Study of Pre-surgery Gemcitabine + Hydroxychloroquine (GcHc) in Stage IIb or III Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas

April 16, 2019 updated by: Amer Zureikat

Phase I/II Study of Preoperative Gemcitabine in Combination With Oral Hydroxychloroquine (GcHc) in Subjects With High Risk Stage IIb or III Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas

The primary goal of the research study is to determine whether treating pancreatic cancer patients with hydroxychloroquine in combination with gemcitabine before surgery is safe. The secondary goal is to determine if this new treatment regimen can effectively treat pancreatic cancer. This study will test the safety and efficacy of this combination in two parts, or phases.

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

This is a phase I/II trial designed to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of neoadjuvant oral hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil®) in combination with FDR gemcitabine in subjects with high risk IIb or III adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Eligible subjects will be administered hydroxychloroquine orally once or twice daily (depending on dose) in combination with FDR gemcitabine (on days 1 and 15) for 31 days prior to surgical resection. Dose escalations of hydroxychloroquine will proceed using Storer's Up-and-Down algorithm D. Subjects will be monitored for side effects and tolerability of the drug. Pre- and post-treatment PET scans will be the primary means to assess response to therapy. Resected tumors will also be assessed for evidence of inhibition of autophagy as well as histopathologic response and margin negative resection and number of positive lymph nodes.

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.
35

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 2
  • Phase 1

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
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15232
        • UPCI/UPMC Cancer Centers

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

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects with biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma of the pancreas
  • staged by IIb or greater by by EUS, or tumor greater than 2.6 cm on EUS or pancreatic protocol helical CT scan demonstrating venous involvement
  • Karnofsky performance status >/= 70.
  • No active second malignancy except for basal cell carcinoma of the skin

  • Normal renal, hepatic, and hematologic function at the time of enrollment as evidenced by:

    • Serum creatinine level ≤1.5 the upper limits of normal
    • Serum total bilirubin level ≤1.5 X ULN
  • White blood cell count >/= 3.5x109/ml per ml and platelet count ≥ 100x109 per ml
  • Age >18 years.
  • For subjects with obstructive jaundice, the biliary tract must be drained with a temporary plastic or a short permanent metallic biliary stent.
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects deemed surgically unresectable or subjects unwilling to undergo surgical resection.
  • Subjects who have received chemotherapy within 12 months prior to study entry.
  • Prior use of radiotherapy or investigational agents for pancreatic cancer.
  • Any evidence of metastasis to distant organs (liver, lung, peritoneum).
  • Symptomatic or endoscopic evidence of gastric outlet obstruction
  • Concurrent malignancies with evidence of active or measurable disease except basal cell carcinoma of the skin
  • Inability to adhere to study and/or follow-up procedures
  • History of allergic reactions or hypersensitivity to the study drugs (hydroxychloroquine, gemcitabine).
  • Other concurrent experimental therapy.
  • The effects of HCQ, and gemcitabine on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. All females of childbearing potential must have a blood test or urine study within two weeks prior to registration to rule out pregnancy. Should a woman become pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. If a man impregnates a woman while participating in this study, he should inform his treating physician immediately as well.
  • Because patients with immune deficiency are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with bone marrow-suppressive therapy, HIV-positive patients are excluded from the study. For patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy, the potential impact of pharmacokinetic interactions with HCQ and gemcitabine is unknown. Appropriate studies may be undertaken in patients with HIV and those receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy in the future.
  • Due to the risk of disease exacerbation, patients with porphyria are ineligible.
  • Patients with psoriasis are ineligible unless the disease is well controlled and they are under the care of a specialist who agrees to monitor the patient for exacerbations.
  • Patients requiring the use of enzyme-inducing anti-epileptic medication that includes: phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, primidone or oxcarbazepine are excluded.
  • Patients with previously documented macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy are excluded.
  • Baseline EKG with QTc >470 msec (including subjects on medication). Subjects with ventricular pacemaker for whom QT interval is not measurable will be eligible on a case-by-case basis.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Hydroxychloroquine + Gemcitabine (HcGc)
Hydroxychloroquine orally twice daily in combination with gemcitabine for 31 days prior to surgical resection
Drug: Hydroxychloroquine
Oral dosing daily starting at 48 hours before first dose of gemcitabine (starting on Day -2) and for a total of 31 days (ending on Day 29), prior to surgical resection. Capsules are available in 200 mg strengths. Daily doses are 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, or 1200 mg, and will be administered BID for doses above 200 mg.
Other Names:
  • Plaquenil
Drug: Gemcitabine
Intravenous administration on Days 1 and 15, with the infusion given at the fixed dose rate of 10mg/m2/min (e.g. 150 min for a 1500 mg/m2 dose).
Other Names:
  • Gemzar

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
Number of Participants That Experienced a Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT)
Time Frame: Up to 31 days
Number of Participants at each dose level of HCQ that experienced a Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT).
Up to 31 days

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Disease-free Survival (DFS)
Time Frame: Up to 30 months
Median number of months of disease-free survival for participants receiving study treatment.
Up to 30 months
Overall Survival (OS)
Time Frame: Up to 35 months
Median number of months of overall survival for participants receiving study treatment.
Up to 35 months
Disease-free Survival (DFS) by Response to HCQ Treatment
Time Frame: Up to 30 months
Median number of months of disease-free survival in participants who did and did not experience response to HCQ treatment. Patients who had >51 % increase in their LC3-II staining were classified as having a response to HCQ.
Up to 30 months
Overall Survival (OS) by Response to HCQ Treatment
Time Frame: Up to 35 months
Median number of months of overall survival in participants who did and did not experience response to HCQ treatment. Patients who had >51 % increase in their LC3-II staining were classified as having a response to HCQ.
Up to 35 months
R0 Resection Rate
Time Frame: Up to 30 months
Number of participants that underwent a resection with microscopically margin-negative resection in which no gross or microscopic tumor remains in the primary tumor bed (24) / number of that completed treatment (31)
Up to 30 months
Disease-free Survival (DFS) by CA 19-9 Response
Time Frame: Up to 30 months
Median number of months of disease-free survival for participants who experienced Ca 19-9 (surrogate biomarker) response (either an increase or decrease in Ca 19-9), or no Ca 19-9 response. Per participant increases in Ca 19-9 ranged from >0 to 225%. Per participant decreases in Ca 19-9 ranged from >0 to 100%.
Up to 30 months
Overall Survival (OS) by CA 19-9 Response
Time Frame: Up to 35 months
Median number of months of overall survival for participants who experienced Ca 19-9 (surrogate biomarker) response (either an increase or decrease in Ca 19-9), or, no Ca 19-9 response. Per participant increases in Ca 19-9 ranged from >0 to 225%. Per participant decreases in Ca 19-9 ranged from >0 to 100%.
Up to 35 months
Disease-free Survival by p53 Genetic Status
Time Frame: Up to 35 months
Up to 35 months
Overall Survival (OS) by p53 Mutant Status
Time Frame: Up to 35 months
Up to 35 months

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.
Amer Zureikat

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 Institutes of Health (NIH)

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: Herbert Zeh, MD, University of Pittsburgh

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.
October 1, 2010

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.
April 1, 2013

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.
July 1, 2014

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).
May 20, 2010

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.
May 20, 2010

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.
May 21, 2010

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.
May 1, 2019

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.
April 16, 2019

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.
April 1, 2019

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.
  • 09-122
  • PO1101944

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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