Haloperidol With or Without Chlorpromazine in Treating Delirium in Patients With Advanced, Metastatic, or Recurrent Cancer

Haloperidol and/or Chlorpromazine for Refractory Agitated Delirium in the Palliative Care Unit

This randomized phase II/III trial studies how well haloperidol with or without chlorpromazine works in treating delirium in patients with cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or has come back. Haloperidol and chlorpromazine may control the symptoms of delirium (loss of contact with reality) in patients with cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Delirium; Metastatic Malignant Neoplasm; Advanced Malignant Neoplasm; Recurrent Malignant Neoplasm; Locally Advanced Malignant Neoplasm
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Drug: Haloperidol; Drug: Chlorpromazine

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Assess the within-arm effect of haloperidol dose escalation, rotation to chlorpromazine, and combination therapy on agitation intensity (Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale [RASS]) over 24 hours in patients admitted to an acute palliative care unit (APCU) who did not experience a response to low-dose haloperidol.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Obtain preliminary estimates of the effects of haloperidol dose escalation, rotation to chlorpromazine, and combination therapy on (1) the proportion of patients with target RASS -2 to 0, (2) delirium-related distress in nurses and caregivers (delirium experience questionnaire), (3) symptom expression (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale), (4) delirium severity (Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale), (5) the need for neuroleptics, (6) delirium recall (Delirium Recall Questionnaire), (7) adverse effects and (8) quality of end-of-life (Quality of Death and Dying questionnaire) over time.

II. Obtain preliminary estimates of the between-arm effect size among haloperidol dose escalation, rotation to chlorpromazine, and combination therapy in the first 24 hours.

III. To assess caregiver and nurse preferences regarding proxy sedation goals. IV. To examine the feasibility of novel measures for the assessment of agitation with continuous video monitoring.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 groups.

GROUP I: Patients receive haloperidol intravenously (IV) over 3-15 minutes every 4 hours in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.

GROUP II: Patients receive chlorpromazine IV over 3-15 minutes every 4 hours in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.

GROUP III: Patients receive haloperidol and chlorpromazine IV over 3-15 minutes every 4 hours in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 70
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • M D Anderson Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion:

1. [Patients] Diagnosis of advanced cancer (defined as locally advanced, metastatic recurrent, or incurable disease)
2. [Patients] Admitted to the acute palliative care unit
3. [Patients] Delirium as per DSM-V criteria (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5))
4. [Patients] Hyperactive or mixed delirium with RASS >/=1 in the past 24 h (RASS>/=+1 indicates any degree of restlessness. In the electronic medical record nursing note, this behavior would be indicated by any documentation of "restless", "agitated", "hyperactive", "pulling on devices/IV" or similar wording).
5. [Patients] On scheduled haloperidol for delirium (</=8 mg in the past 24 h) or rescue haloperidol of >/=4 mg for restlessness/agitation in the past 24 h
6. [Patients] Age 18 years or older
7. [Family Caregivers] Patient's spouse, adult child, sibling, parent, other relative, or significant other (defined by the patient as a partner)
8. [Family Caregivers] Age 18 years or older

Exclusion:

1. [Patients] History of myasthenia gravis or acute narrow angle glaucoma
2. [Patients] History of neuroleptic malignant syndrome or active seizure disorder (with seizure episode within the past week)
3. [Patients] History of Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's dementia
4. [Patients] History of prolonged QTc interval (>500 ms) if documented by ECG within the past month
5. [Patients] History of hypersensitivity to haloperidol or chlorpromazine
6. [Patients] On scheduled chlorpromazine within the past 48 h

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group I (haloperidol); Patients receive haloperidol IV over 3-15 minutes every 4 hours in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.	Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Drug: Haloperidol; Given IV; Other Names: Haldol; McN-JR-1625; R 1625; R-1625
Experimental: Group II (chlorpromazine); Patients receive chlorpromazine IV over 3-15 minutes every 4 hours in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.	Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Drug: Chlorpromazine; Given IV; Other Names: Chlor-PZ; Thorazine
Experimental: Group III (haloperidol, chlorpromazine); Patients receive haloperidol and chlorpromazine IV over 3-15 minutes every 4 hours in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.	Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Drug: Haloperidol; Given IV; Other Names: Haldol; McN-JR-1625; R 1625; R-1625; Drug: Chlorpromazine; Given IV; Other Names: Chlor-PZ; Thorazine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Richmond Agitation Sedation Score (RASS) (0-24h)	RASS score is a 10-point scale with scores ranging from +4 (very combative, violent) to -5 (unarousable). The primary outcome was mean change in RASS score between time 0 (immediately before initiation of masked treatment) and 24 h later. The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) was developed by a multidisciplinary team at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; it is a validated method used to avoid oversedation in the Intensive Care Unit.	Time 0 or Baseline and 24 hours after study medication administration

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of Participants With RASS Score -2 to 0	RASS score is a 10-point scale with scores ranging from +4 (very combative, violent) to -5 (unarousable). The Secondary outcome was the percentage of participants with target RASS score of -2 to 0 within the first 24 hours. The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) was developed by a multidisciplinary team at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; it is a validated method used to avoid over sedation in the Intensive Care Unit.	Time 0 or Baseline and 24 hours later.
Change in RASS Score (0-30 Minutes)	RASS score is a 10-point scale with scores ranging from +4 (very combative, violent) to -5 (unarousable). The secondary outcome was mean change in RASS score between time 0 (immediately before initiation of masked treatment) and 30 minutes later. The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) was developed by a multidisciplinary team at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; it is a validated method used to avoid over sedation in the Intensive Care Unit.	Time 0 or Baseline and 30 minutes later.
Number of Participants With RASS Score of >=1	RASS score is a 10-point scale with scores ranging from +4 (very combative, violent) to -5 (unarousable). The secondary outcome was the proportion of breakthrough restlessness participants with a RASS score of >=1 during the first 24 hours. The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) was developed by a multidisciplinary team at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond; it is a validated method used to avoid oversedation in the Intensive Care Unit.	0 or Baseline and 24 hours later
Pattern of Medication Use	Use of neuroleptics and benzodiazepines during the first 24 hours was retrieved from the Medication Administration Record.	Baseline and 24 hours
Perceived Comfort Level as Assessed by Caregiver	On day 1 (after initiation of blinded treatment), we asked the blinded caregivers to provide their overall impression of change in patient comfort level and the agitation level. The response ranged from "strongly agree", "agree", "neutral", "disagree", and "strongly disagree". In this study, "strongly agree" and "agree" were combined for analysis. The participants who reported 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree' responses to perceived comfort level have a high level of comfort (more comfortable). And similarly, the participants who reported 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree' responses to perceived agitation level have a low level of agitation (less agitated).	Baseline and 24 hour
Perceived Comfort Level as Assessed by Nurse	On day 1 (after initiation of blinded treatment), we asked the blinded caregivers to provide their overall impression of change in patient comfort level and the agitation level. The response ranged from "strongly agree", "agree", "neutral", "disagree", and "strongly disagree". In this study, "strongly agree" and "agree" were combined for analysis. The participants who reported 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree' responses to perceived comfort level have a high level of comfort (more comfortable). And similarly, the participants who reported 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree' responses to perceived agitation level have a low level of agitation (less agitated).	Baseline and 24 hour
Change in Delirium Experience Questionnaire	This 14-item questionnaire examines both the recalled frequency of 7 delirium symptoms and associated distress in the rater: disorientation to time, disorientation to place, visual hallucinations, tactile hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, delusional thoughts and psychomotor agitation. The score for recalled frequency ranges between 0 and 4, where 0=not present, 1=a little of the time, 2=some of the time, 3=good part of the time, and 4=most or all of the time. The score for distress in the rater related to each delirium symptom also ranges from 0 to 4, where 0=no distress, 1=a little, 2=a fair amount, 3=very much and 4=extremely distressed. Due to an error in the data collection form, the last category was omitted as a choice and thus the score only ranged from 0 to 3.	Baseline and Day 3
Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS)	The Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) is a 10-item clinician-rated assessment scale validated for assessment of delirium in cancer patients. It examines the level of consciousness, disorientation, memory, recall, attention, disorganized thinking, perceptual disturbance, delusions, psychomotor activity and sleep, assigning a score between 0 to 3, for a total score between 0-30. A total score of 13 or higher indicates delirium. We measured the change in Memorial Delirium Rating scale between baseline and 24 hours.	Baseline and 24 hours
Edmonton Expression Assessment System, ESAS	Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) has been validated and widely used in different clinical settings, including the acute palliative care unit. It assessed the average symptom intensity of 10 symptoms over the past 24 hours. Each symptom was assessed using an 11-point numeric rating scale, ranging from 0 (none) to 10 (worst). It was measured as change in ESAS as Perceived by Caregivers between baseline and day 1, mean.	Baseline and 24 hours
Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser, UKU	We also documented the selected adverse effects associated with neuroleptics using the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) side effects rating scale. Specifically, we assessed 8 neurologic symptoms (dystonia, rigidity, hypokinesia/akinesia, hyperkinesia, tremor, akathisia, epileptic seizures, paraesthesias). We are reporting only the neurologic symptoms (tremor and akathisia) that had changes during the study. Each item was assigned a score by the research coordinator 0 (absent) to 3 (most severe) based on symptom severity of the last 3 days.	Baseline and 3 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI); National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: David Hui, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Hui D, De La Rosa A, Wilson A, Nguyen T, Wu J, Delgado-Guay M, Azhar A, Arthur J, Epner D, Haider A, De La Cruz M, Heung Y, Tanco K, Dalal S, Reddy A, Williams J, Amin S, Armstrong TS, Breitbart W, Bruera E. Neuroleptic strategies for terminal agitation in patients with cancer and delirium at an acute palliative care unit: a single-centre, double-blind, parallel-group, randomised trial. Lancet Oncol. 2020 Jul;21(7):989-998. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30307-7. Epub 2020 May 29.

Helpful Links

• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 5, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 5, 2021
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 12, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 12, 2017
• First Posted (Estimated): January 16, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 18, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Neoplasms; Disease Attributes; Confusion; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurocognitive Disorders; Neoplastic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Delirium; Recurrence; Neoplasm Metastasis; Sulfur Compounds; Organic Chemicals; Heterocyclic Compounds; Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring; Butyrophenones; Ketones; Phenothiazines; Chlorpromazine; Haloperidol
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2016-0687 (Other Identifier: M D Anderson Cancer Center); NCI-2017-01065 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program)); R21NR016736 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

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