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EndometriosisPhase 2InfliximabNCT00604864

Effect of Anti TNFa Upon Deep Endometriosis Associated Pain

A Phase 2 study testing anti TNFa monoclonal antibody - Infliximab in people with Endometriosis, run by KU Leuven at 1 site in Belgium.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Deep endometriosis associated pain is believed to be caused by inflammation. Anti TNFa has been proved to be an effective treatment for other inflammation related conditions as Crohn's disease Endometriosis is associated with an inflammatory response in the pelvis, which is mediated by a number of cytokines including… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 20 to 45 years, women only
Conditions the study is for
Endometriosis
What is being tested?
anti TNFa monoclonal antibody - Infliximab
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteBelgium
Study dates
Feb 2004to Nov 2005
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 20 to 45 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • The patients (aged 18-50 years) were all recruited from a single, tertiary referral hospital at Leuven University, Belgium, specialising in the surgical treatment of severe endometriosis.
  • All the women were symptomatic and scheduled for surgical excision of a rectovaginal nodule, at least 1 cm in diameter, diagnosed on the basis of clinical examination at the time of menstruation.
  • All the women had a menstrual cycle occurring every 25 to 40 days.
  • If previously treated with hormonal medication for endometriosis, at least 3 months must have elapsed and they must have had at least two menstrual cycles since stopping treatment.
  • Unless the women had previously been sterilised, they had to agree to use a double-barrier method of contraception for the duration of the study and for up to 6 months after receiving the last infusion.
  • The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Leuven University.
  • Written, informed consent was obtained before any study related procedures were performed.

Who cannot join

  • Evidence on chest x-ray in the previous 3 months of old or currently active TB, or other history/evidence of active TB, even if adequately treated
  • Evidence of serious infections (such as pneumonia or pyelonephritis) in the previous 3 months
  • Evidence of a documented HIV infection, active hepatitis-B or C, or an opportunistic infection (e.g. herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus, pneumocystis carinii, aspergillosis, histoplasmosis, or mycobacteria other than TB) in the previous 6 months
  • Previous transplant surgery, a lymphoproliferative disorder or other malignancy
  • Positive cervical cytology in the previous 6 months
  • Previous treatment with infliximab, any drug known to affect TNF-α levels, e.g. pentoxifylline, thalidomide and etanercept, or any human/murine recombinant products
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  • Known allergy to murine products
  • Use of other investigational drugs within 1 month of recruitment or within 5 half-lives of the investigational agent, whichever was longer
  • Any haematological or biochemical abnormalities on routine screening.
  • Subjects were also excluded if there was any pelvic pathology on transvaginal ultrasound scan (TVS) other than small uterine fibroids (< 4 cm in diameter) and an ovarian endometrioma or endometriotic nodule.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Belgium1 site
  • University Hospital Gasthuisberg

    Leuven, 3000

Other trials in Belgium

About this study

Official title: Anti TNFa Treatment for Deep Endometriosis Associated Pain : a Randomised Placebo Controlled Trial.

Deep endometriosis associated pain is believed to be caused by inflammation. Anti TNFa has been proved to be an effective treatment for other inflammation related conditions as Crohn's disease Endometriosis is associated with an inflammatory response in the pelvis, which is mediated by a number of cytokines including TNF-α. It has therefore been suggested that infliximab, an anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody, might relieve pain in affected women.

Read the detailed description

In this pilot study, 21 women with severe endometriosis-associated pain and a rectovaginal nodule, at least 1 cm in diameter on clinical examination, were randomised in a 2 to 1 ratio to receive intravenous infliximab (n=14) or placebo (n=7) in the three months prior to laparoscopic laser excision of the nodule.

After a 1 month observation period, all women received three infusions of infliximab (5mg/kg) or placebo over the course of 6 weeks. Surgery was performed 3 months later and follow-up continued for a further 6 months. The primary endpoint was the total pain burden (dysmenorrhoea, deep dyspareunia and non-menstrual pain) rated on a daily basis by the patient using standard pain scales and analgesic intake as the outcome measures . Secondary endpoints included the volume of the endometriotic nodule assessed clinically and on transvaginal ultrasound, the amount of pelvic tenderness on clinical examination and the presence of other endometriotic lesions at laparoscopy.

Conditions
Endometriosis
Being tested
anti TNFa monoclonal antibody - Infliximab, placebo
Keywords
deep endometriosis, pelvic pain, infliximab, anti TNFa
Medical subject headings
Endometriosis, Pelvic Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • anti TNFa monoclonal antibody - InfliximabDrug

    Chimeric A2 (infliximab, RemicadeTM) IgG ; 100 mg infliximab IgG, Infliximab was freshly prepared immediately before each administration. Infliximab or placebo was administered as a slow infusion of 250mL on weeks 0, 2 and 6. Women were closely observed during, and for 1 hour after, the infusion in the event of any serious adverse reactions.

  • placeboDrug

    Placebo

Study groups in NCT00604864
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1Experimentalwomen with a deep endometriosis nodule of at least 1 cm in diameter; and severe pain (at least one severe pain score on Biberoglu Behrman scale)
Receives: Drug: anti TNFa monoclonal antibody - Infliximab
2Placebo comparatorwomen with a deep endometriosis nodule of at least 1 cm in diameter; and severe pain (at least one severe pain score on Biberoglu Behrman scale)
Receives: Drug: placebo

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Endometriosis associated pain

    Measured: By the clinician after 1, 2 and 3 months ; by the patient daily for 3 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. decrease in volume of deep endometriosis nodule

    Measured: after 1, 2 and 3 months of treatment

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted30 Jan 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2004
  3. Primary completionFeb 2005
  4. Study completionNov 2005

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
20 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00604864
Sponsor's protocol ID
trial_EU-0053/endometriosis
Acronym
Infliximab
Status last verified
Jan 2008
First submitted
17 Jan 2008
Last updated
30 Jan 2008
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Anaf V, Simon P, El Nakadi I, Fayt I, Buxant F, Simonart T, Peny MO, Noel JC. Relationship between endometriotic foci and nerves in rectovaginal endometriotic nodules. Hum Reprod. 2000 Aug;15(8):1744-50. doi: 10.1093/humrep/15.8.1744.

    PubMed 10920097
  • Colombel JF, Loftus EV Jr, Tremaine WJ, Pemberton JH, Wolff BG, Young-Fadok T, Harmsen WS, Schleck CD, Sandborn WJ. Early postoperative complications are not increased in patients with Crohn's disease treated perioperatively with infliximab or immunosuppressive therapy. Am J Gastroenterol. 2004 May;99(5):878-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2004.04148.x.

    PubMed 15128354
  • D'Antonio M, Martelli F, Peano S, Papoian R, Borrelli F. Ability of recombinant human TNF binding protein-1 (r-hTBP-1) to inhibit the development of experimentally-induced endometriosis in rats. J Reprod Immunol. 2000 Oct-Nov;48(2):81-98. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0378(00)00073-5.

    PubMed 11011074
  • Koninckx PR, Craessaerts M, Timmerman D, Cornillie F, Kennedy S. Anti-TNF-alpha treatment for deep endometriosis-associated pain: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Hum Reprod. 2008 Sep;23(9):2017-23. doi: 10.1093/humrep/den177. Epub 2008 Jun 12.

    PubMed 18556683

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing anti TNFa monoclonal antibody - Infliximab in people with Endometriosis, run by KU Leuven at 1 site in Belgium.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Jan 2008. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Endometriosis associated pain (time frame: By the clinician after 1, 2 and 3 months ; by the patient daily for 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00604864, which also lists 4 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Jan 2008.

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