Sorafenib, Valproic Acid, and Sildenafil in Treating Patients With Recurrent High-Grade Glioma

Phase 2 Study of Sorafenib, Valproic Acid, and Sildenafil in the Treatment of Recurrent High-Grade Glioma

The purpose of this research study is to test the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of the combination of three drugs, sorafenib (Nexavar®), valproic acid (Depakote®), and sildenafil (Viagra®), when used to treat high-grade glioma, a type of brain tumor.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Glioblastoma; Malignant Glioma; WHO Grade III Glioma; Recurrent Adult Brain Neoplasm
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: sorafenib tosylate; Drug: valproic acid; Drug: sildenafil citrate

Detailed Description

The study is a single-center, open-label phase 2 study, with an early stopping rule in place for safety. The trial will include patients with recurrent or progressive high-grade glioma.

The trial will be conducted in an adaptive design, with a Simon's mini-max 2-stage design incorporating an interim analysis for efficacy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 47
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Virginia
    • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298
      • Virginia Commonwealth University/Massey Cancer 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:

• Pathologically confirmed high-grade glioma (World Health Organization (WHO) grade 3 or 4), with documented computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) progression or recurrence. Biopsy is also an acceptable method of confirming progression or recurrence. If initial tumor was grade 2 glioma, histological confirmation of high-grade recurrence is required

  • After first interim analysis, if the study proceeds to enrollment of selected patients (only those who have platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFRa)-positive tumors), patients will be pre-registered for PDGFRa analysis and registered to the combination treatment schema only if PDGFRa-positive an all other enrollment criteria are met.
• Measurable or evaluable disease by response assessment in neuro-oncology (RANO) (MRI) or MacDonald (CT) criteria
• Fixed or decreasing dose of corticosteroids (or no corticosteroids) for at least 1 week prior to cycle 1 day 1.
• At least 12 weeks since the completion of radiation therapy to a total of >=50 Gray (Gy).
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1, or 2
• White blood cell (WBC) >= 3,000/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500/mm^3
• Platelets >= 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin (Hgb) >= 8.5 g/dL
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =< 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN) for the laboratory
• Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x ULN for the laboratory (total bilirubin criteria may be waived if a patient has documented Gilbert's disease)
• Creatinine clearance (CrCL) >= 30 mL/min as calculated by standard Cockcroft-Gault equation
• Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test performed within 7 days prior to the start of treatment.
• Women of childbearing potential and men must agree to use a medically accepted form of birth control for the duration of study participation and for 2 months following completion of study treatment.
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

• Investigational agent within 4 weeks of first dose of study treatment
• Prior bevacizumab or tyrosine-kinase inhibitor
• History of allergic reactions or intolerance to any of the required agents on the study
• Any condition that would prohibit patient from initiating valproic acid. Current or prior valproic acid treatment is allowed (do not need to be ≥ LLN for laboratory for enrollment).
• Seizure disorder necessitating the use of enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (EIAEDs). Efforts may be made by the treating physician to change the antiepileptic drug from another agent to valproic acid or non-EIAED prior to excluding the patient from study

• Contraindication to antiangiogenic agents, including:

  • Bronchopulmonary hemorrhage/bleeding event >= grade 2 (NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [CTCAE] version 4.0) within 4 weeks or less prior to first dose of study drug
  • Any other hemorrhage/bleeding event >= grade 3 (NCI CTCAE v4.0) within 4 weeks or less prior to first dose of study treatment
  • Radiological evidence of any intracranial hemorrhage within the 4 weeks or less less prior to first dose of study treatment
  • History of significant intratumoral, intracerebral, or subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Serious non-healing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture
  • Documented bowel perforation within 6 months of the start of study treatment.
• Major surgery within 2 weeks of the start of study treatment, or ongoing complications from surgeries performed previously
• Clinically significant cardiac disease, including major cardiac dysfunction, such as uncontrolled angina, clinical congestive heart failure with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or higher, ventricular arrhythmias requiring antiarrhythmic therapy, recent (within 6 months) myocardial infarction or unstable coronary artery disease.
• Systolic blood pressure (BP) > 160 mm Hg or diastolic pressure > 100 mm Hg despite optimal medical management
• History of priapism
• Known history of retinitis pigmentosa
• Known mitochondrial disorder caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ.
• Arterial thromboembolic or embolic events such as myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, including transient ischemic attacks 6 months prior to first study treatment
• Serious uncontrolled infection > grade 2 (CTCAE v 4)
• Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positivity
• Unable to swallow medication or suspected malabsorption

• Patients on chronic nitrate therapy or alpha-blockers

  * Exclude persons who require ongoing administration of STRONG CYP3A4 inhibitors and/or STRONG CYP3A4 inducers and/or STRONG CYP2C9 inhibitors.

• Women who are pregnant or nursing
• Persistent heart rate (HR) <50 or >120 beats per minute (bpm)

• Corrected QT (QTc) > 480 ms (grade 2 or greater) on screening electrocardiogram (ECG)

  * If baseline QTc on screening ECG meets exclusion criteria on screening assessment:

  • Check potassium and magnesium levels
  • Correct any identified hypokalemia and/or hypomagnesemia and repeat ECG to confirm exclusion of patient due to QTc
  • For patients with a heart rate (HR) 60-100 bpm, no manual read of QT is required
  • For patients with baseline HR < 60 or > 100 bpm, manual read of QT by cardiologist is required using Fridericia correction
• Other condition(s) that in the opinion of the investigator might compromise the objectives of the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Treatment (sorafenib tosylate, valproic acid, sildenafil); Sorafenib 400 mg orally twice a day;; Valproic acid (to levels ≥ Lower Level of Normal (LLN) orally twice a day;; Sildenafil 50 mg orally twice a day A cycle consists of 4 weeks. *The first 6 patients evaluable for qualifying toxicity assessment will be treated as a safety lead-in; enrollment will be gated (the first 3 evaluable patients must complete 4 weeks of the combination therapy before the next 3 patients start combination treatment on protocol)

Drug: sorafenib tosylate; Given by mouth; Other Names: pyridinecarboxamide, chloro-trifluoromethylphenyl pyridine-carboxylic acid methylamide-methylbenzenesulfonate tosylate, Nexavar; Drug: valproic acid; Given by mouth; Other Names: 2-Propylpentanoic or Propylvaleric Acid, Alti-Valproic, Depakene, Di-n-propylacetic Acid, Ergenyl, Novo-Valproic, VA, Valproate, Valproate Sodium; Drug: sildenafil citrate; Given by mouth; Other Names: Viagra

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants With 6-Month Progression Free Survival (PFS)	Number of patients evaluable for response, regardless of tumor platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) status, with 6- month PFS defined as the time from the first day a patient receives study treatment until time of progression per response assessment in neuro-oncology (RANO) or Macdonald criteria or death, whichever occurs first.	Up to 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants Whose Tumors Express PDGFRa With and Without 6-Month PFS.	Number of patients evaluable for response, with tumors that express PDGFRα, with 6-month PFS defined as the time from the first day a patient receives study treatment until time of progression per RANO or Macdonald criteria or death, whichever occurs first.	Up to 6 months
Number of Participants With Best Response of CR Plus Number of Participants With Best Response of PR.	Overall response rate (CR+PR), using RANO or Macdonald criteria, in patients evaluable for response regardless of tumor PDGFR status	From the first day of study treatment until best response or off study, up to 4 years
Number of Participants Whose Tumors Express PDGFRa With Best Response of CR Plus Number of Participants Whose Tumor Expresses PDGFRa With Best Response of PR.	Overall response rate (CR+PR), using RANO or Macdonald criteria, in patients who are evaluable for response and who have tumors that express PDGFRα.	From initiation of study treatment to time of best response or off-study (up to 4 years)
Number of Participants With 12-Month Progression Free Survival (PFS).	Number of patients evaluable for response, regardless of tumor PDGFR status, who are alive at 12 months after the first day a patient receives study treatment. Overall Survival (OS) defined as the time from the first day a patient receives study treatment until death by any cause.	Up to 12 months
Number of Participants Whose Tumors Express PDGFRa With and Without 12-Month PFS.	Proportion of patients evaluable for response with tumors that express PDGFRα who are alive at 12 months after the first day a patient receives study treatment. On study is defined as the time from the first day a patient receives study treatment until death by any cause.	Up to 12 months
Evaluation of Safety and Toxicity of Sorafenib, Valproic Acid, and Sildenafil	Number of patients with adverse events, and types of events, as assessed by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 (NCI CTCAE v4.0).	From initiation of study therapy to completion of adverse event (AE) observation period, up to 30 days following the end of study treatment.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lang F, Liu Y, Chou FJ, Yang C. Genotoxic therapy and resistance mechanism in gliomas. Pharmacol Ther. 2021 Dec;228:107922. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107922. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 11, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 27, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): October 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): March 25, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 6, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 4, 2023
• Last Verified: April 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: central nervous system; Brain and Nervous System
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Disease Attributes; Astrocytoma; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Central Nervous System Neoplasms; Nervous System Neoplasms; Glioblastoma; Recurrence; Glioma; Brain Neoplasms; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Vasodilator Agents; Central Nervous System Depressants; Urological Agents; Enzyme Inhibitors; Antineoplastic Agents; Tranquilizing Agents; Psychotropic Drugs; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; GABA Agents; Anticonvulsants; Antimanic Agents; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors; Sorafenib; Valproic Acid; Sildenafil Citrate
• Other Study ID Numbers: MCC-14816; P30CA016059 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); HM14816 (Other Identifier: VCU IRB); NCI-2013-00705 (Other Identifier: NCI)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

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