Daily IL-2 for Steroid-Refractory Chronic Graft-versus-Host-Disease

January 29, 2024 updated by: John Koreth, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

A Phase II Trial of Daily Low-Dose Interleukin-2 (IL-2) for Steroid-Refractory Chronic Graft-Versus-Host-Disease

Chronic GVHD is a medical condition that may occur after a bone marrow, stem cell or cord blood transplant. The donor's immune system may recognize the your body (the host) as foreign and attempt to 'reject' it. This process is known as graft-versus-host-disease. It is thought that IL-2 may help control chronic GVHD by stopping the donor's immune system from 'rejecting' your body. In this research study, we are looking to see how IL-2 can be used in combination with steroids to treat cGVHD.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

You will give yourself or be given IL-2 daily through an injection under your skin. You should rotate the injection site, if possible. You will do this once every day for 12 weeks. You will then have 4 weeks off of IL-2. During the first 6 weeks of IL-2, you will continue to take steroids without changing the dose your doctor has set for you while you are on IL-2. After 6 weeks of IL-2 therapy, your doctor may reduce the amount of steroids you take.

While you are on study, a member of the study team will examine you to evaluate your cGVHD. These assessments may include examination of your skin, joints/muscles, eyes, mouth, lungs and gastrointestinal system.

You will have clinic visits for evaluation of toxicity and clinical benefit approximately every 4 weeks. You will also have immunologic assays approximately every 8 weeks. Immunologic assays will measure the effect of IL-2 on immune cells.

You will be on the study for about 16 weeks. You may continue on study treatment for longer if you experience a clinical benefit.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

35

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

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
        • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02214
        • Massachusetts General Hospital
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02214
        • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Recipient of allogeneic stem cell transplantation with myeloablative or non-myeloablative conditioning regimens
  • Steroid refractory cGVHD with systemic therapy onset within the prior 6 months
  • No more than 2 prior lines of cGVHD therapy
  • Estimated life expectancy > 3 months
  • Adequate organ function

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Ongoing prednisone requirement > 1 mg/kg/day (or equivalent)
  • Concurrent use of calcineurin-inhibitors plus sirolimus
  • History of thrombotic microangiopathy, hemolytic-uremic syndrome or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
  • Active malignant relapse
  • Active uncontrolled infection
  • Uncontrolled cardiac angina or symptomatic congestive heart failure
  • Organ transplant (allograft) recipient
  • HIV-positive on combination antiretroviral therapy
  • Active hepatitis B or C
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding

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
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Interleukin-2
Each study participant will receive daily subcutaneous IL-2 (1 x 106 IU/m2/day) for self-administration for 12 weeks, followed by a 4-week hiatus. IL-2 will be typically administered on an outpatient basis. After completing the 16 week study (12 weeks of IL-2 study treatment and a mandatory 4 weeks off-IL-2), patients experiencing clinical benefit (complete or partial response; as well as minor response not meeting NIH criteria for partial response) with an acceptable toxicity profile will be permitted to continue extended-duration treatment indefinitely at the discretion of the treating physician.
Drug: Interleukin-2
Daily subcutaneous IL-2 (1 x 10^6 IU/m^2/day) for self-administration for 12 weeks followed by 4-week hiatus
Other Names:
  • IL-2

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Overall Response Rate of Low-dose Daily SC IL-2 in Steroid-refractory cGVHD
Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks
Participants were evaluated according to the cGVHD NIH Consensus criteria at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks on study. Per cGVHD NIH Consensus criteria, cGVHD involved organ systems are given a grade 0-3 and an overall cGVHD score, from 0-10, is given. Complete Response is defined as resolution of all reversible manifestations in each organ or site of cGVHD. A partial response is defined as an improvement in measure at least one organ or site, or decrease in global ratings by at least a 2-point change on the 10-point scale, without progression measured at any other organ or site. Non-responders have no change in cGVHD meeting criteria for either partial response or disease progression. Progressive disease is defined as an increase in organ or site scales (1-point change on a 3-point scale) or 2- to 3-point increase on the global cGVHD ratings. Clinical worsening of cGVHD is not synonymous with progressive cGVHD per NIH criteria.
Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Toxicity of 12-week Course of Low-dose SC IL-2 Therapy
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Participants were evaluated at clinical visits for toxicities related to IL-2 throughout their 12-week treatment course
12 weeks
Prednisone Taper With IL-2 Therapy
Time Frame: End of treatment after 16 weeks or most recent follow-up date for patients on extended
Participants had their steroid dose assessed at weeks 6, 12,16, and every 8 weeks while on extended duration IL-2 therapy.
End of treatment after 16 weeks or most recent follow-up date for patients on extended
Overall Survival and Progression-free Survival
Time Frame: 2 years from start of IL-2
Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. OS was defined as from the study entry to death from any cause. Patients who were alive or lost to follow-up were censored at the time last seen alive. PFS was defined from the study entry to disease relapse or progression or death from any cause, whichever occurred first.
2 years from start of IL-2
Immunologic Effects of Low-dose Daily SC IL-2: Treg Cell Counts
Time Frame: 16 weeks of study follow-up
Blood samples were collected throughout the patient's 12 weeks of IL-2 treatment and after the 4 week hiatus. The CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) counts were measured.
16 weeks of study follow-up
Immunologic Effects of Low-dose Daily SC IL-2: Treg/Tcon Ratio
Time Frame: 16 weeks of study follow-up
Blood samples were collected throughout the patient's 12 weeks of IL-2 treatment and after the 4 week hiatus. The ratio between CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and CD4 conventional T cell (Tcon) counts were measured.
16 weeks of study follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Prometheus Laboratories

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: John Koreth, MBBS, DPhil, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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

July 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2014

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 2, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 2, 2011

First Posted (Estimated)

June 3, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 31, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 29, 2024

Last Verified

January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 11-149
  • P01CA142106 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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