Linaclotide in Treating Patients With Stages 0-3 Colorectal Cancer

Phase II Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Linaclotide to Demonstrate Bioactivity in Patients With Sporadic Colorectal Adenomas and With Colorectal Cancer

This phase II trial studies the how well linaclotide works in treating patients with stages 0-3 colorectal cancer. Linaclotide is a very small protein that binds to receptors on intestinal cells and makes them secrete water and salt.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Colorectal Adenoma; Stage III Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage IIIA Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage IIIB Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage IIIC Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage 0 Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage I Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage II Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage IIA Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage IIB Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8; Stage IIC Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Placebo; Drug: Linaclotide

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine whether, compared to placebo, linaclotide administered as a single oral daily dose x 7 days, induces a pharmacodynamics (PD) effect on cGMP levels, based on biopsy samples of adenomas or resected colorectal adenocarcinomas.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare Ki-67, guanylin levels and GUCY2C expression in adenomas and cancers versus normal tissue after exposure to linaclotide or placebo.

II. To confirm the safety and tolerability of linaclotide in sporadic adenoma and cancer patients.

TRANSLATIONAL OBJECTIVE:

I. To assess the pharmacodynamic effect of linaclotide on pathway-specific biomarkers relevant to GUCY2C signaling (i.e. VASP phosphorylation), markers of mutant APC-beta-catenin signaling (beta-catenin levels, beta-catenin nuclear localization, axin levels, c-Myc levels, guanylin levels, PCNA expression), based on adenoma/cancer and normal mucosa biopsy samples obtained by endoscopy following linaclotide or placebo exposure.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive linaclotide orally (PO) daily on days 1-7 and undergo standard of care colonoscopy or surgery on day 7.

ARM II. Patients receive placebo PO QD on days 1-7 and undergo standard of care colonoscopy or surgery on day 7.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at day 14.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 230
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19111
      • Fox Chase Cancer Center
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19126
      • Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98108
      • VA Puget Sound Health Care Sysem

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• History of 1 or more sporadic colorectal adenoma on previous endoscopy (adenoma cohort) or stage 0-3 biopsy proven colorectal cancer (CRC) (colorectal cancer cohort) who are scheduled for a surgical procedure
• Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document and follow study procedures
• Ability to swallow capsules without difficulty
• Ability to maintain pill diaries
• Willingness to employ adequate contraception for men and women of childbearing potential for the duration of the study. Acceptable methods include double barrier methods, intrauterine device (IUD), postmenopausal status, and/or documentation of surgical sterilization
• Participants must have no chronic, clinically severe health issues which, in the opinion of their physician or the research team, could preclude trial activities including the one week drug exposure phase

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of gastroparesis
• History of celiac disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis)
• Microscopic colitis, including collagenous colitis
• Has taken linaclotide within 30 days prior to consent
• Any malignancy except colorectal cancer or any active radiotherapy or cytotoxic chemotherapy within the last 6 months of baseline. Participants with a history of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer may be enrolled at the discretion of the investigator
• Participants may not be receiving any other investigational agents, or be active participants in any clinical trials. If participants previously participated in a clinical trial, a 30 day washout period for the investigational drug is needed before the participant can be considered for this study
• History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to linaclotide
• Uncontrolled current 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
• Pregnant or lactating women
• History of bleeding/coagulation problems. Concurrent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including aspirin is acceptable
• Any medical condition judged by the investigator to constitute a risk to safe participation
• At risk for obstructing or near-obstructing mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction
• Chronic use of anti-coagulants or non-NSAID anti-platelet agents will serve as an exclusion only when such medications cannot be safely discontinued before study related endoscopy or surgery

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm I (linaclotide); Patients receive linaclotide PO daily on days 1-7 and undergo standard of care colonoscopy or surgery on day 7.	Drug: Linaclotide; Given PO; Other Names: Linzess; 851199-59-2; [9-L-tyrosine]heat-stable enterotoxin (Escherichia coli)-(6-19)-peptide; L-Tyrosine; L-cysteinyl-L-cysteinyl-L-alpha-glutamyl-L-tyrosyl-L-cysteinyl-L-cysteinyl-L- asparaginyl-L-prolyl-L-alanyl-L-cysteinyl-L-threonylglycyl-L-cysteiny; cyclic (1->6), (2->10), (5->13)-tris(disulfide); MD-1100
Placebo Comparator: Arm II (placebo); Patients receive placebo PO QD on days 1-7 and undergo standard of care colonoscopy or surgery on day 7.	Other: Placebo; Given PO

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pharmacodynamics effect on cGMP levels	Will compare cGMP levels in adenomas between study arms using a two-sample t-test (alpha=.05; two-sided) or Wilcoxon rank sum test.	Up to 2 years, plus an additional 12 months for primary analysis

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Incidence of adverse events (AEs)	All participants will be evaluated for toxicity. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0 will be used to summarize adverse events associated with linaclotide.	From the time of first dose of linaclotide or placebo until resolution, if related to linaclotide, or through 30 days after occurrence
Ki-67 expression	Wilcoxon rank sum test will be used to compare Ki-67 expression in adenomas across arms.	Up to 2 years
GUCY2C expression	Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests will be used to compare GUCY2C expression between study arms.	Up to 2 years
Guanylin levels	Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests will be used to compare guanylin levels between study arms.	Up to 2 years

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
VASP serine 239 phosphorylation	Assessed by immunoblot analysis. Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests will be used to compare VASP phosphorylation between study arms.	Up to 2 years
Beta-catenin levels	Assessed by immunoblot analysis. Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests will be used to compare beta-catenin accumulation and downstream signaling between study arms.	Up to 2 years
Beta-catenin nuclear localization	Assessed by immunofluorescence. Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests will be used to compare beta-catenin accumulation and downstream signaling between study arms	Up to 2 years
Axin and c-Myc messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels	Assessed by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Wilcoxon rank sum and Fisher's exact tests will be used to compare axin and c-Myc mRNA levels between study arms.	Up to 2 years
PCNA expression	Assessed by immunofluorescence.	Up to 2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University
• Collaborators: United States Department of Defense
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Scott Waldman, MD, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 30, 2019
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 7, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): January 8, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 2, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 27, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Intestinal Diseases; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Intestinal Neoplasms; Rectal Diseases; Colonic Diseases; Colorectal Neoplasms; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Amino Acids; Amino Acids, Aromatic; Amino Acids, Cyclic; linaclotide; Tyrosine
• Other Study ID Numbers: 18F.524; CDMRP-CA170223 (Other Grant/Funding Number: DOD); JT 13271 (Other Identifier: JeffTrial Number)

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.: No