A Pilot Study of Alemtuzumab (Campath[R]) in Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome

NCT00217594 | Completed Phase 2 Results DMC FDA Drug

• 2 other identifiers: 05020605-H-0206
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a genetically engineered antibody, alemtuzumab (Campath\[R\]) on patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. MDS is made up of malignant stem cell disorders that can mean low levels of red blood cells-that is, anemia-and low counts of white blood cells and platelets. Patients with MDS are at risk for infection, spontaneous bleeding, and possible progression to leukemia, a cancer of bone marrow. Although bone marrow can produce some blood cells, patients with MDS experience a decrease in production of blood cells. Alemtuzumab recognizes specific types of white cells called lymphocytes and destroys them. This study will examine not only the usefulness of the medication but also the side effects in patients with MDS. Patients ages 18 to 72 who have MDS that requires transfusions and who do not have HIV or a life expectancy of less than 6 months may be eligible for this study. Screening tests include a complete physical examination and medical history. There will be a collection of about 8 tablespoons of blood for analysis of blood counts as well as liver, kidney, and thyroid function; a pregnancy test; an electrocardiogram (EKG) to measure electrical activity of the heartbeat; an echocardiogram (ECHO), which uses sound waves to evaluate heart function; wearing of a Holter monitor for 24 hours while the electrical activity of the heart is recorded; and a bone marrow biopsy. Patients should not receive any vaccines when taking alemtuzumab or for at least 12 months after the last dose. In addition, patients should not take the herbal supplements Echinacea purpurea or Usnea 2 weeks before beginning the study and during it. For the study, all patients will receive a test dose of 1 mg of alemtuzumab infused into a vein during the course of 1 hour. If the dose is tolerated, the medication will be given at 10 mg doses into the vein for 10 days, as an infusion of 2 hours. Blood samples of 2 tablespoons will be taken daily, and vital signs will be measured daily. The ECHO and 24-hour Holter monitoring will be repeated after patients receive the last dose of the medication. Because suppression of the immune system results from a decrease in white cells that fight infections, patients will take medications to protect them against infections and to treat them if infections occur. If needed, patients will receive blood transfusions for their MDS. Side effects of alemtuzumab involve a temporarily significant lowering of the number of red blood cells, white cells, and platelets. Side effects of the infusion can be rigidity, or stiffness, and fever, as well as risks of infections resulting from the decrease of white blood cells. Blood counts and reactions to all procedures will be carefully monitored throughout the study. After patients receive the last dose of alemtuzumab, they will have follow-up by their referring doctor or at NIH. They must be able to return to NIH after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and annually for 5 years after the study. At follow-up visits, there will be blood tests to reevaluate blood counts and test for the presence of viruses. Blood tests will be done weekly for the first 3 months after patients have completed taking alemtuzumab, every other week until 6 months, and then annually for 5 years. There will also be a repeat ECHO at the 3-month visit, and a repeat bone marrow biopsy at the 5-month and 12-month follow-up visits, and as needed after that. This study may or may not have a direct benefit for participants. For some, the antibody may improve blood counts and decrease the need for transfusions. Knowledge gained in the study may help people in the future.

Conditions

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Keywords

Immunosuppression; T Cells; Hematopoiesis; Anti-CD52; Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Response to Treatment - Hematologic Improvement or Complete Response

  Response to treatment at 3 months after the first dose of alemtuzumab. The parameters for hematologic improvement (HI) and complete response (CR) were defined according to the International Working Group (IWG) criteria. The IWG criteria for HI define specific responses of cytopenias in the 3 hematopoietic lineages: erythroid (HI-E), platelet (HI-P), and neutrophil (HI-N).7 The HIs are measured in patients with pretreatment abnormal values: hemoglobin level less than 110 g/L (11 g/dL) or RBC-transfusion dependence, platelet count less than 100 × 109/L or platelet-transfusion dependence, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 1.0 × 109/L. The parameters for CR include less than 5% marrow blasts without evidence of dysplasia and normalization of peripheral blood counts, including a hemoglobin level of 110 g/L (11 g/dL) or more (in patients not receiving erythropoietin or transfusions), a neutrophil count of 1.5 × 109/L or more, and a platelet count of 100 × 109/L.

  3 months

Study Arms (1)

Alemtuzumab

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients received a 1-mg test dose of alemtuzumab, and the following day, alemtuzumab was administered at 10 mg/dose intravenously for 10 days

Drug: Alemtuzumab (Campath)

Interventions

Alemtuzumab (Campath) DRUG

Alemtuzumab

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 72 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• MDS with WHO classification of RA, RARS, RCMD-RS, RCUD, and RCMD and RAEB-1 (all subtypes of MDS with the exception of RAEB 2, CMML, and MDS/MPN overlap)
• Anemia requiring transfusion support with at least one unit of packed red blood cells per month for greater than or equal to 2 months
• Anemia (hemoglobin less than 9 or a reticulocyte count less than 60,000)
• thrombocytopenia (platelet count less than 50000/ul)
• neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count less than 500/ul).
• Off all other treatments for MDS (except filgrastim (G-CSF), erythropoietin, and transfusion support and related medications) for at least four weeks. Filgrastim (G-CSF) can be used before, during and after the protocol treatment for patients with documented neutropenia (less than 500/Ul) as long as they meet the criteria for anemia and/or thrombocytopenia as stated above.
• Ages 18-72 (inclusive)

You may not qualify if:

• Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), MDS/MPN overlap, WHO RAEB-2
• Secondary MDS
• Failure to respond to prior therapy with ATG or ATG/CsA
• Prior therapy with combination chemotherapy
• Transformation to acute leukemia (FAB sub-group RAEB-T, i.e., greater than 20% blasts in marrow aspirate)
• Failure to discontinue the herbal supplements Echinacea purpurea or Usnea barbata (Old Man's Beard) within 2 weeks of enrollment.
• Active infection not adequately responding to appropriate therapy
• HIV positive patients
• Active malignant disease (excluding non-melanoma skin carcinoma)
• Moribund status or concurrent hepatic, renal, cardiac, neurologic, pulmonary, infectious, or metabolic disease of such severity that it would preclude the patient's ability to tolerate protocol therapy or that death within 7-10 days is likely.
• Life expectancy less than 6 months
• Low predicted probability of response
• Previous hypersensitivity to alemtuzumab (Campath\[R\]) or its components
• Current pregnancy, or unwilling to take oral contraceptives or refrain from pregnancy if of childbearing potential
• Not able to understand the investigational nature of the study or give informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Nydegger UE. Suppressive and substitutive immunotherapy: an essay with a review of recent literature. Immunol Lett. 1985;9(4):185-90. doi: 10.1016/0165-2478(85)90031-8. No abstract available.

  PMID: 3888832 BACKGROUND

• Tichelli A, Gratwohl A, Wuersch A, Nissen C, Speck B. Antilymphocyte globulin for myelodysplastic syndrome. Br J Haematol. 1988 Jan;68(1):139-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1988.tb04194.x. No abstract available.

  PMID: 3345291 BACKGROUND

• Biesma DH, van den Tweel JG, Verdonck LF. Immunosuppressive therapy for hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome. Cancer. 1997 Apr 15;79(8):1548-51. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19970415)79:83.0.co;2-y.

  PMID: 9118037 BACKGROUND

• Sloand EM, Olnes MJ, Shenoy A, Weinstein B, Boss C, Loeliger K, Wu CO, More K, Barrett AJ, Scheinberg P, Young NS. Alemtuzumab treatment of intermediate-1 myelodysplasia patients is associated with sustained improvement in blood counts and cytogenetic remissions. J Clin Oncol. 2010 Dec 10;28(35):5166-73. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2010.29.7010. Epub 2010 Nov 1.

  PMID: 21041705 RESULT

• Giudice V, Banaszak LG, Gutierrez-Rodrigues F, Kajigaya S, Panjwani R, Ibanez MDPF, Rios O, Bleck CK, Stempinski ES, Raffo DQ, Townsley DM, Young NS. Circulating exosomal microRNAs in acquired aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. Haematologica. 2018 Jul;103(7):1150-1159. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2017.182824. Epub 2018 Apr 19.

  PMID: 29674506 DERIVED

• Hosokawa K, Kajigaya S, Feng X, Desierto MJ, Fernandez Ibanez MD, Rios O, Weinstein B, Scheinberg P, Townsley DM, Young NS. A plasma microRNA signature as a biomarker for acquired aplastic anemia. Haematologica. 2017 Jan;102(1):69-78. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2016.151076. Epub 2016 Sep 22.

  PMID: 27658437 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Interventions

Alemtuzumab

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Bone Marrow Diseases; Hematologic Diseases; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibodies; Immunoglobulins; Immunoproteins; Blood Proteins; Proteins; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Serum Globulins; Globulins

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Chris Hourigan MD
• Organization: NHLBI, NIH

hourigancs@mail.nih.gov

301-451-0257

Study Officials

• Chris Hourigan, BMBCh

  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 2
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: NIH
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 20, 2005
• First Posted: September 22, 2005
• Study Start: July 21, 2005
• Primary Completion: February 6, 2017
• Study Completion: February 6, 2017
• Last Updated: October 30, 2018
• Results First Posted: September 24, 2018

Record last verified: 2017-10-17

Locations

US (1)