Methylphenidate and Exercise in Reducing Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Prostate Cancer

A Combination Therapy to Treat Cancer-Related Fatigue - NCI R01

This phase II/III trial studies how well methylphenidate and exercise work in reducing cancer-related fatigue in patients with prostate cancer. Methylphenidate is a type of central nervous system stimulant that can improve cognitive ability, mainly in memory and cognitive function. Exercise can improve mood and the physical aspects of cancer-related fatigue. Giving methylphenidate in combination with exercise may work better in reducing cancer-related fatigue in patients with prostate cancer.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Prostate Carcinoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Other: Placebo; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Drug: Methylphenidate; Behavioral: Exercise Intervention; Other: Stretching

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine if the combination of exercise (EX) plus methylphenidate (MP) is superior to exercise plus placebo in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with prostate cancer scheduled to receive radiotherapy with androgen deprivation therapy for 12 weeks.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the effects of combined exercise plus methylphenidate on quality-of-life, mood, physical, and cognitive measures.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To identify potential synergistic effects of exercise and methylphenidate in improvement of CRF.

II. To explore changes in brain activity by electroencephalography (EEG) in responders (with 4 point or greater change in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue [FACIT-F] scores) versus (vs) non-responders to the intervention.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 4 groups.

GROUP I: Patients receive methylphenidate orally (PO) twice daily (BID) and undergo exercise program consisting of resistance training twice weekly (BIW) and walking 15- 40 minutes a day 4 days a week for 12 weeks.

GROUP II: Patients receive a placebo PO BID and undergo exercise program consisting of resistance training BIW and walking 15-40 minutes a day for 4 days a week for 12 weeks.

GROUP III: Patients receive methylphenidate PO BID and undergo stretching for 4 days a week for 12 weeks.

GROUP IV: Patients receive a placebo PO BID and undergo stretching for 4 days a week for 12 weeks.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 3 months.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 200
• 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: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have a diagnosis of prostate cancer and be scheduled to receive radiotherapy with concurrent androgen deprivation therapy, and presence of fatigue with severity of 1/10, on a 0-10 scale for at least 2 weeks
• Patient not regularly engaging in moderate aerobic exercise for >90 minutes/week and/or vigorous aerobic exercise for >30 minutes/week, and/ or strength training for >/= 1 day/week
• Have no clinical evidence of cognitive failure as evidenced by Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale score of </=13 at baseline
• Be aged 18 years or older
• Be willing to engage in follow-up telephone calls with a research staff
• Be willing to participate in the exercise programs
• Have telephone access so they can be contacted by the research staff
• Have a hemoglobin level of >/= 10 g/dL within 2 weeks of enrollment
• Be able to understand the description of the study and give written informed consent
• Have a Zubrod performance status score of 0 to 2
• Seen at an outpatient clinic at MD Anderson Cancer Center, its Houston Area Locations (HALs) or Smith Radiation Oncology Clinic (HHS)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have a major contraindication to MethylphenidateMP) (e.g., allergy/hypersensitivity to study medications or their constituents), exercise (e.g., cardiac disease), or conditions making adherence difficult as determined by the attending physician
• Be currently taking MP, or have taken it within the previous 10 days
• Be unable to complete the baseline assessment forms (e.g., due to language or sensory barriers) or to understand the recommendations for participation in the study
• Need monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, or clonidine
• Have glaucoma
• Have severe cardiac disease (New York Heart Association functional class III or IV)
• Have tachycardia and/or uncontrolled hypertension
• Be currently receiving anticoagulants, anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, diphenylhydantone, primidone), phenylbutazone, and/or tricyclic drugs (imipramine, clomipramine, or desipramine).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group I (methylphenidate, resistance training, walking); Patients receive methylphenidate PO BID and undergo exercise program consisting of resistance training BIW and walking 15- 40 minutes a day 4 days a week for 12 weeks.	Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Drug: Methylphenidate; Given PO; Other Names: Daytrana; Behavioral: Exercise Intervention; Undergo resistance training and walking
Active Comparator: Group II (placebo, resistance training, stretching); Patients receive a placebo PO BID and undergo exercise program consisting of resistance training BIW and walking 15-40 minutes a day for 4 days a week for 12 weeks.	Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Placebo; Given PO; Other Names: placebo therapy; PLCB; sham therapy; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Behavioral: Exercise Intervention; Undergo resistance training and walking
Active Comparator: Group III (methylphenidate, stretching); Patients receive methylphenidate PO BID and undergo stretching for 4 days a week for 12 weeks.	Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Drug: Methylphenidate; Given PO; Other Names: Daytrana; Other: Stretching; Undergo stretching
Active Comparator: Group IV (placebo, stretching); Patients receive a placebo PO BID and undergo stretching for 4 days a week for 12 weeks.	Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Placebo; Given PO; Other Names: placebo therapy; PLCB; sham therapy; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Other: Stretching; Undergo stretching

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Level of cancer-related fatigue in all groups	Will measure cancer-related fatigue (CRF) using the area under the curve (AUC) of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) subscale score. The intervention exposure will be operationalized as proportion of the total minutes of prescribed exercise intervention the study patient was actually able to participate, or the proportion of prescribed study medication the study patient was able to actually take.	Up to 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in quality of life, mood, physical and cognitive measures in all groups	Will use a mixed-effects model to compare changes in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory - Short Form (MFSI-SF), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), usual gait speed, hand grip strength (HGS), 30 second chair stand test (30s-CST), actigraphy, VO2 max, and C-reactive protein scores over time between the four treatment groups. For the mixed effects model, we will estimate the slopes for the changes in scores over time for each group and test the difference in these slopes.	Baseline up to 12 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Synergistic effects of methylphenidate and exercise in all groups	Will measure the synergistic effects of methylphenidate and exercise in improving CRF using the AUC of the FACIT-F subscale score. The analysis will be conducted using a linear model with the AUC as the response variable and indicator variables for the exercise and methylphenidate main effects as well as a product term of these indicator variables to assess the magnitude of synergy.	Up to 12 weeks
Change in brain activity by electroencephalography (EEG) in responders versus non-responders as measured by the FACIT-F score	Responders are identified as those who report a 4 point or greater change, while non-responders report less than a 4 point change in the FACIT-F score. EEG data will be grouped according to response status. Between-group differences will be examined using univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) with condition (responders or non-responders) as the fixed factor of interest, and the change of power from baseline to the resting state EEG at day 29 and day 84 as the dependent variable. Additional analyses will include analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) by adjusting for baseline covariates including age, stage of disease, total dose of radiotherapy, and other covariates as necessary.	Baseline up to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sriram Yennu, MD, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• MD Anderson Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 25, 2019
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 7, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 10, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): December 11, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 4, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases; Genital Neoplasms, Male; Urogenital Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Genital Diseases, Male; Prostatic Diseases; Male Urogenital Diseases; Prostatic Neoplasms; Organic Chemicals; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds; Carboxylic Acids; Piperidines; Acids, Carbocyclic; Phenylacetates; Methylphenidate
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2018-0559 (Other Identifier: M D Anderson Cancer Center); NCI-2018-02527 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Drug and device information, study documents

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