Prophylactic TCM for Mitigation of EGFR-TKI Related Dermatological Adverse Effect

January 9, 2022 updated by: China Medical University Hospital

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) have become standard practice for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR gene mutation. EGFR-TKIs involving Afatinib, Erlotinib, and Gefitinib were Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved since 2006 and given payment continuously for lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutation in Taiwan.

Several researches mention the positive correlation between skin toxicities and clinical response, such as improved median survival, overall survival and progression-free survival. Nevertheless, quite a few patients reduced dose or discontinued EGFR-TKIs because of prolonged or intolerable adverse effects, thus causing disease progress and even death. Based on the experts' opinion, some basic strategies have been developed to manage dermatologic adverse effects. Those strategies have the potential to improve patient quality of life and to prevent dose reductions or discontinuation.

The concept of prophylaxis in EGFR-TKI related adverse effects had existed for rash and diarrhea, but it is not well spread. Although several studies indicate that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) facilitates the treatment of lung cancer, clinical analysis of prophylactic TCM in EGFR-TKIs related skin toxicities remains absent. Based on TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment and clinical experiences, the investigators have found effective TCM compositions to relieve these toxicities.

Therefore, the investigators develop a pilot, prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled TCM research to prevent EGFR- TKIs related dermatological adverse effects. The purpose of this study suggest that TCM could provide synergic effect with EGFR-TKIs, which means TCM could reduce and prevent EGFR-TKIs related dermatological adverse effects without interfering formulary cancer therapy. The investigators hypothesize that prophylactic TCM with standard of care will delay any grade skin toxicity to 14 days as well as reduce the incidence of grade 3 skin toxicity from 30% to less than 10%.

Due to high EGFR mutation rate of lung adenocarcinoma in Taiwan, it is necessary to investigate whether combination of TCM is beneficial to patients of advanced lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR gene mutation.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. According to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines, EGFR-TKIs have become standard practice for advanced NSCLC with EGFR gene mutation. An epidemiological study in 2012 reported that EGFR mutations from Asian advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients were 22-64% and the rate in Taiwan was 62.1%. Another epidemiological study in 2015 showed that the EGFR mutation rate of treatment -naïve lung adenocarcinoma in Taiwan was 55.4%.

Depend on several extensive studies, oral treatment of EGFR-TKIs improved progression free survival (PFS) about 9.2-13.6% than traditional chemotherapy. EGFR-TKIs involving Afatinib, Erlotinib, and Gefitinib were FDA approved since 2006 and given payment continuously for lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutation in Taiwan.

Several researches mention the positive correlation between skin toxicities and clinical response, such as improved median survival, overall survival and progression-free survival. Nevertheless, quite a few patients reduced dose or discontinued EGFR-TKIs because of prolonged or intolerable adverse effects, thus causing disease progress and even death. Based on the experts' opinion, some basic strategies have been developed to manage dermatologic adverse effects. Those strategies have the potential to improve patient quality of life and to prevent dose reductions or discontinuation.

The concept of prophylaxis in EGFR-TKI related adverse effects had existed for rash and diarrhea, but it is not well spread. Although several studies indicate that TCM facilitates the treatment of lung cancer, clinical analysis of prophylactic TCM in EGFR-TKIs related skin toxicities remains absent. Based on TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment and clinical experiences, the investigators have found effective TCM compositions to relieve these toxicities.

Therefore, the investigators develop a pilot, prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled TCM research to prevent EGFR- TKIs related dermatological adverse effects. The purpose of this study suggest that TCM could provide synergic effect with EGFR-TKIs, which means TCM could reduce and prevent EGFR-TKIs related dermatological adverse effects without interfering formulary cancer therapy. The investigators hypothesize that prophylactic TCM with standard of care will delay any grade skin toxicity to 14 days as well as reduce the incidence of grade 3 skin toxicity from 30% to less than 10%.

Due to high EGFR mutation rate of lung adenocarcinoma in Taiwan, it is necessary to investigate whether combination of TCM is beneficial to patients of advanced lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR gene mutation.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

Phase

  • Phase 3

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of locally advanced or metastatic lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutations,
  2. Patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0-2,
  3. Patients receiving afatinib as first-line treatment to ensure a shorter time to observe skin adverse effects of any grade,
  4. Patients with measurable disease evaluated by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1),
  5. Patients with brain metastases were included after adequate treatment.

Exclusion Criteria: -

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Study arm
Patients receive afatinib and TCM. TCM recipe was chosen from three essential TCM formulas, including Bai He Gu Jin Tang (yin nourishing), Wen Dan Tang (phlegm reducing), and Qing Shang Fang Fen Tang (heat clearing). The packages contained 1.6 g TCM preparations, which were manufactured in powder form by Sun Ten Pharmaceutical (Taichung, Taiwan) according to the good manufacturing practice requirements. Patients were instructed to intake three packages of TCM preparations with each meal three times a day, for a total of nine packages per day. Administration of TCM was initiated at the same time as afatinib and continued for a total of three months.
Drug: TCM Formula
three packages of TCM preparations with each meal three times a day
Placebo Comparator: Control arm
Patients receive afatinib and placebo. Placebo without the medical ingredients was prepared to be similar to the weight, color, smell, taste, and packaging of the TCM formulas. The packages contained 1.6 g placebo preparations, which were manufactured in powder form by Sun Ten Pharmaceutical (Taichung, Taiwan) according to the good manufacturing practice requirements. Patients were instructed to intake three packages of placebo preparations with each meal three times a day, for a total of nine packages per day. Administration of placebo was initiated at the same time as afatinib and continued for a total of three months.
Drug: Placebo
three packages of placebo preparations with each meal three times a day

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
time to skin toxicity of any grade
Time Frame: 3 month
Patients were instructed to maintain a diary to record the date on which skin toxicity of any grade first presented.
3 month
incidence of grade 3 skin toxicity
Time Frame: 3 months
Patients were instructed to maintain a diary to record the date on which maximum EGFR-TKI-related skin toxicities occurred.
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
safety evaluation
Time Frame: 3 months
Safety evaluation included complete blood and differential counts, renal and liver function tests, and tumor markers.
3 months
quality of life evaluation
Time Frame: 3 months
Quality of life evaluation included Dermatology Life Quality Index, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L; version 4), European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Lung Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30/LC13 version 3.0), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) scale.
3 months
progression free survival
Time Frame: 3 years
Tumor response to EGFR-TKIs was assessed by chest X-ray once a month and chest computed tomography once every three months.
3 years
overall survival
Time Frame: 3 years
Tumor response to EGFR-TKIs was assessed by chest X-ray once a month and chest computed tomography once every three months.
3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

China Medical University Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Chia-Hsiang Li, Attending, China Medical University Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 12, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

February 28, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 23, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 9, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

January 24, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 24, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 9, 2022

Last Verified

January 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CMUH105-REC1-055

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

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma

Clinical Trials on TCM Formula

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in China

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe