A Phase II Study of Pegylated Interferon Alfa 2b (PEG-Intron(Trademark)) in Children With Diffuse Pontine Gliomas

NCT00036569 | Completed Phase 2 Results

• 2 other identifiers: 02019302-C-0193
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Diffuse pontine gliomas are tumors on the pons portion of the brainstem. Their peak incidence is in children between 5 and 10 years old. Their location makes surgical resection impossible. Most patients are treated with radiation, which typically delays progression of the tumor for a median time of only about 6 months; median survival time is less than 1 year. The addition of chemotherapy has not improved the outcome. Alpha, beta, and gamma interferons have been used to treat malignant brain tumors, with mixed results. Different doses and different methods of administration have been studied. Alpha interferon is usually given in high doses 2 or 3 times a week, but it has serious side effects at these doses. Recent studies have shown that administering chemotherapy more frequently at smaller doses (metronomic) may have a better effect against the tumor. PEG-Intron(Trademark) is a form of interferon alpha combined with monomethoxy polyethylene glycol (PEG). It has a longer half-life than interferon alone, is administered once a week, and the long half-life reduces the peaks and troughs in blood levels. This study will enroll 32 patients under age 21. The primary goals of the study are to determine if there is a difference in the 2-year survival rate of patients treated with radiation alone and those treated with radiation followed by PEG-Intron(Trademark) and to define the toxicities of PEG-Intron(Trademark) in the study doses. Secondary goals are to evaluate various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for noninvasive monitoring of changes in the brainstem and to evaluate neuropsychological function. In this study, PEG-Intron(Trademark) will be administered subcutaneously once a week at low doses (0.3 microgram per kilogram of body weight) for a 4-week cycle. The cycles will be repeated indefinitely until progression of disease or serious side effects develop. For less severe effects, the dose will be lowered and the patient may remain in the study. For more severe effects, the dose will be discontinued. Patients in the study may receive supportive medication but may not receive other forms of chemotherapy. Patients or their caregivers will be instructed in how to inject the drug. Patients and/or caregivers will be asked to maintain a diary documenting the dose, site of administration, and any side effects. The diary will be reviewed at each National Cancer Institute (NCI) visit. Patients will return to NCI before cycles 2 and 3. If there are no significant side effects, patients may then return to NCI before every other cycle, indefinitely (i.e., before cycles 5, 7, 9, etc.). Patients will undergo the following tests and procedures:

• Physical examination, including neurologic exam, monthly
• Complete blood count, differential, and platelet count weekly during cycle 1 and every 2 weeks thereafter if no severe side effects occur
• Blood chemistries weekly during cycle 1 and every 2 weeks thereafter if no severe side effects occur
• Endocrine function tests before each cycle
• Urinalysis before each cycle
• MRI of the brain before cycles 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and every other month; patients may also have proton magnetic spectroscopic imaging performed at the time of the MRI

Conditions

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

Keywords

Brainstem Glioma; Pediatric; Interferon; MR Imaging; Angiogenesis; Brain Tumor; Glioma; Pediatric Brain Tumor

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Two Year Survival of Pediatric Patients With Diffuse Pontine Gliomas

  Survival is measured from the date the patient is registered onto the protocol until the day of death and the date of diagnosis to the date of patient death.

  8 yrs 6 mo 0 days

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Median Time to Progression

  8 yrs 11 mo 22 days

• Number of Participants With Adverse Events

  8 yrs 11 mo 22 days

• Mean Quality of Life (QOL) Score at Baseline and Follow-Up

  once a week for 4 weeks beginning 2-10 weeks after completion of radiation therapy and continued until disease progression or one of the other off study criteria.

• Number of Participants With a Metabolic and Biological Change in the Brainstem Through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Techniques

  once a week for 4 weeks beginning 2-10 weeks after completion of radiation therapy and continued until disease progression or one of the other off study criteria.

Study Arms (1)

Interferon Alfa

EXPERIMENTAL

0.3 mg/kg subcutaneously once a week for 4 weeks beginning 2-10 weeks after completion of radiation therapy and continued until disease progression or one of the other off study criteria.

Procedure: adjuvant therapy; Biological: pegylated interferon alfa

Interventions

adjuvant therapy PROCEDURE

Interferon Alfa

pegylated interferon alfa BIOLOGICAL

0.3 mg/kg subcutaneously once a week for 4 weeks beginning 2-10 weeks after completion of radiation therapy and continued until disease progression or one of the other off study criteria.

Interferon Alfa

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: Up to 21 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age: Patients must be less than or equal to 21 years of age.
• Histological diagnosis: Histologic confirmation is not required for this study. Patients must have a diffuse pontine glioma as diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) criteria below.
• Radiographic Appearance: Patients must have a diffuse intrinsic tumor with the epicenter presumed to be in the pons. The T-2 weighted sequence must reveal a diffuse signal abnormality involving at least 50 percent of the pons.
• Prior therapy: The patient must have received adequate radiation therapy. (Radiation must be completed between 2-10 weeks prior to the start of treatment with Peg-Intron (TM).
• Performance status: Patients should have an Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1, 2, or 3 (see below). Patients who are unable to walk because of paralysis, but who are up in a wheel chair will be considered ambulatory for the purpose of calculating the performance score.
• ECOG Performance Status:
• Score--Clinical Status
• Asymptomatic
• Symptomatic, fully ambulatory
• Symptomatic, in bed less than 50 percent of the day
• Symptomatic, in bed greater than 50 percent of the day but not bedridden
• Bedridden
• Hematological function: Patients must have adequate bone marrow function defined as a peripheral absolute granulocyte count of greater than 1000/mm\^3, hemoglobin greater than 8 gm/dL, and platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3. Patients may be transfused with red blood cells (RBC's) or platelets to achieve these parameters.
• Hepatic function: Patients must have adequate liver function, defined as total bilirubin less than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal, direct bilirubin within normal limits, and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) less than 2.0 times the upper limit of normal. Patients with Gilbert Syndrome are excluded from both the total and direct bilirubin requirements. (Gilbert Syndrome is found in 3-10 percent of the general population and is characterized by mild, chronic hyperbilirubinemia in the absence of liver disease or overt hemolysis.)
• Renal function: Patients must have an age-adjusted normal serum creatinine (see below) OR a creatinine clearance greater than or equal to 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with known or suspected neurofibromatosis-1
• Patients who have received prior chemotherapy, including radiosensitizers, or who are currently receiving other investigational chemotherapeutic agents
• Patients with a known hypersensitivity to interferon-alpha
• Pregnant or breast-feeding females are excluded because the effects of pegylated interferon alfa-2b (PEG-Intron (TM)) on the unborn fetus are unknown.
• Patients with clinically significant unrelated systemic illness (including autoimmune disease, serious infections or significant cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic or other organ dysfunction) which in the judgment of the Principal or Associate Investigators would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate this therapy or are likely to interfere with the study procedures or results.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Cancer Institute (NCI): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Packer RJ, Nicholson HS, Vezina LG, Johnson DL. Brainstem gliomas. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 1992 Oct;3(4):863-79.

  PMID: 1392581 BACKGROUND

• Freeman CR, Farmer JP. Pediatric brain stem gliomas: a review. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1998 Jan 15;40(2):265-71. doi: 10.1016/s0360-3016(97)00572-5.

  PMID: 9457808 BACKGROUND

• Barkovich AJ, Krischer J, Kun LE, Packer R, Zimmerman RA, Freeman CR, Wara WM, Albright L, Allen JC, Hoffman HJ. Brain stem gliomas: a classification system based on magnetic resonance imaging. Pediatr Neurosurg. 1990-1991;16(2):73-83. doi: 10.1159/000120511.

  PMID: 2132928 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web Page
• Medline Plus
• Drug information
• United States FDA Resources

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma; Brain Neoplasms; Glioma

Interventions

Chemotherapy, Adjuvant

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Brain Stem Neoplasms; Infratentorial Neoplasms; Central Nervous System Neoplasms; Nervous System Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Combined Modality Therapy; Therapeutics; Drug Therapy

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Kathy Warren, M.D.
• Organization: National Cancer Institute

warrenk@mail.nih.gov

301-435-4683

Study Officials

• Kathy Warren, M.D.

  National Cancer Institute (NCI)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 2
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 10, 2002
• First Posted: May 13, 2002
• Study Start: May 1, 2002
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2010
• Study Completion: January 1, 2012
• Last Updated: February 13, 2012
• Results First Posted: February 13, 2012

Record last verified: 2012-01

Locations

US (1)