Evaluating the Effectiveness of Escitalopram to Prevent Depression in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Treatment (PROTECT)

September 8, 2023 updated by: University of Nebraska

Prevention of Depression in Patients Being Treated for Head and Neck Cancer

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of escitalopram to prevent depression in head and neck cancer patients receiving treatment.

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

Most types of head and neck cancer develop in the lining of cells found within many parts of the head and neck. Each year, more than 40,000 adults are diagnosed with head and neck cancer in the United States. The leading cause of this type of cancer is tobacco use. Common signs and symptoms of head and neck cancer include blood in saliva; frequent nose bleeds; and difficulty chewing, swallowing, or breathing. Effective treatments for head and neck cancer are available if the cancer is found in its early stages. However, treatment is difficult, causing many people to become depressed within 3 months of being diagnosed. Unfortunately, depression can lead to delays in treatment, impair quality of life, and decrease long-term survival. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of antidepressant medication initiated prior to starting treatment will prevent the onset of depression during treatment in non-depressed head and neck cancer patients. This study will also determine if escitalopram will maintain quality of life during treatment, improve participation in treatment, decrease delays and premature discontinuation of treatment, and reduce alcohol and tobacco use in patients with head and neck cancer.

All participants will attend an initial screening, followed by eight clinic visits. The first clinic visit will include completion of an interview and brief questionnaires regarding depression, mental and emotional health, alcohol and tobacco use, and quality of life. Participants will then be randomly assigned to receive 16 weeks of the antidepressant escitalopram or a placebo pill. Participants will take 10 mg of their assigned medication every day for the first week and then 20 mg of their assigned medication every day for the remaining 15 weeks. Participants will visit the clinic every 2 weeks during treatment, at which time they will answer questions similar to those asked at the initial visit. Any medication side effects will also be recorded at each visit. Once treatment has been completed, participants will visit the clinic three more times over a period of 12 weeks. Similar questions as those at treatment visits will be asked. Results from this study will be used to assess whether depression is preventable in head and neck cancer patients if antidepressant medication is initiated before treatment begins.

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.
160

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

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Nebraska
      • Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68198
        • University of Nebraska Medical Center

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

19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Newly diagnosed or recurrent epidermoid cancer of the head and neck
  • Requires more than minimal therapy for treatment
  • Able to read and write in English
  • Willing to use an effective form of birth control throughout the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Meets MINI criteria for major depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar illness or scores 24 or less
  • Suicidal or psychotic
  • Current allergy or hypersensitivity to citalopram or other SSRIs
  • Treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors 14 days prior to study entry
  • Use of antidepressants within 1 week of study entry
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
  • History of an adequate cancer operation, radiation, or chemotherapy within 6 months of study entry
  • Diagnosed with melanoma or lymphoma cancer of the head and neck
  • Currently participating in another research study involving a therapeutic intervention

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: Escitalopram
Participants will receive treatment with escitalopram
Drug: Escitalopram
Participants take 10 mg for 1 week and then 20 mg for 15 weeks.
Other Names:
  • Lexapro
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Participants will receive treatment with placebo
Drug: Placebo
Placebo distribution matches the active medication.
Other Names:
  • Sugar pill
  • Inactive substance

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Depression as Assessed by the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Rated 16 (QIDS-SR-16)
Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment and at Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28
Number of participants reaching pre-defined threshold on the QIDS-SR-16 of >/=11. The QIDS-SR-16 total score ranges from 0-27. Scores ranging from 0 to 10 correspond with no to mild depression, while scores >/= 11 correspond to moderate to severe depression.
Measured pre-treatment and at Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28

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.
University of Nebraska

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: William J Burke, MD, University of Nebraska

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 (Actual)

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.
December 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2012

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.
June 1, 2012

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).
September 25, 2007

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.
September 26, 2007

First Posted (Estimated)

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.
September 27, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
September 21, 2023

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.
September 8, 2023

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.
September 1, 2023

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.
  • 0188-07-FB
  • DAHBR 96-BHC (Other Grant/Funding Number: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH))
  • R01MH079420 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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