Dexamethasone for Symptom Burden in Advanced Cancer Patients

The Effect of Dexamethasone on Symptoms in Patients With Advanced Cancer

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if dexamethasone can help to control symptoms such as fatigue, pain, nausea, weight loss, loss of appetite, sleep problems, and/or depression in patients with advanced cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Solid Tumors
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Dexamethasone; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Dexamethasone decreases inflammation and also suppresses the immune system.

If you are found to be eligible for this study, you will be randomly assigned (as in the toss of a coin) to receive either dexamethasone or a placebo by mouth in the morning and at night with food every day for 14 days. A placebo is a substance that looks like the study drug but which has no active ingredients. You will have an equal chance of being placed in either of the 2 groups. You, the medical staff, and researchers will not know to which group you have been assigned.

Beginning on Day 15 [± 3 days], regardless of if you were assigned to the dexamethasone or placebo group during the first 14 days, you will begin receiving the dexamethasone. On Days 15-21, you will receive dexamethasone 2 times a day. On Days 22-28 you will continue to take dexamethasone 2 times a day, but it will be at a lower dose level.

If you develop intolerable side effects while on this study, the medication will be stopped and you will be removed from the study.

You will be asked to return to the outpatient clinic on Days 8 [± 3 days], 15 [± 3 days] , 22 [± 3 days], and 29 [± 3 days] to answer a questionnaire about your cancer diagnosis, the medication you are taking, and the symptoms you are having (for example, pain, fatigue, nausea, appetite problems, sleep problems, depression, and your overall sense of well-being). The questionnaire will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Blood (about 1 tablespoon) will be drawn to measure protein levels and to check the iron level in your blood. If you are unable to return to the clinic on days 8, 15, 22, or 29; the assessments will be done by the research nurse by phone; the blood work will not be done.

You will be considered off-study on Day 29 [ ± 3 days]. All study patients will have a 2 week follow-up on day 43 [± 3 days] after study drug has been discontinued, for safety and toxicity assessments. If you are unable to return to the clinic on day 43, the research nurse will do the safety and toxicity assessment by phone.

This is an investigational study. Dexamethasone has been approved by the FDA and is a commercially available drug. It is FDA approved at this dose level. Its use in this study, for this purpose, is investigational. About 160 patients will take part in this study. Up to 110 will be enrolled at the University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center. The other sites participating in this study are Lyndon Baines Johnson [LBJ] breast oncology clinic Houston Texas, and Four Seasons Hospice in Flat Rock, North Carolina.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 132
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Lyndon Baines Johnson Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Present with 3 or more symptoms during the last 24 hours (Pain, fatigue, chronic nausea, and anorexia/cachexia, sleep problems, depression or poor appetite), with an average intensity of >/= 4 on a 0-10 scale, in which 0= no symptom, and 10= worst possible symptom,
2. No clinical evidence of cognitive failure as evidenced by Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) score of 13 or less at baseline
3. Must be 18 years of older
4. No longer a candidate for aggressive anticancer therapy-such as receptor blockers (Iressa, etc.) Patients on oral or palliative chemotherapy are eligible for study if approved by primary oncologist prior to inclusion. Patients who are receiving IV chemotherapy are eligible for study if approved by primary oncologist and they have completed 1st line of chemotherapy and are deemed stable by primary oncologist. The PI of this study will obtain and document approval from the primary oncologist in the patient's study documents.
5. Life expectancy =/> 30 days
6. Must understand and sign written informed consent
7. Patients on topical, or inhaled corticosteroids are eligible for study. If patients have been on oral corticosteroids for </= 7 days prior to inclusion of study they are eligible for study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Allergy to Dexamethasone
2. Inability to complete the baseline assessment forms
3. Patients currently taking Megestrol, and not off drug for > 7 days
4. Anemia as defined as < 9 hemoglobin
5. Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
6. Neutropenia as defined by an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of < 1500 cells/mm
7. Patients with a history of diabetes will be excluded.
8. All major surgeries such as thoracotomy etc., that requires wound healing within last 2 weeks
9. Those who are currently receiving oral corticosteroid therapy or who have been on corticosteroid therapy >/= 8 days prior to study inclusion
10. Sepsis and/or acute, chronic, or ongoing infections

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Dexamethasone; Dexamethasone 4 mg orally two times a day for 14 days. On day 15 [ ± 3 days], all patients receive dexamethasone 4 mg orally twice a day for 7 days, and then the dose of dexamethasone tapered to 2 mg orally twice a day between days 22 to 28.	Drug: Dexamethasone; 4 mg PO (by mouth) twice daily x 14 days; Other Names: Decadron
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Placebo by mouth (PO) twice daily for 14 days. On day 15 [ ± 3 days], all patients receive dexamethasone 4 mg orally twice a day for 7 days, and then the dose of dexamethasone tapered to 2 mg orally twice a day between days 22 to 28.	Drug: Dexamethasone; 4 mg PO (by mouth) twice daily x 14 days; Other Names: Decadron; Drug: Placebo; Placebo PO twice daily x 14 days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F) Subscale Scores	FACIT Fatigue Subscale is a short, 13-item, easy to administer tool that measures an individual's level of fatigue during their usual daily activities over the past week. The level of fatigue is measured on a four point Likert scale (4 = not at all fatigued to 0 = very much fatigued). The total score range is from 0-52. The higher the score, the lower the fatigue level. It was measured as change in symptom score from Baseline to Day 15.	Baseline to Day 15

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) Pain	ESAS was used to assess 10 symptoms commonly experienced by patients with cancer during the previous 24 hour. The severity of each symptom was rated on a numeric scale of 0 to 10 (0, no symptoms; 10, worst possible severity). Higher the score higher the severity of the symptom is. It was measured as change in symptom score from Baseline to Day 15.	Baseline to day 15
Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) Nausea	ESAS was used to assess 10 symptoms commonly experienced by patients with cancer during the previous 24 hour. The severity of each symptom was rated on a numeric scale of 0 to 10 (0, no symptoms; 10, worst possible severity). Higher the score higher the severity of the symptom is. It was measured as change in symptom score from Baseline to Day 15	Baseline to Day 15
Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) Appetite	ESAS was used to assess 10 symptoms commonly experienced by patients with cancer during the previous 24 hour. The severity of each symptom was rated on a numeric scale of 0 to 10 (0, no symptoms; 10, worst possible severity). Higher the score higher the severity of the symptom is. It was measured as change in symptom score from Baseline to Day 15	Baseline to day 15
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Anxiety	HADS is a self-report rating scale of 14 items on a 4-point Likert scale (range 0-3). It is designed to measure anxiety and depression (7 items for each subscale). The total range is from 0-21. The higher the score, the higher the severity of symptoms. It was measured as change in symptom score from Baseline to Day 15.	Baseline to day 15
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Depression	HADS is a self-report rating scale of 14 items on a 4-point Likert scale (range 0-3). It is designed to measure anxiety and depression (7 items for each subscale). The total range is from 0-21. The higher the score, the higher the severity of symptoms. It was measured as change in symptom score from Baseline to Day 15.	Baseline to day 15

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Collaborators: American Cancer Society, Inc.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sriram Yennurajalingam, MD, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 2, 2006
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 28, 2021
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 19, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 19, 2007
• First Posted (Estimated): June 21, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 19, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Nausea; Fatigue; Dexamethasone; Advanced Cancer; Solid Tumors; Anorexia; Placebo; Decadron
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain; Fatigue; Nausea; Anorexia; Sulfur Compounds; Organic Chemicals; Hydrocarbons; Hydrocarbons, Cyclic; Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; Polycyclic Compounds; Pregnadienes; Pregnanes; Steroids; Fused-Ring Compounds; Steroids, Fluorinated; Benzene Derivatives; Sulfonic Acids; Sulfur Acids; Pregnadienetriols; Benzenesulfonates; Arylsulfonates; Arylsulfonic Acids; Dexamethasone; Calcium Dobesilate
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2005-0816; NCI-2012-01646 (Registry Identifier: NCI CTRP); MRSG-07-001-01-CCE (Other Grant/Funding Number: American Cancer Society)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No