Alpha-lipoic Acid in Patients at Risk for Paclitaxel Induced Neuropathy

September 26, 2014 updated by: Jeffrey Allen, Northwestern University

Dose Finding and Tolerability Study of Alpha-lipoic Acid in Patients at Risk for Paclitaxel Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

This study is being done because peripheral neuropathy, a condition that interrupts sensation in your limbs, is a common side effect of paclitaxel. There is some evidence that alpha lipoic acid (ALA), an antioxidant compound, protects neurons after exposure to paclitaxel. The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of ALA and to find the best dose of ALA in patients that receive 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.

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.
9

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
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
        • Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation

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

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Diagnosis of Breast cancer.

  2. Breast cancer must meet the following criteria:

    • Early stage breast cancer (stages I, IIA) must be estrogen receptor (ER) positive AND low tumor grade (histopathologic grade 1 or 2)
    • Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) (stages IIB, IIIA, IIB as defined by the Union for International Cancer Control and American Joint Committee on Cancer) must be ER positive, HER2 positive or HER2 negative, AND satisfy the following requirements: high endocrine responsiveness (defined as greater than 50% of tumor cells staining for hormone receptors), Grade 1 or 2 histological grade, less than 4 nodes positive, absence of extensive peritumoral vascular invasion, AND pathological tumor size less than 5 cm.
    • Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) (stage IIIC)
    • Metastatic breast cancer (stage IV)
  3. Must be receiving single agent paclitaxel in their prescribed chemotherapy regimen.
  4. Age > 18 years. There is no upper age limit for participation in this study.
  5. Required lab values: AST, ALT, creatinine
  6. Women of childbearing potential and sexually active males must agree to use contraception while on study.
  7. ECOG performance status 0,1,2
  8. All patients must have given signed, informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Breast cancer meeting the following criteria:

    • Breast cancer stage 0
    • Early stage breast cancer (stages I, IIA) that is ER negative OR higher tumor grade (histopathologic grade greater than 2)
    • Stages I, II, and IIIA triple negative breast cancer (negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and HER2)
    • LABC (stages IIB, IIIA, IIB) if they have low endocrine responsiveness (defined as less than 50% of tumor cells staining for hormone receptors), Grade 3 histological grade, 4 or more nodes positive, presence of extensive peritumoral vascular invasion, OR pathological tumor size greater than 5 cm
    • LABC (stages IIB, IIIA, IIB) that are ER negative
  2. Evidence of pre-existing peripheral neuropathy as determined by baseline Michigan neuropathy screening instrument score > 2.
  3. Previous chemotherapy treatment of any kind.
  4. AST and ALT >2 times upper limit of normal; Creatinine > 2.0 mg/dL.
  5. Current use of medications or substances known to be associated with peripheral neuropathy.
  6. Use of ALA or other anti-oxidant supplements during the prior three months.
  7. Diabetes mellitus or use of medications known to lower blood sugar.
  8. Participation in any other experimental trial.

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: Alpha lipoic acid
Oral administration three times daily (morning, mid-day, night)
Drug: Alpha lipoic acid
The baseline dose is 100 mg three times daily for four months. Dose escalation will occur until a maximum tolerated dose is found.
Other Names:
  • Thioctic Acid

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
Identification of the Optimal Dose of ALA Based on Acceptable Adverse Event(AE) Profile
Time Frame: 4 months
Based on acceptable adverse event (AE) profile and continual reassessment method dose escalation.
4 months

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
Proportion of Patients Who Complete the Proposed Regimen of Daily ALA
Time Frame: 4 months
4 months
Cumulative Rate of Adverse Events
Time Frame: 4 months
4 months
Total Neuropathy Score (TNS)
Time Frame: 4 months
The Total Neuropathy score (TNS) is a validated score that combines signs, symptoms, and very limited nerve conduction studies (NCS). It was designed to assess peripheral nerve function and has been used as an endpoint in clinical trials of toxic neuropathy. The TNS is a composite scale with a range of values from 0 (normal) to 28 (severely affected). It includes data from 7 different categories. Patients are asked to assess the severity of sensory symptoms on a scale of 0 (no symptoms) to 4 (symptoms above knees or elbows, or functionally disabling). Next, 4 examination categories are assessed. These include pin sensation, vibration sensation, deep tendon reflexes, and strength. Signs are scored from 0 to 4 depending on severity. The nerve conduction portion of the scale consists of measurements of a motor (peroneal) and sensory (sural) nerve. Motor and sensory responses are graded on a scale of 0 to 4 depending on the severity of an abnormality.
4 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.
Northwestern University

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: Jeffrey A. Allen, MD, Northwestern University

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.
February 1, 2012

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.
August 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.
January 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).
March 9, 2011

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.
March 9, 2011

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.
March 11, 2011

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.
October 2, 2014

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 26, 2014

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, 2014

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.
  • NUALA-01

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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