Thalidomide and Chemoembolization With Doxorubicin in Treating Patients With Liver Cancer That Cannot be Removed by Surgery

An Evaluation of Chronic Thalidomide Administration in Patients Undergoing Chemoembolization for Unresectable Hepatocellular Cancer

This phase II trial is studying the effectiveness of combining thalidomide and chemoembolization in treating patients who have liver cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Thalidomide may stop the growth of liver cancer by stopping blood flow to the tumor. Chemoembolization kills tumor cells by blocking the blood flow to the tumor and keeping chemotherapy drugs near the tumor. Combining thalidomide with chemoembolization may kill more tumor cells.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Advanced Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Localized Unresectable Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Adult Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: laboratory biomarker analysis; Drug: thalidomide; Drug: doxorubicin hydrochloride

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

I. Determine the feasibility and potential activity of thalidomide in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who are undergoing chemoembolization to predominant tumor masses.

II. Determine the toxicity of this regimen of these patients. III. Determine the overall survival of patients treated with this regimen. IV. Determine the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and tumor necrosis factor alpha in patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive oral thalidomide daily beginning 4 weeks before the first planned chemoembolization procedure. Thalidomide administration is stopped 24 hours before each chemoembolization procedure, and then restarted at 24 hours after completion of each procedure OR when blood counts and levels of bilirubin and transaminases recover, whichever occurs later. Thalidomide treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients undergo placement of a visceral arterial catheter. Patients receive doxorubicin as a chemoemulsion via the arterial catheter into 1 hepatic lobe only under angiographic guidance. Immediately after delivery of the chemoemulsion, patients undergo particulate embolization. The opposite lobe, if involved, is treated within 3-5 weeks of treatment of the initial lobe. Patients are reevaluated for repeat chemoembolization within 8-12 weeks of the last chemoembolization. For eligible patients, each lobe is treated separately a second time, in the same sequence, in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 75 patients will be accrued for this study within 18 months.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 75
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10016
      • New York University Langone Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma
• Ineligible for potentially curative surgical resection

• Must be a candidate for palliative chemoembolization

  • MRI must show one or more discrete tumor nodules that can be targeted by angiography for chemoembolization

    • No diffusely infiltrating tumor
  • Lesions under consideration for chemoembolization must demonstrate substantial hypervascularity
• Performance status - ECOG 0-2
• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,200/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 8.0 g/dL
• Platelet count at least 50,000/mm^3
• SGOT and SGPT no greater than 5 times normal
• Bilirubin less than 3 mg/dL
• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• No other medical condition that would preclude study participation
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively resected basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test

• Regardless of fertility status:

  • All female patients (unless they have undergone a hysterectomy or have been amenorrheic or postmenopausal for at least 2 years) must use at least 1 highly active method of contraception AND 1 additional effective method of contraception at least 4 weeks before, during, and for at least 4 weeks after study participation
  • All male patients (even if they have undergone a successful vasectomy) must use effective barrier contraception during and for at least 4 weeks after study participation
• Prior interferon for hepatitis allowed
• No prior biologic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
• No prior chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
• No concurrent barbiturates or alcohol

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: NA
• Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL: Treatment (thalidomide, chemoembolization); Patients receive oral thalidomide daily beginning 4 weeks before the first planned chemoembolization procedure. Thalidomide administration is stopped 24 hours before each chemoembolization procedure, and then restarted at 24 hours after completion of each procedure OR when blood counts and levels of bilirubin and transaminases recover, whichever occurs later. Thalidomide treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo placement of a visceral arterial catheter. Patients receive doxorubicin as a chemoemulsion via the arterial catheter into 1 hepatic lobe only under angiographic guidance. Immediately after delivery of the chemoemulsion, patients undergo particulate embolization. The opposite lobe, if involved, is treated within 3-5 weeks of treatment of the initial lobe. Patients are reevaluated for repeat chemoembolization within 8-12 weeks of the last chemoembolization.

Other: laboratory biomarker analysis; Correlative studies; Drug: thalidomide; Given orally; Other Names: Kevadon; Synovir; THAL; Thalomid; Drug: doxorubicin hydrochloride; Given transarterially (chemoembolization); Other Names: ADM; Adriamycin PFS; Adriamycin RDF; ADR; Adria

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Survival	The survival distribution will be estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.	Up to 18 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alec Goldenberg, NYU Langone Health

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2000
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): April 1, 2005
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): April 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 5, 2000
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2003
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): January 27, 2003

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): April 15, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2015
• Last Verified: January 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Adenocarcinoma; Carcinoma; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Digestive System Neoplasms; Liver Diseases; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-Infective Agents; Enzyme Inhibitors; Antineoplastic Agents; Immunosuppressive Agents; Immunologic Factors; Topoisomerase II Inhibitors; Topoisomerase Inhibitors; Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Angiogenesis Modulating Agents; Growth Substances; Growth Inhibitors; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Leprostatic Agents; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Thalidomide; Doxorubicin; Liposomal doxorubicin
• Other Study ID Numbers: NCI-2012-02352 (REGISTRY: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program)); 99 (CTEP); N01CM17103 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); NCI-99; CDR0000068025; NYU-9937 (OTHER: New York University Langone Medical Center)