MRI in Predicting Response in Patients Receiving Combination Chemotherapy and Bevacizumab For Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

A Phase II Study Assessing Tumor Blood Flow as Measured by Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving FOLFOX Alone Versus Patients Randomized to Receive FOLFOX Plus Bevacizumab at 5mg/kg or 10mg/kg.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving bevacizumab together with combination chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. Diagnostic procedures, such as MRI, may help doctors predict a patient's response to treatment and help plan the best treatment.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well MRI works in predicting response to combination chemotherapy given together with bevacizumab in treating patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

  • To determine the alteration of tumor blood flow using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer after 2 courses of combination chemotherapy comprising oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFOX) and bevacizumab at 5 mg/kg vs 10 mg/kg or FOLFOX alone.

Secondary

  • To correlate tumor blood flow, as assessed by DCE-MRI, with time to progression in patients receiving bevacizumab at 5mg/kg vs 10mg/kg.
  • To correlate vascular proliferation, as measured by DCE-MRI, with markers of endothelial cell proliferation (i.e., CD31, 34, 105; integrin αvß3; phospho-ERK; Ki67; PCNA; and smooth muscle actin).
  • To obtain pilot data on whether assays that measure vascular endothelial cell mitogenic stimulation and mitogenic activity may predict response to therapy, time to progression, and overall survival of patients receiving bevacizumab at 5mg/kg vs 10mg/kg.
  • To investigate the association of various markers of apoptosis in tumor cells (e.g., MIF, CREB, or HIF-1-alpha expression/polymorphism and others) and tumor vascularity, as assessed by DCE-MRI.
  • To correlate markers of apoptosis in tumor cells with response to therapy, time to progression, and overall survival.
  • To determine serum levels of VEGF prior to the initiation of chemotherapy and then prior to courses 2 and 3 of chemotherapy as potential markers of antiangiogenic activity.

OUTLINE: Patients who are eligible to receive bevacizumab are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. Patients who are ineligible to receive bevacizumab receive FOLFOX alone.

  • Arm I: Patients receive leucovorin calcium IV over 2 hours and oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1 and fluorouracil IV continuously over 46 hours (FOLFOX) beginning on day 1. Patients also receive bevacizumab at 5 mg/kg IV over 90 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
  • Arm II: Patients receive FOLFOX as in arm I and bevacizumab at 10 mg/kg IV over 90 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
  • FOLFOX alone (control): Patients receive FOLFOX as in arm I. All patients undergo dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI at baseline and between courses 2 and 3 (between days 17 and 29) to assess tumor blood flow.

Tumor tissue specimens are obtained from prior colonoscopic biopsy or surgical resection in patients receiving bevacizumab. Tissue specimens are examined by immunohistochemistry to evaluate tumor markers of angiogenesis and apoptosis (e.g., CD31, 34, 105, phospho-ERK, PCNA, Ki67, SMA, and integrin αvß3). Blood specimens are obtained at baseline and prior to courses 2 and 3 (days 15 and 29) to evaluate plasma levels of VEGF.

After completion of study therapy, patients are followed every 2 months for 1 year and then every 3 months thereafter.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

5

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

    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104-4283
        • Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

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 confirmed advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum
  • Patients receiving bevacizumab must have tumor tissue available for immunohistochemical analysis

    • Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from previous biopsy or surgical resection is sufficient
  • Measurable disease, defined by RECIST as ≥ 1 lesion that can be accurately measured in ≥ 1 dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques (i.e., CT or MRI)

    • CEA elevation alone is insufficient for study entry
  • No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Criteria for all patients

  • ECOG performance status 0-1
  • Life expectancy > 3 months
  • Granulocytes ≥ 1,500/mL
  • Platelet Count ≥ 100,000/mL
  • Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
  • AST ≤ 5 times ULN
  • Urine protein:creatinine ratio ≤ 1.0 at screening
  • Patients with other prior malignancies are eligible, provided they have been treated with curative intent and have no evidence of recurrence
  • Not pregnant or nursing
  • Negative pregnancy test
  • No contraindications to MRI, including any of the following:

    • Hypersensitivity to gadolinium
    • Metallic device, including pacemaker, non-MRI compatible aneurysm clip, other non-MRI-compatible mechanical and/or electrical device, or metallic fragments
    • Severe claustrophobia

Additional criteria for patients receiving bevacizumab:

  • No significant traumatic injury within the past 28 days
  • No serious nonhealing wounds, ulcers, or bone fractures
  • No abdominal fistula, gastrointestinal perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within the past 6 months
  • No myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or cerebrovascular accident within the past 6 months
  • No clinically significant peripheral vascular disease
  • No New York Heart Association class II-IV congestive heart failure
  • Patients with pre-existing hypertension should be on a stable antihypertensive regimen with blood pressure ≤ 150/100 mm Hg at study entry

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Criteria for all patients

  • Prior adjuvant treatment including oxaliplatin allowed
  • No prior bevacizumab
  • At least 14 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered
  • More than 6 months since prior chemotherapy
  • No other concurrent investigational agents

Additional criteria for patients receiving bevacizumab:

  • At least 28 days since prior major surgical procedure or open biopsy
  • At least 7 days since prior minor surgical procedure (e.g., fine-needle aspirations or core biopsies)
  • No anticipation of need for a major surgical procedure during study treatment
  • Concurrent oral or parenteral anticoagulation therapy allowed provided dose is stable

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: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm I
Patients receive leucovorin calcium IV over 2 hours and oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1 and fluorouracil IV continuously over 46 hours (FOLFOX) beginning on day 1. Patients also receive bevacizumab at 5 mg/kg IV over 90 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Given IV
Given IV
Given IV
Given IV
Experimental: Arm II
Patients receive FOLFOX as in arm I and bevacizumab at 10 mg/kg IV over 90 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 14 days for 6 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Given IV
Given IV
Given IV
Given IV
Active Comparator: FOLFOX alone (control)
Patients receive FOLFOX as in arm I.
Given IV
Given IV
Given IV

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Analysis of tumor blood flow, assessed by DCE-MRI as percentage change in Ktrans, after 2 courses of FOLFOX and bevacizumab or FOLFOX alone compared to baseline value
Time Frame: 2 cycles for all subjects
2 cycles for all subjects

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Analysis of tumor markers of angiogenesis and apoptosis, and the effect of treatment
Time Frame: 2 cycles for all subjects
2 cycles for all subjects
Correlation of tumor blood flow with time to progression
Time Frame: 2 cycles
2 cycles
Correlation of markers of apoptosis in tumor cells with response to therapy, time to progression, and overall survival
Time Frame: 2 cycles for all subjects
2 cycles for all subjects

Collaborators and Investigators

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

February 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 19, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 19, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

January 28, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 28, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 24, 2020

Last Verified

April 1, 2020

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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