Assessing Compliance With Mercaptopurine Treatment in Younger Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in First Remission

A Comprehensive Approach to Improve Medication Adherence in Pediatric ALL

This randomized phase III trial studies compliance to a mercaptopurine treatment intervention compared to standard of care in younger patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia that has had a decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer (remission). Assessing ways to help patients who have acute lymphoblastic leukemia to take their medications as prescribed may help them in taking their medications more consistently and may improve treatment outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Behavioral: Behavioral Intervention; Behavioral: Compliance Monitoring; Drug: Mercaptopurine; Procedure: Standard Follow-Up Care

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Determine the impact of interventions proposed in intervention program (IP) versus (vs.) education alone (EDU) on adherence to oral 6MP (mercaptopurine) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Adherence will be measured by: i) Medication Event Monitoring Systems (MEMS) (primary measure of adherence to oral 6MP, providing real-time data; ii) red cell thioguanine nucleotide (TGN) levels (providing data on chronic, systemic 6MP exposure).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Examine the modifying effect of sociodemographic and psychosocial variables, and the mediating effect of health beliefs/ knowledge on change in adherence with intervention.

II. Determine impact of IP vs. EDU on risk of relapse of ALL.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 intervention arms.

ARM I: Patients receive the Patients Supply Kit containing an electronic pill monitoring system, a MEMS® medication bottle with TrackCap™ with standard resistant cap, and written instructions for the patient and pharmacist. Parents and/or caregivers are also trained to supervise patients' intake of the medication. Beginning on day 1, patients start using the MEMS® medication bottle with TrackCap™. Clinical research assistants contact patients and parents by telephone the next day to confirm that TrackCap™ is being used, to identify any obstacles, and to determine solutions. Beginning on day 29, patients and caregivers view an interactive multimedia educational program on-line or via DVD. Patients also receive a customized electronic mercaptopurine schedule and automated customized text message reminders delivered via cellular phone or web-based interface. Patients and caregivers are instructed to return the MEMS® medication bottle with TrackCap™ to the clinic by day 141.

ARM II: Patients receive the usual standard of care and the mercaptopurine from the MEMS® medication bottle with TrackCap™ as patients in arm I. Patients and caregivers also view an interactive multimedia educational program on day 29.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 6 months for 5 years and then annually until 10 years from diagnosis.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 570
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Puerto Rico
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00926
    • University Pediatric Hospital
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00912
    • San Jorge Children's Hospital
• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233
      • University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Center
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233
      • Children's Hospital of Alabama
  • California
    • Downey, California, United States, 90242
      • Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center
    • Duarte, California, United States, 91010
      • City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Long Beach, California, United States, 90806
      • Miller Children's and Women's Hospital Long Beach
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90027
      • Children's Hospital Los Angeles
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
      • Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA
    • Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304
      • Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford University
    • San Diego, California, United States, 92123
      • Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego
  • Connecticut
    • Hartford, Connecticut, United States, 06106
      • Connecticut Children's Medical Center
  • Delaware
    • Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 19803
      • Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20010
      • Children's National Medical Center
  • Florida
    • Fort Myers, Florida, United States, 33908
      • Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida
    • Fort Myers, Florida, United States, 33901
      • Lee Memorial Health System
    • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32610
      • UF Health Cancer Institute - Gainesville
    • Hollywood, Florida, United States, 33021
      • Memorial Regional Hospital/Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
    • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32207
      • Nemours Children's Clinic-Jacksonville
    • Orlando, Florida, United States, 32806
      • Nemours Children's Clinic - Orlando
    • Orlando, Florida, United States, 32827
      • Nemours Children's Hospital
    • Pensacola, Florida, United States, 32504
      • Nemours Children's Clinic - Pensacola
    • St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, 33701
      • Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
    • Tampa, Florida, United States, 33606
      • Tampa General Hospital
    • Tampa, Florida, United States, 33607
      • Saint Joseph's Hospital/Children's Hospital-Tampa
    • West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, 33407
      • Saint Mary's Medical Center
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30329
      • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Arthur M Blank Hospital
  • Hawaii
    • Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 96813
      • University of Hawaii Cancer Center
    • Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 96826
      • Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
      • University of Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Lurie Children's Hospital-Chicago
    • Park Ridge, Illinois, United States, 60068
      • Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
    • Park Ridge, Illinois, United States, 60068
      • Advocate Children's Hospital-Park Ridge
  • Indiana
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
      • Riley Hospital for Children
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46260
      • Ascension Saint Vincent Indianapolis Hospital
  • Iowa
    • Des Moines, Iowa, United States, 50309
      • Blank Children's Hospital
    • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
      • University of Iowa/Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Louisiana
    • New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, 70112
      • Tulane University School of Medicine
    • New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, 70121
      • Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson
    • New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, 70118
      • Children's Hospital New Orleans
  • Michigan
    • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
      • C S Mott Children's Hospital
    • Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48201
      • Wayne State University/Karmanos Cancer Institute
    • Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48236
      • Henry Ford Health Saint John Hospital
    • Flint, Michigan, United States, 48503
      • Hurley Medical Center
    • Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, 49503
      • Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals - Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
    • Royal Oak, Michigan, United States, 48073
      • Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital
    • Royal Oak, Michigan, United States, 48073
      • Corewell Health Children's
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55404
      • Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota - Minneapolis
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
      • University of Minnesota/Masonic Cancer Center
    • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
      • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
  • Mississippi
    • Jackson, Mississippi, United States, 39216
      • University of Mississippi Medical Center
  • Missouri
    • Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 64108
      • Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
    • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Washington University School of Medicine
    • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63141
      • Mercy Hospital Saint Louis
  • Nebraska
    • Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68198
      • University of Nebraska Medical Center
    • Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68114
      • Children's Hospital and Medical Center of Omaha
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89144
      • Summerlin Hospital Medical Center
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89135
      • Alliance for Childhood Diseases/Cure 4 the Kids Foundation
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89102
      • University Medical Center of Southern Nevada
  • New Jersey
    • Hackensack, New Jersey, United States, 07601
      • Hackensack University Medical Center
    • Morristown, New Jersey, United States, 07960
      • Morristown Medical Center
    • New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, 08901
      • Saint Peter's University Hospital
    • Summit, New Jersey, United States, 07902
      • Overlook Hospital
  • New Mexico
    • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87106
      • University of New Mexico Cancer Center
  • New York
    • Albany, New York, United States, 12208
      • Albany Medical Center
    • New York, New York, United States, 10032
      • NYP/Columbia University Medical Center/Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • New York, New York, United States, 10016
      • Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone
    • The Bronx, New York, United States, 10467
      • Montefiore Medical Center - Moses Campus
    • Valhalla, New York, United States, 10595
      • New York Medical College
  • North Carolina
    • Asheville, North Carolina, United States, 28801
      • Mission Hospital
    • Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, 28204
      • Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
      • Duke University Medical Center
    • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157
      • Wake Forest University Health Sciences
  • Ohio
    • Akron, Ohio, United States, 44308
      • Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron
    • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106
      • Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43205
      • Nationwide Children's Hospital
    • Dayton, Ohio, United States, 45404
      • Dayton Children's Hospital
    • Toledo, Ohio, United States, 43608
      • Mercy Children's Hospital
  • Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 73104
      • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
  • Oregon
    • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97239
      • Oregon Health and Science University
    • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97227
      • Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital
  • Pennsylvania
    • Danville, Pennsylvania, United States, 17822
      • Geisinger Medical Center
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15224
      • Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
  • South Carolina
    • Columbia, South Carolina, United States, 29203
      • Prisma Health Richland Hospital
    • Greenville, South Carolina, United States, 29605
      • BI-LO Charities Children's Cancer Center
  • Tennessee
    • Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, 37916
      • East Tennessee Childrens Hospital
  • Texas
    • Austin, Texas, United States, 78723
      • Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas
    • Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, 78411
      • Driscoll Children's Hospital
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390
      • UT Southwestern/Simmons Cancer Center-Dallas
    • Fort Worth, Texas, United States, 76104
      • Cook Children's Medical Center
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Baylor College of Medicine/Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • McAllen, Texas, United States, 78503
      • Vannie Cook Children's Clinic
    • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
      • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
    • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
      • Methodist Children's Hospital of South Texas
  • Virginia
    • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298
      • VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Roanoke, Virginia, United States, 24014
      • Carilion Children's
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98105
      • Seattle Children's Hospital
    • Spokane, Washington, United States, 99204
      • Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital
    • Tacoma, Washington, United States, 98431
      • Madigan Army Medical Center
  • Wisconsin
    • Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, 54301
      • Saint Vincent Hospital Cancer Center Green Bay
    • Marshfield, Wisconsin, United States, 54449
      • Marshfield Medical Center-Marshfield

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 1 year to 21 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of ALL, in first remission; enrollment on a Children Oncology Group (COG) therapeutic study for ALL is not required
• At the time of enrollment, patient must have completed at least 24 weeks of maintenance chemotherapy, and is scheduled to receive at least 24 more weeks of maintenance chemotherapy
• Receiving continuous oral 6MP during the maintenance phase of therapy for ALL (held only for toxicity or illness), and will be returning to the clinic every 4 weeks for scheduled appointments while enrolled on COG ACCL1033 (between days 1 and 141)
• Has a designated parent or caregiver who is willing to enter into a mutual agreement with the patient to participate in a daily supervised medication administration routine
• Able and willing to use the MEMS® TrackCap™ (e.g., not using a pillbox or prescribed liquid 6MP)
• Parent/caregiver and patient (if 12 years and older) must be willing to use a cellular telephone to receive medication reminders via text messaging during study period
• Patient and parent/caregiver must speak English or Spanish
• All patients and/or their parents or legal guardians must sign a written informed consent
• All institutional, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) requirements for human studies must be met

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with Down syndrome
• Patients who previously participated in or are currently participating in another intervention clinical trial designed to improve adherence

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm I (intervention program and mercaptopurine); See detailed description.	Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Correlative studies; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Behavioral: Behavioral Intervention; Receive intervention program; Other Names: Behavior Conditioning Therapy; Behavior Modification; Behavior or Life Style Modifications; Behavior Therapy; Behavioral Interventions; Behavioral Modification; Behavioral Therapy; Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral Treatments; Behavioural; Behavioral: Compliance Monitoring; Correlative studies; Drug: Mercaptopurine; Given orally; Other Names: 6-MP; Purinethol; 3H-Purine-6-thiol; 6 MP; 6 Thiohypoxanthine; 6 Thiopurine; 6-Mercaptopurine; 6-Mercaptopurine Monohydrate; 6-Purinethiol; 6-Thiopurine; 6-Thioxopurine; 6H-Purine-6-thione, 1,7-dihydro- (9CI); 7-Mercapto-1,3,4,6-tetrazaindene; Alti-Mercaptopurine; Azathiopurine; Bw 57-323H; Flocofil; Ismipur; Leukerin; Leupurin; Mercaleukim; Mercaleukin; Mercaptina; Mercaptopurinum; Mercapurin; Mern; NCI-C04886; Puri-Nethol; Purimethol; Purine, 6-mercapto-; Purine-6-thiol (8CI); Purine-6-thiol, monohydrate; Purinethiol; U-4748; WR-2785
Active Comparator: Arm II (standard of care and mercaptopurine); Patients receive the usual standard of care and the mercaptopurine from the MEMS® medication bottle with TrackCap™ as patients in arm I. Patients and caregivers also view an interactive multimedia educational program on day 29.	Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Correlative studies; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Behavioral: Compliance Monitoring; Correlative studies; Drug: Mercaptopurine; Given orally; Other Names: 6-MP; Purinethol; 3H-Purine-6-thiol; 6 MP; 6 Thiohypoxanthine; 6 Thiopurine; 6-Mercaptopurine; 6-Mercaptopurine Monohydrate; 6-Purinethiol; 6-Thiopurine; 6-Thioxopurine; 6H-Purine-6-thione, 1,7-dihydro- (9CI); 7-Mercapto-1,3,4,6-tetrazaindene; Alti-Mercaptopurine; Azathiopurine; Bw 57-323H; Flocofil; Ismipur; Leukerin; Leupurin; Mercaleukim; Mercaleukin; Mercaptina; Mercaptopurinum; Mercapurin; Mern; NCI-C04886; Puri-Nethol; Purimethol; Purine, 6-mercapto-; Purine-6-thiol (8CI); Purine-6-thiol, monohydrate; Purinethiol; U-4748; WR-2785; Procedure: Standard Follow-Up Care; Receive usual standard of care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of patients with adherence rate greater than or equal to 95% to mercaptopurine as measured by MEMS®	Compared between the IP and EDU groups using logistic regression. Mercaptopurine levels will be modeled as a function of time to examine longitudinal changes to 6TGN levels between the treatment groups using the generalized estimating equation (GEE) method for longitudinal normally distributed data.	4 months
Proportion of patients with adherence rate greater than or equal to 95% to mercaptopurine as measured by red cell TGN levels	Compared between the IP and EDU groups using logistic regression. Mercaptopurine levels will be modeled as a function of time to examine longitudinal changes to 6TGN levels between the treatment groups using the GEE method for longitudinal normally distributed data.	4 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of adherence patients by sociodemographic and psychosocial variables	Evaluated analytically by logistic regression methods.	4 months
Mediating effect of health beliefs/ knowledge on change in adherence with intervention	Evaluated analytically by logistic regression methods.	4 months
Impact of IP vs. EDU on risk of relapse in children with ALL	An intention-to-treat analysis will be used to compare the effectiveness of EDU and IP interventions in decreasing the risk of relapse. Cox proportional hazards regression models will be used to examine the impact of intervention on relapse. Covariates in the analysis will include clinical and sociodemographic predictors, and the intervention arm (IP vs. EDU).	Up to 10 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Children's Oncology Group
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Smita Bhatia, Children's Oncology Group

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bhatia S, Hageman L, Chen Y, Wong FL, McQuaid EL, Duncan C, Mascarenhas L, Freyer D, Mba N, Aristizabal P, Walterhouse D, Lew G, Kempert PH, Russell TB, McNall-Knapp RY, Jacobs S, Dang H, Raetz E, Relling MV, Landier W. Effect of a Daily Text Messaging and Directly Supervised Therapy Intervention on Oral Mercaptopurine Adherence in Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Aug 3;3(8):e2014205. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.14205.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 21, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): March 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 3, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 3, 2012
• First Posted (Estimated): January 4, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 2, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Immune System Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Hematologic Diseases; Lymphatic Diseases; Lymphoproliferative Disorders; Immunoproliferative Disorders; Leukemia, Lymphoid; Leukemia; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Sulfur Compounds; Organic Chemicals; Heterocyclic Compounds; Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring; Purines; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Psychological Tests; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Neuropsychological Tests; Mercaptopurine; azathiopurine; Behavior Therapy; Memory and Learning Tests
• Other Study ID Numbers: ACCL1033 (Other Identifier: CTEP); U10CA095861 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); UG1CA189955 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); NCI-2012-00105 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program)); S12-01789; CDR0000721559; COG-ACCL1033 (Other Identifier: DCP); R01CA174683 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No