Rituximab in Treating Patients With Multiple Myeloma

July 17, 2013 updated by: The Cleveland Clinic

Rituxan in the Management of Multiple Myeloma

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody rituximab in treating patients with multiple myeloma that is newly diagnosed.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the role of rituximab in inducing apoptosis of malignant plasma cells in patients with multiple myeloma. II. Evaluate the role of this regimen in improving the response rate to melphalan and prednisone in these patients. III. Determine whether the regimen decreases residual disease in these patients. IV. Evaluate the toxic effects of this regimen in these patients.

OUTLINE: Patients receive rituximab IV every week for 4 weeks. Treatment is repeated every 6 months for six courses. Treatment may be discontinued after four courses if uncontrolled infection occurs. Patients also receive oral melphalan and prednisone for 4 days which begin after the first course of rituximab. Treatment is repeated every 4-6 weeks for at least nine courses.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 40 patients will be accrued for this study within 12-24 months.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • 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

    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma Eligible if pancytopenia related to multiple myeloma At least 50% plasma cells in the bone marrow OR Splenomegaly OR Plasma cell leukemia No solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma or plasma cell dyscrasia

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Not specified Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: At least 3 months Hematopoietic: If less than 50% plasma cells in bone marrow: WBC at least 2,500/mm3 OR Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm3 (greater than 500/mm3 if platelet count at least 75,000/mm3) Platelet count greater than 45,000/mm3 (thrombocytopenia related to idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or vitamin B12 or folate deficiency allowed) Hepatic: Bilirubin no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN) ALT or AST less than 2 times ULN (if greater than one third of liver involved, then no greater than 5 times ULN) No severe hepatic disease Renal: Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL Other: No severe infection requiring intravenous antibiotics Not pregnant or nursing Fertile patients must use effective contraception No prior malignancy within 5 years except for treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix No Type I hypersensitivity or anaphylactic reactions to murine proteins or to any component of rituximab

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: No prior bone marrow transplantation Concurrent sargramostim (GM-CSF) allowed for severe, symptomatic neutropenia Chemotherapy: At least 4 weeks since investigational drugs Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: Not specified Surgery: Not specified Other: No concurrent use of investigational drugs or devices Concurrent epoetin alfa allowed for anemia Plasmapheresis allowed at study onset to treat renal failure

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Mohamad A. Hussein, MD, The Cleveland Clinic

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.

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

November 1, 1998

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2004

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 1, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 29, 2004

First Posted (Estimate)

April 30, 2004

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 18, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 17, 2013

Last Verified

March 1, 2008

More Information

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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