A Study of the Effectiveness and Safety of Treatment With Epoetin Alfa on Hemoglobin Levels, Red Blood Cell Transfusions, and Quality of Life in Patients With Cancer Receiving Platinum-containing Chemotherapy

January 13, 2011 updated by: Janssen-Cilag B.V.

An Open-label, Randomized Study to Evaluate the Effect of Early Treatment of Anemia With Epoetin Alfa on Hemoglobin, the Incidence of Blood Transfusions and Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Platinum-containing Chemotherapy

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of early treatment of anemia with epoetin alfa (a glycoprotein that stimulates red blood cell production) or best standard anemia care on the need for blood transfusions, tumor response, anemia and quality of life in patients with cancer receiving platinum-containing chemotherapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Cancer patients often experience anemia due to the disease itself, chemotherapy, or both. Quality of life is also affected, due in part to the tiredness associated with anemia. Previous studies with epoetin alfa have suggested that epoetin alfa increases hemoglobin and reduces the incidence of red blood cell transfusions and that achieving a higher hemoglobin level may improve quality of life. This is a randomized, open-label, multicenter study that evaluates the effects of early treatment with epoetin alfa compared with standard anemia care alone to determine its impact on the need for blood transfusions, tumor response, anemia and quality of life, as well as on the safety of epoetin alfa when used in the prevention of anemia during chemotherapy in adult patients with cancer. Patients will receive epoetin alfa injections (10,000 units) under the skin 3 times a week until 4 weeks after the last day of the last chemotherapy cycle, in addition to best standard care, or best standard care alone. Best standard care during chemotherapy may include red blood cell transfusions, white cell growth factors, and iron supplementation, as needed. The dose of epoetin alfa may be adjusted up (to 20,000 units) or down (to 75% of the last dose) based on hemoglobin level.

The primary measure of effectiveness will be determined by the number of patients who receive an allogenic red blood cell transfusion during the study and during each chemotherapy cycle. Additional measures of effectiveness include: the average number of units transfused during each cycle, change in quality of life (feeling of well-being, as assessed by responses to 3 different patient questionnaires), change in hemoglobin level, relationship between change in hemoglobin and quality of life, tumor response, and the number of patients surviving up to 12 months after the end of treatment. Safety evaluations (incidence of adverse events, clinical laboratory tests, vital signs, and physical examinations) will be performed throughout the study. The study hypothesis is that treatment with epoetin alfa will reduce the need for red blood cell transfusions, increase hemoglobin levels, improve quality of life, and result in a positive tumor response in patients with cancer who are receiving chemotherapy. This study will be conducted in the Netherlands and will only enroll European patients. Patients will receive epoetin alfa injections (10,000 units) under the skin 3 times a week until 4 weeks after the last day of the last chemotherapy cycle, or best standard care. Dose may be adjusted up (to 20,000 units) or down (to 75% of the last dose) based on hemoglobin level.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
316

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients having a confirmed diagnosis of cancer and are planned to receive platinum chemotherapy with a minimum of 8 weeks on study and a maximum of 6 or 12 cycles
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (a scale used by researchers to represent the level of activity that a patient is capable of) score of 0 (able to carry out all normal activity without restriction) to 3 (capable of only limited self-care, confined to bed or chair >50% of waking hours)
  • life expectancy of >=5 months
  • have a hemoglobin value of <=7.5 grams per deciliter at any time during or prior to chemotherapy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients having clinically significant disease/dysfunction of the pulmonary, cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, gastrointestinal, or genitourinary systems that is not due to cancer or chemotherapy (this disease/dysfunction is only an exclusion criterion if it causes an expected early withdrawal from the study)
  • uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • history of seizures
  • untreated iron, folate, or vitamin B12 deficiency
  • received androgen (e.g., testosterone) therapy within 2 months of study entry, had a major illness within 7 days of study entry, or a major infection within 1 month of study entry

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Number of patients who receive an allogenic red blood cell transfusion during the study, during each chemotherapy cycle, and at 4 weeks after the last administration of chemotherapy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Number of units transfused during each chemotherapy cycle; change in quality of life; change in hemoglobin level; relationship between change in hemoglobin and quality of life; tumor response; patient survival up to 12 months after the end of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Janssen-Cilag B.V.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 1999

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2004

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 27, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 27, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 30, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 14, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 13, 2011

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CR002047

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