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Last Modified: 10/8/2009     First Published: 8/18/2006  
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Phase III Randomized Study of Donepezil Hydrochloride in Patients Who Have Undergone Partial- or Whole-Brain Irradiation for Brain Tumors

Alternate Title
Basic Trial Information
Objectives
Entry Criteria
Expected Enrollment
Outcomes
Outline
Trial Contact Information
Registry Information

Alternate Title

Donepezil in Treating Patients Who Have Undergone Radiation Therapy for Brain Tumors

Basic Trial Information

PhaseTypeStatusAgeSponsorProtocol IDs
Phase IIISupportive careActive18 and overNCICCCWFU-91105
WFU 91105, NCT00369785

Objectives

Primary

  1. Compare the effect of donepezil hydrochloride vs placebo, in terms of improving neurocognitive symptom cluster (i.e., cognitive impairment, subjective confusion, and fatigue), in patients who have undergone partial- or whole-brain irradiation for brain tumors.

Secondary

  1. Compare the effect of these regimens on mood and quality of life in these patients.

Entry Criteria

Disease Characteristics:

  • Diagnosis of primary or metastatic brain tumor
  • Completed a course of ≥ 30 Gy fractionated whole-brain irradiation or large-field partial-brain irradiation for primary or metastatic brain tumor ≥ 6 months prior to study entry
    • Meets the following criteria:
      • Single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery as a boost after external-beam radiotherapy
      • No polifeprosan 20 with carmustine implant (Gliadel wafers), GliaSite®, or other type of brain brachytherapy
      • No convection-enhanced delivery of immunotoxins
      • No other investigational modalities as adjuvant therapy after external-beam radiotherapy
  • Must have treatment records (total dose, dose per fraction, and isodose curves) available for all prior radiotherapy (external-beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and/or stereotactic radiosurgery)
  • Patients receiving prophylactic cranial irradiation are eligible
  • No radiographic evidence of brain disease OR stable brain disease, defined as no evidence of tumor progression within the past 3 months
  • No brain metastases with progressive extracranial primary or metastatic disease
    • Extracranial primary or metastatic disease must be stable or have responded to local and/or systemic treatment within the past 3 months

Prior/Concurrent Therapy:

  • See Disease Characteristics
  • More than 2 weeks since prior and no other concurrent dementia drugs, cognitive enhancers, neuroleptics, and/or anti-parkinsonian agents
  • Concurrent steroids, anti-cholinergics, anti-epileptics, anti-depressants, and/or sedatives/benzodiazepines allowed provided patient is on a stable or decreasing dose
  • Concurrent narcotic analgesics allowed provided the patient is on a stable dose and/or prn basis
  • No other planned therapy, including surgery, brain irradiation of any type, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy, for the next 30 weeks for brain or extracranial primary metastatic disease
    • Concurrent trastuzumab (Herceptin®) for breast cancer allowed
    • Concurrent hormonal therapy for breast or prostate cancer allowed
  • No concurrent bethanechol, ketoconazole, quinidine, or succinylcholine
  • No prior GliaSite or other type of brain brachytherapy, convection enhanced delivery of immunotoxins, and/or any other investigational modalities for treatment of brain tumor
    • Gliadel wafers allowed
  • No concurrent chemotherapy

Patient Characteristics:

  • Life expectancy ≥ 30 weeks
  • Karnofsky performance status 60-100%
  • Patients must have a phone
  • Not pregnant or nursing
  • Negative pregnancy test
  • Fertile patients must use effective contraception
  • No sick sinus syndrome or supraventricular arrhythmias
  • No hypersensitivity to donepezil hydrochloride

Expected Enrollment

200

A total of 200 patients will be accrued for this study.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome(s)

Fatigue, subjective confusion, and cognitive performance at 24 weeks

Secondary Outcome(s)

Mood at 24 weeks
Quality of life at 24 weeks

Outline

This is a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to prior brain irradiation type (whole-brain vs partial-brain) and study site. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

  • Arm I: Patients receive oral donepezil hydrochloride once or twice daily for up to 24 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.
  • Arm II: Patients receive oral placebo once or twice daily for up to 24 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.

Patients complete self-reported questionnaires (quality of life, fatigue, subjective confusion, neurocognitive battery, and mood) at baseline and 12 and 24 weeks.

Trial Contact Information

Trial Lead Organizations

Wake Forest University CCOP Research Base

Stephen Rapp, PhD, Principal investigator
Ph: 336-716-6995
Email: srapp@wfubmc.edu

Trial Sites

U.S.A.
Georgia
  Augusta
 MBCCOP - Medical College of Georgia Cancer Center
 Angela Goebel, BS
Ph: 706-721-8944
Illinois
  Chicago
 John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
 Howard Zaren, MD, FACS
Ph: 312-864-5202
  Decatur
 CCOP - Central Illinois
 James Wade, MD
Ph: 217-876-6617
 Email: jlwade3@sbcglobal.net
Indiana
  South Bend
 CCOP - Northern Indiana CR Consortium
 Alicia Dombkowski
Ph: 574-647-7390
800-284-7370
Iowa
  Cedar Rapids
 Cedar Rapids Oncology Associates
 Clinical Trials Office - Cedar Rapids Oncology Associates
Ph: 319-363-2690
Louisiana
  New Orleans
 MBCCOP - LSU Health Sciences Center
 Robert Veith, MD
Ph: 504-896-9740
  Shreveport
 Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at Louisiana State University Health Sciences
 Glenn Mills, MD
Ph: 318-813-1442
 Email: gmills@lsuhsc.edu
Michigan
  Ann Arbor
 CCOP - Michigan Cancer Research Consortium
 Philip Stella, MD
Ph: 734-712-1000
  Royal Oak
 CCOP - Beaumont
 David Decker, MD, FACP
Ph: 248-551-6900
 Email: ddecker@beaumont.edu
Missouri
  Springfield
 CCOP - Cancer Research for the Ozarks
 John Goodwin, MD
Ph: 417-889-8099
 Email: jgoodwin@sprg.mercy.net
  St. Louis
 CCOP - Heartland Research Consortium
 Alan Lyss, MD
Ph: 314-996-5514
 Email: jmr2166@bjc.org
 CCOP - St. Louis-Cape Girardeau
 Bethany Sleckman, MD
Ph: 314-251-6573
New York
  East Syracuse
 CCOP - Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York
 Colleen Sweeney
Ph: 315-472-7504 ext. 2129
North Carolina
  Burlington
 Alamance Cancer Center at Alamance Regional Medical Center
 Janak Choksi, MD
Ph: 336-538-7737
  Elkin
 Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital
 Clinical Trials Office - Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital
Ph: 336-527-7577
 Email: info@hughchatham.org
  Goldsboro
 Southeastern Medical Oncology Center - Goldsboro
 James Atkins, MD
Ph: 919-580-0000
 Email: jatkins@cancersmoc.com
  Lenoir
 Caldwell Memorial Hospital
 Theodore Yaeger, MD, FACRO
Ph: 828-759-4960
  Winston-Salem
 Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center
 Clinical Trials Office - Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ph: 336-713-6771
Pennsylvania
  Wynnewood
 CCOP - Main Line Health
 Maria Hendricks, MSN, RN
Ph: 610-645-2649
South Carolina
  Greenville
 Cancer Centers of the Carolinas - Eastside
 Clinical Trials Office - Cancer Centers of the Carolinas
Ph: 864-241-6251
  Spartanburg
 CCOP - Upstate Carolina
 Clinical Trials Office - CCOP - Upstate Carolina
Ph: 800-486-5941
South Dakota
  Sioux Falls
 CCOP - Sioux Community Cancer Consortium
 Loren Tschetter, MD
Ph: 605-328-8044
 Email: tidemanb@siouxvalley.org
Texas
  Houston
 University of Texas M.D. Anderson CCOP Research Base
 Monica Loghin, MD
Ph: 713-745-4098
Wisconsin
  Green Bay
 CCOP - St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Center, Green Bay
 Clinical Trials Office - CCOP - St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Center, Green Bay
Ph: 920-433-8889

Registry Information
Official Title Phase III Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Study of Donepezil in the Irradiated Brain
Trial Start Date 2008-01-01
Trial Completion Date 2010-06-30 (estimated)
Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00369785
Date Submitted to PDQ 2006-04-28
Information Last Verified 2009-07-05
NCI Grant/Contract Number CA12197, CA81851

Note: The purpose of most clinical trials listed in this database is to test new cancer treatments, or new methods of diagnosing, screening, or preventing cancer. Because all potentially harmful side effects are not known before a trial is conducted, dose and schedule modifications may be required for participants if they develop side effects from the treatment or test. The therapy or test described in this clinical trial is intended for use by clinical oncologists in carefully structured settings, and may not prove to be more effective than standard treatment. A responsible investigator associated with this clinical trial should be consulted before using this protocol.

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