Metformin to Mitigate Sequelae of Radioactive Iodine Treatment for Thyroid Cancers

November 25, 2025 updated by: Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University

Pilot Study of Metformin to Mitigate Sequelae of Radioactive Iodine Treatment for Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancers

This pilot clinical trial studies how will metformin hydrochloride works in mitigating the side effects of radioactive iodine treatment in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. Metformin hydrochloride may reduce the metabolic activity of cancer cell and of surrounding supportive tissues.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate if treatment with metformin hydrochloride (metformin) inhibits radioactive iodine (RAI)-induced myelosuppression and induces faster recovery of white blood cell count to baseline values, the blood counts will be compared in the pre- and post-treatment samples.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Assess safety and tolerability of metformin treatment in subjects undergoing RAI treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer.

II. To assess the effect of metformin treatment on symptoms of xerostomia, xerophthalmia and dysgeusia as assessed by the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ), the modified Vanderbilt Head and Neck Cancer Symposium Survey (version 2.0), University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire, and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTCQLQ)-Head and Neck (H&N)35.

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.
13

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

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
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
        • Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University

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

14 years to 86 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects with a diagnosis of differentiated thyroid cancer who have undergone total or near-total thyroidectomy and are candidates for iodine I-131 (I-131) treatment at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) are eligible to participate
  • Subjects must be diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer
  • Patients must have previously undergone or plan to undergo thyroidectomy; for those patients who have previously undergone surgery, pre-operative labs, including complete blood cell count with differential must be available
  • Patients who have a negative urine pregnancy test prior to enrollment. This should be done as part of pre-admission testing prior to surgery (within 14 days of study enrollment).
  • All subjects must be able to comprehend and sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects who are pregnant or may become pregnant during metformin administration in accordance with radioactive iodine treatment guidelines
  • Subjects on metformin for any reason during the preceding 4 weeks
  • Diabetic subjects are eligible if they are not taking metformin, insulin or sulfonylureas
  • Subjects who have received iodinated contrast dye. Metformin treatment can be started the day after subjects complete iodinated contrast treatment. If a CT scan with contrast is scheduled after screening and consent, the metformin treatment should be stopped the day before iodinated contrast administration. Metformin can be resumed on the day after last iodinated contrast was administered to the subject.
  • Patients with history of hepatic dysfunction or hepatic disease and abnormal liver function tests (previously documented alanine aminotransferase greater than 40 IU/dL and/or plasma aspartate aminotransferase greater than 45 IU/d); patients who have a history of hepatic dysfunction or hepatic disease but whose most recent liver function tests have been documented as normal will be eligible to participate
  • Patients with plasma creatinine level greater than 1.3 mg/dL
  • Patients with plasma alkaline phosphatase greater than 190 IU/dL
  • Patients with plasma bicarbonate less than 22 mEq/L or history of lactic or any other metabolic acidosis
  • Patients with history of congestive heart failure
  • Patients with myocardial ischemia or peripheral muscle ischemia
  • Patients with sepsis or severe infection
  • Patients with history of lung disease currently requiring any pharmacologic or supplemental oxygen treatment
  • Patients with a current history (in the past 30 days) of heavy drinking which is defined in accordance with CDC definition as more than 8 drinks per week for women and more than 15 drinks per week for men. A standard drink contains .6 ounces of pure alcohol. Generally, this amount of pure alcohol is found in 12-ounces of beer, 8-ounces of malt liquor, 5-ounces of wine, 1.5-ounces or a "shot" of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, or whiskey). While on study, patients should limit their alcohol consumption to no more than 8 drinks per week for women and no more than 15 drinks per week for men. Patients who feel they cannot comply with this recommendation are not eligible.
  • Patients with a systemic disease that could affect their bone marrow or peripheral blood cells (e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus, human immunodeficiency virus infection, rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Patients who have received or will receive medication that could affect their hematologic state (tyrosine kinase inhibitors, cytotoxic chemotherapy)
  • Patients who are Non-English speaking *Note: This is due to the nature of the study and the process for full translations of the study documents.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

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: Arm I (metformin hydrochloride)
Patients receive metformin hydrochloride PO daily for 3 days and then PO BID for up to 2 weeks after completing radioactive iodine treatment.
Drug: Metformin Hydrochloride
Given Orally
Other Names:
  • Cidophage
  • Metformin HCl
  • Dimefor
  • Glucoformin
  • 1,1-Dimethylbiguanide Hydrochloride
  • 1115-70-4
  • 91485
Other: Radioactive Iodine
Undergo radioactive iodine treatment
Placebo Comparator: Arm II (placebo)
Patients receive placebo PO daily for 3 days and then PO BID for up to 2 weeks after completing radioactive iodine treatment
Other: Placebo
Given orally
Other: Radioactive Iodine
Undergo radioactive iodine treatment

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
Change in Red Blood Cell Count From Pre-Resection to Post-Resection
Time Frame: Up to 36 months of study duration, an average of 1.5 months
Change in red blood cell count measured from baseline to two weeks after completion of RAI, measured via standard CBC laboratory testing. Longitudinal measures of CBC will be modeled using mixed effects linear regression. Will use a linear contrast to test the null hypothesis that change from pre-resection to post-resection is the same in the control and metformin groups.
Up to 36 months of study duration, an average of 1.5 months
Serum and Salivary Exosome Profile
Time Frame: Up to 36 months of study duration
Will be modeled using mixed effects linear regression
Up to 36 months of study duration
Number of Adverse Events
Time Frame: Up to 36 months of study duration, an average of 1.5 months
Number of adverse events assessed using NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version v 4.0, from treatment initiation through 15 days post-treatment follow-up.
Up to 36 months of study duration, an average of 1.5 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
Time Frame
Xerostomia Assessed by Modified Vanderbilt Head and Neck Cancer Symposium Survey (Version 2.0)
Time Frame: Up to 36 months of study duration
Up to 36 months of study duration
Xerophthalmia Assessed by Modified Vanderbilt Head and Neck Cancer Symposium Survey (Version 2.0)
Time Frame: Up to 36 months of study duration
Up to 36 months of study duration
Dysgeusia Assessed by Modified Vanderbilt Head and Neck Cancer Symposium Survey (Version 2.0)
Time Frame: Up to 36 months of study duration
Up to 36 months of study duration

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.
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson 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: Joseph Curry, MD, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson 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.

Helpful Links

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.
January 5, 2017

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.
December 29, 2020

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.
December 7, 2022

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 6, 2017

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 5, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

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 12, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
December 11, 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.
November 25, 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.
November 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.
  • 16D.564
  • JT 9411 (Other Identifier: JeffTrial Number)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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