Three Versus Five Years of Adjuvant Imatinib as Treatment of Patients With Operable GIST

March 10, 2025 updated by: Heikki Joensuu

Three Versus Five Years of Adjuvant Imatinib as Treatment of Patients With Operable GIST With a High Risk for Recurrence: A Randomised Phase III Study

In this study, patients who have been diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and have been treated with adjuvant imatinib for 3 years after surgery will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive imatinib (Gleevec) for 2 more years (Arm A) or to stop imatinib (Arm B). The study participants are required to have histologically verified GIST with a high risk of GIST recurrence despite removal of all macroscopic GIST tissue at surgery and 3 years of adjuvant imatinib. The high risk of GIST recurrence is defined as one of the following: gastric GIST with mitotic count >10/50 high power fields (HPFs) of the microscope, non-gastric GIST with mitotic count >5/50 HPFs, or tumor rupture. Study participants allocated to Arm A will receive imatinib 400 mg/day for 24 months after the date of randomization. All study participants will be followed up using blood tests and computerized tomography (or MRI) of the abdomen. The computerized tomography examinations will be performed at 6 month intervals. A total of 300 patients will be entered to the study. The study hypothesis is that adjuvant imatinib given for a total of 5 years may prevent some of the GISTs to recur as compared to patients who receive adjuvant imatinib for 3 years, and there may be a difference in the rate of GIST recurrence between the two groups.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

The study will accrue patients in several countries in the Europe.

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.
255

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 3

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Heikki Joensuu, MD
  • Phone Number: 358 094711

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Raija Husa
  • Phone Number: 358 094711

Study Locations

  • Finland
      • Helsinki, Finland, 00029
        • Helsinki University Central Hospital

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 to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years.
  • Morphological and immunohistological documentation of GIST (immunostaining for KIT and/or DOG-1 positive, or mutation of KIT or PDGFRA present in tumor tissue).
  • Macroscopically complete surgical resection of GIST (either R0 or R1 resection).
  • Mutation analysis of KIT and PDGFR genes has been carried out.
  • A high risk of GIST recurrence; either gastric GIST with mitotic count >10/50 HPFs, or non-gastric GIST with mitotic count >5/50 HPFs, or tumor rupture.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2.
  • Adequate organ function.
  • Female patients of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test within 14 days before initiation of study drug dosing. Postmenopausal women must have amenorrhea for at least 12 months to be considered of non-childbearing potential. Male and female patients of reproductive potential must agree to employ an effective barrier method of birth control throughout the study and for up to 3 months following discontinuation of study drug.
  • Patient willing to be followed up at the study site regardless of the result of randomization.
  • Patient has provided a written, voluntary informed consent prior to study-specific screening procedures.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of distant metastases or local recurrence of GIST.
  • Not willing to donate tumor tissue and/or blood samples for the study molecular studies.
  • Presence of a substitution mutation at PDGFRA codon D842 (usually D842V).
  • Administration of adjuvant imatinib longer than for 3 years is planned regardless of the result of randomization, or "life long" imatinib administration is planned.
  • Prior adjuvant (+ neoadjuvant) therapy with imatinib mesylate for at least 35 months has not been completed, or the total duration of prior adjuvant (+ neoadjuvant) imatinib administration exceeds the total duration of 37 months.
  • Neoadjuvant imatinib for a duration that exceeds 9 months.
  • Longer than 4-week break during adjuvant imatinib administration.
  • The dose of imatinib at completion of 3 years of adjuvant imatinib was 200 mg per day or less or greater than 800 mg per day.
  • Patient has received any investigational anti-cancer agents during adjuvant imatinib or between completion of adjuvant imatinib and the date of randomization.
  • Patient has been free of another malignancy for less than 5 years except if the other malignancy is not currently clinically significant nor requiring active intervention, or if the other malignancy is a basal cell skin cancer or a cervical carcinoma in situ. Recent existence of any other malignant disease is not allowed.
  • Patient with Grade III/IV cardiac disease as defined by the New York Heart Association Criteria (i.e., congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction within 6 months of study entry).
  • Female patients who are pregnant or breast-feeding.
  • Severe and/or uncontrolled medical disease (i.e., uncontrolled diabetes, severe chronic renal disease, or active uncontrolled infection).
  • Known diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
  • Patient with a significant history of non-compliance to medical regimens or with inability to grant reliable informed consent.

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)

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: Imatinib
Imatinib 400 mg/day for 24 months.
Drug: Imatinib
Imatinib 400 mg/day
Other Names:
  • Gleevec
No Intervention: No imatinib
No further imatinib.

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
Recurrence-free survival
Time Frame: 5 years
Time from the date of randomization to GIST recurrence or death.
5 years

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
Overall survival
Time Frame: 5 years
Time from the date of randomization to death.
5 years
GIST-specific survival
Time Frame: 5 years
Time from the date of randomization to the date of death considered to be caused by GIST.
5 years
Adverse effects
Time Frame: 5 years
Adverse effects considered to be related to the treatment.
5 years

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.
Heikki Joensuu

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.
Scandinavian Sarcoma Group

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: Heikki Joensuu, Helsinki University Central Hospital

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.
May 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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, 2033

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).
April 7, 2015

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.
April 7, 2015

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.
April 10, 2015

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.
March 25, 2025

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.
March 10, 2025

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.
March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • SSGXXII

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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