MedPath

Glutamic Acid in Reducing Nerve Damage Caused by Vincristine in Young Patients With Cancer

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Peripheral Neuropathy
Lymphoma
Neurotoxicity
Sarcoma
Leukemia
Kidney Cancer
Interventions
Other: placebo
Registration Number
NCT00369564
Lead Sponsor
University of South Florida
Brief Summary

RATIONALE: Glutamic acid may help lessen or prevent nerve damage caused by vincristine. It is not yet known whether glutamic acid is more effective than a placebo in preventing nerve damage in patients receiving vincristine for Wilms' tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying glutamic acid to see how well it works compared to a placebo in reducing nerve damage caused by vincristine in young patients receiving vincristine for Wilms' tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

* Compare the effect of glutamic acid vs placebo, in terms of decreasing neurotoxicity as measured by a scored neurologic examination, in young patients undergoing vincristine-containing treatment for Wilms' tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Secondary

* Compare the frequency and types of neurotoxicity observed in patients treated with glutamic acid versus placebo.

* Determine if a greater proportion of patients receiving glutamic acid are able to receive 100% of their scheduled doses of vincristine versus those not treated with glutamic acid.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to disease and duration of planned vincristine-containing treatment (Wilms' tumor or rhabdomyosarcoma with treatment planned for ≥ 9 consecutive weeks \[stratum 1\] vs acute lymphoblastic leukemia or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with treatment planned for ≥ 4 consecutive weeks \[stratum 2\]). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

* Arm I: Patients receive oral glutamic acid 3 times daily beginning prior to the first dose of vincristine and continuing through week 5 (stratum 2) for a total of 4 doses of vincristine or week 10 (stratum 1) for a total of 9 doses of vincristine.

* Arm II: Patients receive oral placebo 3 times daily beginning prior to the first dose of vincristine and continuing through week 5 (stratum 2) for a total of 4 doses of vincristine or week 10 (stratum 1) for a total of 9 doses of vincristine.

All patients undergo neurologic examination at baseline and at 5 weeks. Patients in stratum 1 also undergo additional neurologic examination at week 10.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 250 patients will be accrued for this study.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
250
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Arm II PlaceboplaceboPatients receive oral placebo 3 times daily beginning prior to the first dose of vincristine and continuing through week 5 (stratum 2) or week 10 (stratum 1).
Arm I Glutamic Acidglutamic acidPatients receive oral glutamic acid 3 times daily beginning prior to the first dose of vincristine and continuing through week 5 (stratum 2) or week 10 (stratum 1).
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Neurotoxicity as Measured by a Scored Neurologic Examination at Baseline, 5 Weeks, and 10 Weeks (if Applicable)10 weeks

A neurological exam will be completed at baseline and at study week 5 for both strata. An additional exam at week 10 will be done for patients in Stratum 1. Additional exams will be done at any time if the treating oncologist deems it clinically necessary . Neurotoxicity will be scored using a standardized neurological exam form developed for the study that is based on the Modified "Balis" Pediatric Scale of Peripheral Neuropathies. Treatment groups will be compared with respect to the proportion experiencing a grade 2 or higher toxicity from the following list of neurologic toxicities captured on the Neurologic Exam Form including sensory neuropathy, motor neuropathy, laryngeal nerve, constipation/neuro-constipation, jaw pain, or other specified abnormalities noted by the attending physician. Percentage of patients with one or more Grade 2 or higher noted neurotoxicity symptoms on any item in the Balis scale will compared between arms.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Ability to Receive All Scheduled Doses of Vincristine10 weeks

We will determine if a greater proportion of patients receiving l-glutamic acid hydrochloride are able to receive 100% of their scheduled doses of vincristine as compared to those in the placebo control group

Types of Neurotoxicities10 Weeks

Types of neurotoxicities reported. Each patient was only counted once for each type of neurotoxicity, but a patient could be counted in more than 1 type of neurotoxicity. For example, if a patient experienced constipation 3 times, they are included once for constipation. If a patient experienced sensory changes and motor changes, they are included once for sensory changes and once for motor changes.

Number of Participants With Neurotoxicity Observed10 weeks

Number of participants with neurotoxicity observed treated with l-glutamic acid hydrochloride as compared to the number of participants with neurotoxicity observed in the placebo control group

Trial Locations

Locations (6)

Nationwide Children's Hospital

🇺🇸

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Lee Cancer Care of Lee Memorial Health System

🇺🇸

Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Hackensack University Medical Center Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Hackensack, New Jersey, United States

Butterworth Hospital at Spectrum Health

🇺🇸

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota - Minneapolis

🇺🇸

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Blumenthal Cancer Center at Carolinas Medical Center

🇺🇸

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath