RATIONALE: Hydroxychloroquine may suppress immune function and slow the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the cellular functions needed for cells to survive. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fluorouracil, leucovorin calcium, and oxaliplatin , work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Giving hydroxychloroquine together with combination chemotherapy and bevacizumab may be an effective treatment for colorectal cancer. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of hydroxychloroquine when given together with fluorouracil, leucovorin calcium, oxaliplatin, and bevacizumab and to see how well it works in treating patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.
Additional locations may be listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT01206530.
See trial information on ClinicalTrials.gov for a list of participating sites.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To define a daily dose of HCQ that when combined with FOLFOX/bevacizumab will have acceptable toxicity. II. To describe the toxicity profile associated with the regimen. III. To describe response rates and time to progression of the combined regimen in a series of previously untreated patients with advanced colorectal cancer. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To describe the pharmacokinetics of HCQ when administered in this combination, and relate steady-state concentrations to toxicity. II. To determine the degree of autophagy inhibition in peripheral mononuclear cells as a surrogate tissue, through an analysis of changes in target gene expression, and of the induction of autophagosomes after treatment. III. To determine in an exploratory fashion the relationship between tumor metabolic changes and time to progression in patients receiving HCQ plus FOLFOX/bevacizumab. IV. To analyze in a pilot fashion archival tumor from the patients treated in this trial for expression of proteins and phospho-proteins that confer sensitivity or resistance to autophagy induction, including JNK1 and JNK2, pJNK, pERK, BNIP3, and other bcl-2 family members. OUTLINE: This is a phase I, dose-escalation study of hydroxychloroquine followed by a phase II study. Patients receive oral hydroxychloroquine once daily. Patients also receive oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours and leucovorin calcium IV over 2 hours on day 1 and fluorouracil IV continuously over 46 hours on days 1-2. Patients also receive bevacizumab IV over 90 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 2 weeks for 6 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up periodically.
Lead OrganizationUniversity of Pennsylvania/Abramson Cancer Center
Principal InvestigatorPeter James O'Dwyer