TC-325 (HEMOSPRAY™) VS. CURRENT STANDARD OF CARE IN MANAGING MALIGNANT GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING: A PILOT STUDY TO INFORM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding arising from malignant tumors is increasingly recognized as a result of oncological advances and improved detection methods, and stems from local vessel damage and tumor invasion with associated derangements in the hemostatic system(1, 2). Although conventional endoscopic hemostasis methods improve outcomes in UGIB due to peptic ulcers and other non-variceal benign bleeding lesions of the upper, and perhaps the lower GI tract, data on their use in hemorrhagic, upper or lower gastrointestinal neoplasms are scarce and associated with varying success in initial hemostasis and high rebleeding rates(3-7). Other recognized single or multimodality treatment approaches include radiation therapy, interventional angiography, and surgery. All exhibit disappointing rebleeding rates, and in the case of emergency surgery, high mortality(4, 8-11). Challenges associated with bleeding tumors include hematological derangements such as thrombocytopenia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and neutropenia, as well as the endoscopic manipulation of friable, diffusely bleeding surfaces when attempting hemostasis(2, 12, 13). The recent advent of TC-325 (HemosprayTM) to Canada, Europe and Asia - referred henceforth as TC-325 - may provide a highly adapted novel endoscopic hemostatic therapeutic alternative for this refractory clinical entity, with promising uncontrolled observations having just been published by our group(13) and others(14). More robust controlled evaluative data are now needed. We propose to study the use of TC-325 in upper and lower malignant GI bleeding compared to contemporary standard of care, and more specifically seeks funding for a pilot study to inform a subsequent peer-review application for a larger, more definitive randomized clinical trial (RCT).