St. John's Wort in Relieving Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy or Hormone Therapy for Cancer

January 17, 2013 updated by: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Does Hypericum Reduce Fatigue in Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy? A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

RATIONALE: Giving St. John's wort may be effective in relieving fatigue in patients with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy or hormone therapy.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of St. John's wort in relieving fatigue in patients who are undergoing chemotherapy or hormone therapy for cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the efficacy of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) in relieving fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy or hormonal therapy for malignant disease. II. Determine the relationship between fatigue, depression, and anxiety in these patients. III. Determine the correlation between quality of sleep and level of fatigue in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, placebo controlled study. Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms. Arm I: Patients receive oral Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) 3 times a day. Arm II: Patients receive an oral placebo 3 times a day. Treatment continues for 6 weeks in the absence of worsening symptoms or unacceptable toxicity. Patients complete the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Brief Fatigue Inventory at the beginning and end of the study.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 220 patients (110 per arm) will be accrued for this study.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10021
        • Memorial Sloan-Kettering 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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Patients with malignant disease receiving chemotherapy regimen for at least 6 weeks but less than 6 months, and continuing concurrent chemotherapy for at least 3-4 weeks OR Patients with malignant disease receiving hormonal therapy for at least 3 months prior to study, and continuing during entire study Profile of Mood States (POMS) Fatigue Subscale score of 14 or higher POMS Depression Subscale score of 13 or less

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Over 17 Performance status: Karnofsky 70-100% Life expectancy: At least 3 months Hematopoietic: Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL No decline in hemoglobin of 2 g/dL or more for one month prior to study Hematocrit at least 30% Hepatic: SGOT no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL Renal: Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL OR Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min Cardiovascular: No unstable cardiac disease Pulmonary: No debilitating pulmonary disease Other: No uncontrolled pain No uncontrolled serious infection No significant comorbidity that would preclude study participation Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: See Disease Characteristics Endocrine therapy: See Disease Characteristics Radiotherapy: Not specified Surgery: Not specified Other: At least 1 month since prior Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) No other concurrent St. John's Wort No concurrent monamine oxidase inhibitors (e.g., furazolidone, isocarboxazid, meclobremide, phenelzine, procarbazine, selegiline, and tranylcypromine) No concurrent sympathomimetic amines (e.g., amphetamine, phenylpropanolamine, and pseudoephedrine) or other stimulants such as methylphenidate No concurrent serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g., fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, nefazodone, mirtazepine, buspirone, and trazodone) or tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline, clomipramine, desipramine, doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline, and protriptyline) No concurrent serotonergic agents (e.g., lithium, meperidine, and dextromethorphan) No concurrent active treatment for anemia (e.g., transfusions or epoetin alpha)

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Study Chair: David J. Straus, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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

December 1, 1999

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2000

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 2, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 23, 2004

First Posted (Estimate)

July 26, 2004

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 18, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 17, 2013

Last Verified

January 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 99-102
  • MSKCC-99102
  • NCI-G00-1772

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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