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Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Metastatic Cancer of Unknown Primary

Phase 2
Completed
Conditions
Carcinoma of Unknown Primary
Pain
Registration Number
NCT00357630
Lead Sponsor
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Brief Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well gemcitabine works in treating patients with metastatic cancer of unknown primary.

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

* Evaluate the efficacy of gemcitabine hydrochloride in patients with metastatic cancer of unknown primary (CUP), in terms of improved quality of life (QOL) (as measured by the FACT Physical Well Being subscale \[FACT-G\]) and reduction of symptom distress (as measured by the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Short Form Global Distress Index \[MSAS-SF\]).

* Define clinical benefit response using a QOL instrument in patients with CUP receiving gemcitabine hydrochloride.

* Correlate objective and/or evaluable tumor response with symptom and QOL response in these patients.

* Explore the association between symptom response, QOL response, and clinical benefit response in these patients.

* Evaluate changes in QOL in patients who have no symptom or objective response after treatment with gemcitabine hydrochloride.

* Correlate EuroQOL ratings with those using symptom instruments (MSAS-SF) and quality of life instruments (FACT-G).

* Evaluate changes in perceived QOL, as measured by the EuroQOL instrument, and how these changes relate to symptom response and QOL response.

* Evaluate the patient's assessment of treatment burden, as measured by a single question, and how this compares to symptom response and QOL response.

OUTLINE: This is an open-label, multicenter study.

Patients receive gemcitabine hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 36, and 43, followed by 1 week of rest (course 1). For all subsequent courses, patients receive gemcitabine hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, and 15. Treatment repeats every 4 weeks for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Quality of life (QOL) and symptom response are assessed at baseline and at weeks 8, 16, and 32 (end of treatment). Questionnaires include the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General, Pain Visual Analog Scale, and EuroQOL. Patients' perception of symptom response and perception of treatment burden are also assessed.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically for up to 3 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 52 patients will be accrued for this study.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
52
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Efficacy, in terms of improved quality of life and reduction of symptom distress
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Survival
Changes in symptom distress, pain, and quality of life at 8, 16, and 32 weeks
Tumor response and duration

Trial Locations

Locations (37)

University of Illinois Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Chicago Westside Hospital

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Decatur Memorial Hospital Cancer Care Institute

🇺🇸

Decatur, Illinois, United States

Hinsdale Hematology Oncology Associates

🇺🇸

Hinsdale, Illinois, United States

Regional Cancer Center at Memorial Medical Center

🇺🇸

Springfield, Illinois, United States

Elkhart General Hospital

🇺🇸

Elkhart, Indiana, United States

Howard Community Hospital

🇺🇸

Kokomo, Indiana, United States

Center for Cancer Therapy at LaPorte Hospital and Health Services

🇺🇸

La Porte, Indiana, United States

CCOP - Northern Indiana CR Consortium

🇺🇸

South Bend, Indiana, United States

Memorial Hospital of South Bend

🇺🇸

South Bend, Indiana, United States

Scroll for more (27 remaining)
University of Illinois Cancer Center
🇺🇸Chicago, Illinois, United States

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