Defined Green Tea Catechin Extract in Preventing Liver Cancer in Participants With Cirrhosis

A Phase I Single-arm, Multicenter Pilot Study Aimed at Validating γ-OHPdG as a Biomarker and Testing the Effects of Polyphenon E on Its Levels in Patients With Cirrhosis

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of defined green tea catechin extract and to see how well it works in preventing liver cancer in participants with cirrhosis. Higher levels of the molecule gamma-OHPdG may be found in participants with cirrhosis, which may mean a higher risk of the development of liver cancer. Defined green tea catechin extract may work better to lower levels of gamma-OHPdG and prevent the development of liver cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Cirrhosis
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Other: Pharmacological Study; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Procedure: Biospecimen Collection; Procedure: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Procedure: Computed Tomography; Procedure: Biopsy; Procedure: Ultrasound; Drug: Defined Green Tea Catechin Extract

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To establish maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and to collect safety data of defined green tea catechin extract (Polyphenon E/epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG]) treatment in participants with cirrhosis.

II. To determine the effects of Polyphenon E/EGCG treatment on the suppression of gamma-hydroxy-1,N(2)-propanodeoxyguanosine (gamma-OHPdG) levels in cirrhotic liver.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To collect Polyphenon E/EGCG pharmacokinetic data in participants with cirrhosis.

II. To determine the effects of Polyphenon E/EGCG treatment on the suppression of gamma-hydroxy-1,N(2)-propanodeoxyguanosine (gamma-OHPdG) levels in cirrhotic liver by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) assay from baseline to post-treatment.

III. To estimate the fraction of participants with liver cirrhosis that have high levels of gamma-OHPdG.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess the effects of Polyphenon E/EGCG on the grade of cirrhosis as measured by FibroScan (registered trademark) and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score.

II. To develop a LC-MS and/or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based method for detecting urinary and blood gamma-OHPdG, to correlate with liver gamma-OHPdG levels.

III. To evaluate any hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development during the treatment.

OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study.

Participants receive defined green tea catechin extract orally (PO) once daily (QD) or twice daily (BID) for 24 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at screening and on study, undergo collection of blood samples on study, and may undergo biopsy at screening and on study.

After completion of study intervention, participants are followed up at 28 days.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 14
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Puerto Rico
  • San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00936
    • University of Puerto Rico
• United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20007
      • MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants with a clinical diagnosis of cirrhosis based on the investigators evaluation, confirmed by ANY ONE of the three following methods to define cirrhosis:

  • Established cirrhosis on liver biopsy (Meta-analysis of Histological Data in Viral Hepatitis [METAVIR] F4);
  • Ultrasound, CT or MRI findings consistent with cirrhosis; nodular appearing liver with or without evidence of portal hypertension
  • Transient elastography (FibroScan) with a result > 12.5 kPa Etiology of cirrhosis will not be considered in determining inclusion in the study
• Participant is able and willing to comply with study procedures, and signed and dated informed consent is obtained
• Participant agrees to consume no more than 2 cups of green tea per day and refrain from taking supplements or foods labeled as containing green tea
• Participant must be aged >= 18 years. Because no dosing or adverse event (AE) data are currently available on the use of Polyphenon E in participants < 18 years of age, children are excluded from this study but will be eligible for future pediatric trials, if applicable
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =< 1 (Karnofsky >= 70%)
• Platelets >= 75,000 / uL
• Hemoglobin >= 8 g/dL
• Serum creatinine OR measured or calculated creatinine clearance within normal institutional limits; glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can also be used in place of creatinine or creatinine clearance (CrCl) within normal institutional limits as adjusted for age and sex
• Serum direct bilirubin within normal institutional limits
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 X upper normal level (UNL)
• Albumin >= 3.0 mg/dL
• International normalized ratio (INR) =< 1.3
• Ascites absent
• Encephalopathy absent
• Only participants found to express high levels (immunohistochemistry [IHC] score 3 and above) of gamma-OHPdG (gamma-OHPdG-high HCC) in baseline or archival liver biopsy will be registered to receive Polyphenon E treatment
• Participant is able to undergo radiographic evaluation with ultrasound, CT, or MRI
• The effects of Polyphenon E on the developing human fetus at the recommended therapeutic dose are unknown; for this reason, women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence); contraception must be used prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her study physician immediately; female participants of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication (if a urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participant has confirmed HCC by ultrasound/CT/MRI; participants who have previously had HCC but have been treated and have been recurrence free for 5 years are eligible
• Participant has or has had other cancer(s) within 3 years of study; however, in situ breast, in situ cervical, and basal cell/squamous cell skin cancers are allowed; participant with active, other cancer that requires systemic therapy will be excluded from this study; participant with early stage cancer that requires local therapy, such as cervical ablation for early stage cervical cancer, are allowed to be registered in the study and are allowed to receive local therapy
• Inability to swallow capsules
• Participant has a known diagnosis of mental incapacitation that may affect their ability to consent and be compliant with the protocol

• Participant has ever experienced one or more hepatic decompensation events or a history of decompensated liver disease as listed below:

  • Clinical ascites
  • Variceal bleeding documented by endoscopy
  • Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis documented by positive culture
  • Hepatic encephalopathy
  • Hepatorenal syndrome (type 1 or 2)
  • Porto-pulmonary hypertension
  • Hepato-pulmonary hypertension
  • Any liver-related event which led to a hospitalization or a grade 4 event
• Participant has an underlying predisposition to gastrointestinal (GI) or rectal bleeding are considered ineligible for study participation
• History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical composition to Polyphenon E (or green tea); note that participants who are unable to tolerate intravenous contrast for CT scans should have MRIs or ultrasounds during the study instead of CT scans
• Participant is receiving any other investigational agents
• Participants have taken supplements or foods that are labelled as containing green tea for 8 weeks before start of treatment
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements; hepatitis b virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are allowed
• Green tea has been consumed by humans for thousands of years and teratogenic or abortifacient effects have not been reported; however, subjects in this study will take high doses of Polyphenon E; the teratogenic or abortifacient effects of high dose Polyphenon E is unknown; therefore pregnant women are excluded from this study; because there is an unknown but potential risk for AEs in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with Polyphenon E, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with this study agent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• 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: Prevention (defined green tea catechin extract); Participants receive defined green tea catechin extract PO QD or BID for 24 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo ultrasound, CT, or MRI at screening and on study, undergo collection of blood samples on study, and may undergo biopsy at screening and on study.

Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Correlative studies; Other: Pharmacological Study; Correlative studies; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Procedure: Biospecimen Collection; Undergo collection of blood samples; Other Names: Biological Sample Collection; Biospecimen Collected; Specimen Collection; Procedure: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Undergo MRI; Other Names: MRI; Magnetic Resonance; Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan; Medical Imaging, Magnetic Resonance / Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; MR; MR Imaging; MRI Scan; NMR Imaging; NMRI; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); sMRI; Magnetic resonance imaging (procedure); MRIs; Structural MRI; Procedure: Computed Tomography; Undergo CT; Other Names: CT; CAT; CAT Scan; Computed Axial Tomography; Computerized Axial Tomography; Computerized Tomography; CT Scan; tomography; Computerized axial tomography (procedure); Computerized Tomography (CT) scan; Procedure: Biopsy; Undergo biopsy; Other Names: Bx; BIOPSY_TYPE; Procedure: Ultrasound; Undergo ultrasound; Drug: Defined Green Tea Catechin Extract; Given PO

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maximum tolerated dose of Polyphenon E	Will be defined as the dose at which =< 1 subjects out of 6 experiences a grade 3 or higher toxicity based on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria.	Up to 4 weeks
Change in gamma-hydroxy-1,N(2)-propanodeoxyguanosine (gamma-OHPdG) expression in cirrhotic liver	Will be assessed by immunohistochemistry. Will use a nonparametric Wilcoxon test to compare the post-pre differences to zero.	Baseline up to 24 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fraction of patients with liver cirrhosis that have high levels of gamma-OHPdG	Will use descriptive statistics.	Up to 24 weeks
Polyphenon E pharmacokinetic data in blood and urine in patients with cirrhosis	Clearance of Polyphenon E will be compared among cirrhotic liver patients in this study and results from this population will be compared with non-cirrhotic historical control participants.	Prior to and at 1.5, 3.5, and 8.5 hours after the first dose of Polyphenon E on day 1
Change in gamma-OHPdG	Descriptive statistics (mean, range) will be used to summarize this continuous outcome by dose level. A nonparametric trend test will be used to examine whether there is a trend for greater reduction in gamma-OHPdG as the dose level increases.	Baseline up to 24 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Grade of cirrhosis	Will be assessed by FibroScan and Fibrosis-4 score.	Up to 24 weeks
Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and/or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based method for detecting gamma-OHPdG	The research urine samples at screen 2 and research blood samples collected at visit 1, visit 2, and Visit 3 will be used to develop a non-invasive LC-MS and/or ELISA-based method to quantify gamma-OHPdG in urine and blood samples of collected from trial participants. Descriptive statistics (n; minimum; maximum; mean; median; standard deviation for continuous variables; and n, frequency for categorical variables) will be used to summarize participants demographics. Participants safety data will be tabulated according to the symptom and grade. Estimates will be presented with their 95% confidence intervals.	Up to 24 weeks
Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma	Evaluated using ultrasound/computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging.	At baseline and 24 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Aiwu R He, Northwestern University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 9, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 16, 2023
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 11, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 11, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): September 12, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): March 6, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Liver Diseases; Fibrosis; Liver Cirrhosis; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Antineoplastic Agents; Neuroprotective Agents; Protective Agents; Antioxidants; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Antimutagenic Agents; Epigallocatechin gallate
• Other Study ID Numbers: NCI-2017-01557 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program)); P30CA060553 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); N01-CN-2012-00035; N01CN00035 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); NCI 2016-08-02 (Other Identifier: Northwestern University); NWU2016-08-02 (Other Identifier: DCP)

Drug and device information, study documents

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