NCT04018872

Brief Summary

Esophageal cancer, which has a low 5-year overall survival rate for all stages (\<20%) , is increasing in incidence. Previous studies have shown that the Hedgehog (Hh) and AKT signaling pathways are activated in a significant proportion of esophageal cancers. Itraconazole, a widely used anti-fungal medication, has been shown to inhibit various pathways involved in esophageal cancer tumorigenesis including Hh and AKT. In this phase II clinical trial, the investigators aim to evaluate the effect of itraconazole as a neoadjuvant therapy following standard of care chemoradiation in the treatment of locoregional esophageal and gastroesophageal junction carcinomas.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
78

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for phase_2

Timeline
5mo left

Started Jun 2019

Longer than P75 for phase_2

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress94%
Jun 2019Sep 2026

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 24, 2019

Completed
16 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 10, 2019

Completed
5 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 15, 2019

Completed
6.9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 24, 2026

Expected
3 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 29, 2026

Last Updated

November 4, 2021

Status Verified

November 1, 2021

Enrollment Period

7 years

First QC Date

July 10, 2019

Last Update Submit

November 2, 2021

Conditions

Keywords

itraconazoleesophageal neoplasmsesophagusesophagogastric junctionadenocarcinomasquamous cell carcinoma

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Percentage of pathological complete response with itraconazole

    Generally for esophageal cancer the pathological complete response rate at time of esophagectomy is 25%, and we have designed our study with the projected number of patients assuming we observe an improvement of 15% or more in this rate following treatment with itraconazole. This is the study's primary endpoint. By inhibiting the Hh signaling pathway with the use of itraconazole, we anticipate improved pathological complete response rates.

    3-4 months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

  • Comparison of hedgehog biomarkers before and after intervention

    3-4 months

  • Comparison of phosphorylated VEGFR2 and AKT before and after intervention

    3-4 months

  • Levels of itraconazole and metabolites in esophageal tissue

    1 month.

Study Arms (1)

Itraconazole

EXPERIMENTAL

Itraconazole capsule 300mg twice daily for 6-8 weeks following chemoradation.

Drug: Itraconazole

Interventions

Oral administration of itraconazole twice daily from completion of neoadjuvant chemoradiation until esophagectomy.

Itraconazole

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Patients diagnosed with localized (locoregional) esophageal cancer
  • Patients diagnosed with localized (locoregional) gastroesophageal junction cancer

You may not qualify if:

  • Patients unwilling or unable to provide informed consent
  • Patients with QTc\>450ms
  • Patients with a history of symptomatic congestive heart failure
  • Patients with LFT's\>3xULN
  • Patients who are pregnant
  • Patients with a known allergy to itraconazole

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Dallas VA Medical Center

Dallas, Texas, 75216, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (5)

  • Kim DJ, Kim J, Spaunhurst K, Montoya J, Khodosh R, Chandra K, Fu T, Gilliam A, Molgo M, Beachy PA, Tang JY. Open-label, exploratory phase II trial of oral itraconazole for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Mar 10;32(8):745-51. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2013.49.9525. Epub 2014 Feb 3.

    PMID: 24493717BACKGROUND
  • Antonarakis ES, Heath EI, Smith DC, Rathkopf D, Blackford AL, Danila DC, King S, Frost A, Ajiboye AS, Zhao M, Mendonca J, Kachhap SK, Rudek MA, Carducci MA. Repurposing itraconazole as a treatment for advanced prostate cancer: a noncomparative randomized phase II trial in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Oncologist. 2013;18(2):163-73. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2012-314. Epub 2013 Jan 22.

    PMID: 23340005BACKGROUND
  • Nacev BA, Grassi P, Dell A, Haslam SM, Liu JO. The antifungal drug itraconazole inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) glycosylation, trafficking, and signaling in endothelial cells. J Biol Chem. 2011 Dec 23;286(51):44045-44056. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.278754. Epub 2011 Oct 24.

    PMID: 22025615BACKGROUND
  • Kim J, Tang JY, Gong R, Kim J, Lee JJ, Clemons KV, Chong CR, Chang KS, Fereshteh M, Gardner D, Reya T, Liu JO, Epstein EH, Stevens DA, Beachy PA. Itraconazole, a commonly used antifungal that inhibits Hedgehog pathway activity and cancer growth. Cancer Cell. 2010 Apr 13;17(4):388-99. doi: 10.1016/j.ccr.2010.02.027.

    PMID: 20385363BACKGROUND
  • Chen MB, Liu YY, Xing ZY, Zhang ZQ, Jiang Q, Lu PH, Cao C. Itraconazole-Induced Inhibition on Human Esophageal Cancer Cell Growth Requires AMPK Activation. Mol Cancer Ther. 2018 Jun;17(6):1229-1239. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-17-1094. Epub 2018 Mar 28.

    PMID: 29592879BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Adenocarcinoma Of EsophagusEsophageal Squamous Cell CarcinomaEsophageal NeoplasmsAdenocarcinomaCarcinoma, Squamous Cell

Interventions

Itraconazole

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

CarcinomaNeoplasms, Glandular and EpithelialNeoplasms by Histologic TypeNeoplasmsNeoplasms, Squamous CellGastrointestinal NeoplasmsDigestive System NeoplasmsNeoplasms by SiteHead and Neck NeoplasmsDigestive System DiseasesEsophageal DiseasesGastrointestinal Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

TriazolesAzolesHeterocyclic Compounds, 1-RingHeterocyclic CompoundsPiperazines

Study Officials

  • David Wang, MD, PhD

    North Texas Veterans Healthcare System

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

David Wang, MD, PhD

CONTACT

Thai Pham, MD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 2
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
FED
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Staff Physician

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 10, 2019

First Posted

July 15, 2019

Study Start

June 24, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 24, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 29, 2026

Last Updated

November 4, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-11

Locations