Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer Who Have Significant Weight Loss

July 12, 2016 updated by: Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology

Phase I/II Trial of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Cancer Cachexia

RATIONALE: Omega-3 fatty acids are used by the body for energy and tissue development and may be an effective treatment for patients with advanced cancer who are unable to maintain their body weight.

PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids in treating patients with advanced cancer who have significant weight loss.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

  • Determine whether omega-3 fatty acids will reverse weight loss in advanced cancer patients with cachexia.
  • Determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of omega-3 fatty acids in these patients (phase I completed 12/1999).
  • Determine whether omega-3 fatty acids will result in an antitumor response.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, stratified, dose escalation study. Patients are stratified by the extent of weight loss (2-5 percent or greater than 5 percent in the past month).

Patients receive omega-3 fatty acids orally in two equal doses with/after breakfast and lunch for 4 months or until weight loss is observed.

Dose is escalated in cohorts of two patients, although dose escalation is allowed in individual patients. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is defined as the highest dose level at which no greater than one-third of the patients treated, including escalated patients from a lower dose, experience grade 3 or worse toxicity (phase I completed 12/1999).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

63

Phase

  • 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
    • Delaware
      • Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 19899
        • CCOP - Christiana Care Health Services
    • Iowa
      • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242-1009
        • Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa
    • New York
      • Manhasset, New York, United States, 11030
        • North Shore University Hospital
      • New York, New York, United States, 10021
        • New York Presbyterian Hospital - Cornell Campus
    • North Carolina
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27104-4241
        • CCOP - Southeast Cancer Control Consortium

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 120 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Histologically or cytologically proven advanced cancer not amenable to curative therapy (solid tumors and hematologic malignancies eligible except primary and metastatic brain tumors)
  • Cachexia (weight loss at least 2 percent within a one month period)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

  • 18 and over

Performance Status:

  • CALBG 0-2

Life Expectancy:

  • At least 2 months

Hematopoietic:

  • Granulocytes greater than 1,000/mm3
  • Platelet count greater than 75,000/mm3
  • Hemoglobin greater than 8 mg/dL

Hepatic:

  • AST less than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • Alkaline phosphatase less than 3 times ULN
  • Bilirubin less than 1.5 times ULN

Renal:

  • BUN less than 1.5 times ULN
  • Creatinine less than 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular:

  • No congestive heart failure requiring diuretics within less than 6 months
  • No uncontrolled or severe cardiovascular disease within less than 6 months
  • No myocardial infarction within less than 6 months

Other:

  • Not pregnant nor contemplating pregnancy during study
  • Negative pregnancy test
  • No uncontrolled hypercalcemia
  • No metabolic disorders (hyperthyroidism)
  • No poorly controlled diabetes
  • No peripheral edema or ascites requiring diuretics
  • No enteric fistulas, with tracheobronchial fistulas or with aspiration
  • No esophageal or bowel obstruction that would preclude eating
  • Free T4 within normal range
  • No serious medical illness
  • No psychosis
  • No uncontrolled bacterial, viral, or fungal infections
  • No active uncontrolled duodenal ulcers
  • Above laboratory values required unless bone marrow, liver, kidney, or splenic involvement by tumor is documented

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

  • Not specified

Chemotherapy:

  • Prior and concurrent chemotherapy allowed

Endocrine therapy:

  • No concurrent steroids such as dronabinol or megestrol acetate (except for adrenal failure)

Radiotherapy:

  • No prior or concurrent radiotherapy to abdomen or pelvis

Surgery:

  • Greater than 3 weeks since major surgery
  • Greater than 1 week since minor surgery

Other:

  • No concurrent diuretics

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Omega-3 fatty acid

Patients receive omega-3 fatty acids orally in two equal doses with/after breakfast and lunch for 4 months or until weight loss is observed.

Dose is escalated in cohorts of two patients, although dose escalation is allowed in individual patients. Patients are evaluated for cachexia response every 2 weeks, and tumor response every 4 weeks for a maximum of 4 months. If no response of cachexia or tumor after a 2 month period, patients will be discontinued from study. Patients will be followed for survival post-treatment.
Dietary supplement: omega-3 fatty acid

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
survival
Time Frame: up to 4 months
up to 4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Study Chair: C. Patrick Burns, MD, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center

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

October 1, 1995

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2004

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2004

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 1, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 21, 2003

First Posted (Estimate)

October 22, 2003

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 13, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 12, 2016

Last Verified

July 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CALGB-9473
  • U10CA031946 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • CLB-9473
  • NCI-P97-0097
  • CDR0000065766 (Registry Identifier: NCI Physician Data Query)

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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