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Last Modified: 3/3/2008     First Published: 7/23/2004  
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Phase II Study of Isolated Hepatic Perfusion With Melphalan in Patients With Unresectable Colorectal Cancer Metastatic to the Liver and Refractory to First-Line Systemic Chemotherapy

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

Alternate Title

Isolated Hepatic Perfusion With Melphalan in Treating Patients With Unresectable Colorectal Cancer That Has Metastasized to the Liver

Basic Trial Information

PhaseTypeStatusAgeSponsorProtocol IDs
Phase IITreatmentCompleted18 and overNCINCI-04-C-0229
NCT00089401

Special Category: NCI Web site featured trial

Objectives

Primary

  1. Determine the response and duration of response in patients with unresectable colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver and refractory to first-line systemic chemotherapy treated with isolated hepatic perfusion with melphalan.

Secondary

  1. Determine the pattern of recurrence (liver vs systemic) in patients treated with this regimen.
  2. Determine hepatic progression-free and overall survival in patients treated with this regimen.
  3. Determine the time to hepatic and systemic progression in patients treated with this regimen.
  4. Determine quality of life (QOL) in patients treated with this regimen.
  5. Correlate baseline QOL with length of survival in patients treated with this regimen.

Entry Criteria

Disease Characteristics:

  • Histologically or cytologically confirmed colorectal cancer
    • Metastatic disease limited to the parenchyma of the liver
      • Patients with limited sites of extrahepatic disease AND who have dominant life-limiting disease in the liver are considered eligible provided the extrahepatic sites can be treated with local ablative measures (e.g., resection or external beam radiotherapy)
      • No other evidence of unresectable extrahepatic disease by radiological studies
  • Unresectable hepatic disease defined by > 3 sites of disease in the liver, bilobar disease, or tumor abutting major vascular or ductal structures making anatomic resection with liver function preservation impossible
  • Measurable disease
  • Refractory to prior first-line systemic chemotherapy
    • Disease progression during or after completion of treatment with an irinotecan- or oxaliplatin-containing regimen for established hepatic metastases
      • Treatment failure is defined as disease progression evidenced by tumor growth OR new lesions on imaging modalities OR increasing carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)

Prior/Concurrent Therapy:

Biologic therapy

  • More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy for the malignancy and recovered

Chemotherapy

  • See Disease Characteristics
  • More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy for the malignancy and recovered

Endocrine therapy

  • Not specified

Radiotherapy

  • See Disease Characteristics
  • More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy for the malignancy and recovered

Surgery

  • See Disease Characteristics

Other

  • No concurrent immunosuppressive drugs
  • No concurrent chronic anticoagulation therapy

Patient Characteristics:

Age

  • 18 and over

Performance status

  • ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

  • Not specified

Hematopoietic

  • Hematocrit > 27.0%
  • Platelet count > 100,000/mm3
  • WBC > 3,000/mm3

Hepatic

  • Bilirubin < 2.0 mg/dL
  • PT ≤ 2 seconds of the upper limit of normal
  • ALT and AST elevations secondary to metastatic disease allowed
  • Chronic active hepatitis B or C allowed provided there is no evidence of cirrhosis on pathology, radiologic studies, or physical exam
  • No history of veno-occlusive disease
  • No biopsy proven cirrhosis
  • No evidence of significant portal hypertension manifested by ascites, esophageal varices on endoscopy, or radiologic studies showing significant collateral vessels around the organs drained by the portal venous system
  • No other liver condition that would preclude study therapy

Renal

  • Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

    OR

  • Creatinine clearance > 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular

  • LVEF ≥ 40%
  • No ischemic cardiac disease
  • No history of congestive heart failure

Pulmonary

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other chronic pulmonary disease allowed provided pulmonary function test ≥ 50% of predicted

Other

  • Not pregnant or nursing
  • Negative pregnancy test
  • No active infection
  • Weight > 30 kg

Expected Enrollment

30

A total of 30 patients will be accrued for this study within 3 years.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome(s)

Response
Duration of response

Secondary Outcome(s)

Patterns of tumor recurrence (liver vs systemic)
Progression-free survival
Overall survival
Quality of life

Outline

Patients undergo a limited laparotomy to determine if extrahepatic disease that was not visualized during preoperative scanning is present. Patients found to have peritoneal seeding or unresectable extrahepatic metastatic disease not previously visualized on scans do not receive isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP). Remaining patients undergo IHP with melphalan and hyperthermia therapy. Liver perfusion continues for 1 hour.

Quality of life is assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, and then every 3-4 months for 3 years.

Patients are followed at 6 weeks, every 3-4 months for 3 years, and then every 6 months thereafter.

Trial Contact Information

Trial Lead Organizations

NCI - Center for Cancer Research

Steven Libutti, MD, Protocol chair
Ph: 301-496-5049
Email: steven_Libutti@nih.gov

Related Information

Featured trial article

Registry Information
Official Title A Phase II Trial Of Isolated Hepatic Perfusion (IHP) With Melphalan For Subjects With Metastatic Unresectable Colorectal Cancers Of The Liver With Disease Refractory To First Line Systemic Chemotherapy
Trial Start Date 2004-07-09
Trial Completion Date 2008-01-25
Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00089401
Date Submitted to PDQ 2004-07-09
Information Last Verified 2008-02-04

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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