi sarcoma.

    Complete response (CR) is defined as the absence of any detectable residual disease, including tumor-associated edema, persisting for at least 4 weeks. Partial response (PR) is defined as no new lesions (skin or oral), or new visceral sites of involvement (or the appearance or worsening of tumor-associated edema or effusions); 50% or greater decrease in the number of all previously existing lesions lasting for at least 4 weeks; OR Complete flattening of at least 50% of all previously raised lesions; OR 50% decrease in the sum of the products of the largest perpendicular diameters of the marker lesions.

    Measured: Baseline up to 16 weeks

  2. Efficacy of Therapeutic Escalation of Standard Dose Nelfinavir, Followed by High Dose Nelfinavir, for Treatment of Kaposi Sarcoma Lesions for HIV Negative Participants

    The binomial proportion and its exact 95% confidence interval will be used to estimate the response rate in the study. Response rate will be estimated using the binomial proportion and it's exact 95% confidence interval for HIV negative participants.

    Measured: Baseline up to 16 weeks

Secondary outcomes (5)

  1. Frequency and Severity of Adverse Events in HIV-positive Participants as Assessed by CTCAE v4.0

    Frequency of adverse events and their severity will be tabulated to evaluate tolerance of high dose nelfinavir in the treatment of KS in participant who are HIV-positive

    Measured: Baseline to up to 16 weeks

  2. Frequency and Severity of Adverse Events in HIV-negative Participants as Assessed by CTCAE v4.0

    Frequency of adverse events and their severity will be tabulated to evaluate tolerance of high dose nelfinavir in the treatment of KS in participant who are HIV-negative

    Measured: Baseline to up to 16 weeks

  3. Assess the Effect of Nelfinavir on KSHV Gene Expression in Tumor Tissue

    Descriptive statistics will be used for changes in the relative abundance of all latent and lytic viral mRNA relative to cellular mRNA by expression array, and changes in the percentage of cells staining for K8.1 (lytic) and LANA (latent) antigens by immunohistochemistry. Generalized estimating equations will be used to evaluate these changes over time. Normalizing transformations will be used as needed.

    Measured: Baseline to up to 16 weeks

  4. Correlate Nelfinavir and the Primary Active Metabolite, M8, Concentrations With Tumor Response, Antiviral Response, and Adverse Effects in Participants With KS.

    Trough nelfinavir/M8 concentrations will be summarized using descriptive statistics and 95% confidence intervals. This outcome will also be displayed graphically as a trend in drug levels over time. The relationship between dose and drug exposure of nelfinavir/M8 and the pharmacodynamic (PD) effects will be determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r2) or appropriate non-parametric statistics for dichotomous and categorical variables (e.g., Mann-Whitney U-test or Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance by ranks).

    Measured: Baseline to up to 16 weeks

  5. Assess the Effect of Nelfinavir on KSHV Copy Number in Saliva

    Pre-treatment oral samples and oral samples during treatment will be collected from each participant. The sampling frequency is irrelevant as long as the quantity is sufficient. With 36 participants, a decrease in the proportion of participants with detectable KSHV DNA from 50% at baseline to 1% on treatment can be detected at the one-sided 0.05 significance level with 0.99 power using McNemar's test.

    Measured: Up to 16 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted13 Mar 2017
  2. Study start13 Mar 2017
  3. Primary completion23 May 2022
  4. Study completion13 Apr 2023

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
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
36 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03077451
Sponsor's protocol ID
AMC-098
Other IDs
NCI-2016-00071, AMC 098, AMC-098, 2UM1CA121947
Status last verified
Dec 2025
First submitted
19 Oct 2016
Last updated
17 Dec 2025
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Laboratory Biomarker Analysis and Nelfinavir Mesylate in people with Recurrent Kaposi Sarcoma and Skin Kaposi Sarcoma, run by AIDS Malignancy Consortium at 12 sites in 3 countries.

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 21 inclusion and 28 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 17 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 12 sites in United States, South Africa, Uganda. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 2 Feb 2024). 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?

Efficacy of Therapeutic Escalation of Standard Dose Nelfinavir, Followed by High Dose Nelfinavir, for Treatment of Kaposi Sarcoma Lesions for HIV Positive Participants (time frame: Baseline up to 16 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT03077451.

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 17 Dec 2025.

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