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Resectable Pancreatic CancerPhase 2NCT02775695

Efficacy of Doxycycline on Metakaryote Cell Death in Patients With Resectable Pancreatic Cancer

A Phase 2 study testing Doxycycline in people with Resectable Pancreatic Cancer, run by Medical College of Wisconsin at 1 site in United States.

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

This is a window-of-opportunity study that examines the efficacy of doxycycline, and FDA-approved oral antibiotic, on metakaryotic (cancer stem cells) in resectable pancreatic cancer following eight weeks of treatment. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
What is being tested?
Doxycycline
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
12 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
3 Apr 2017to 26 May 2022
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Histologically or cytologically confirmed pancreatic adenocarcinoma which may be acquired using a fine needle aspiration.
  • Not received any prior therapy.
  • Established resectable pancreatic cancer based on radiographic imaging.
  • Patients who will receive neoadjuvant therapy (chemoradiation) are eligible.
  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤2 (Karnofsky ≥60%).
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  • Have no active or chronic infection with HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C
  • Life expectancy of greater than six months.
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  • Normal organ and marrow function as defined below:
  • leukocytes ≥3,000/microliter (mcL)
  • absolute neutrophil count ≥1,500/mcL
  • platelets ≥100,000/mcL
  • total bilirubin < 2 mg/dL or has demonstrated progressive decline within two weeks of biliary decompression to allow for appropriate gemcitabine dose modification.
  • Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)[Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (SGOT] )/ Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) [Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase(SGPT)] ≤3 × institutional upper limit of normal
  • Creatinine clearance ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m^2

Who cannot join

  • Patients with more clinically advanced pancreatic cancer (borderline resectable, locally advanced, or metastatic).
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
  • Pregnant women are excluded from this study because the effects of metakaryocidal agents have the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects.
  • Previous history of other malignancy (other than cured basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or cured in-situ carcinoma of the cervix) within two years of study enrollment.
  • Active or chronic HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
  • Patients who are receiving other investigational drugs or enrolled in other clinical trials.
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  • Inability to undergo scheduled blood acquisition per protocol.
  • Drug specific exclusion including history of allergic reactions to tetracyclines.
  • Prior treatment with doxycycline within a seven day washout period prior to initiating treatment with alternate antimetakaryocidal medication.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Medical College of Wisconsin

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226

Other trials in United States

About this study

This is a window-of-opportunity study that examines the efficacy of doxycycline, and FDA-approved oral antibiotic, on metakaryotic (cancer stem cells) in resectable pancreatic cancer following eight weeks of treatment.

Read the detailed description

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE:

Pancreatic tumors have two distinct cell populations -- eukaryotic tumor cells and metakaryotic cells. The first cell type divides quickly but must stop at a certain point. Metakaryotic cells, also called cancer stem cells, divide less frequently but have an unlimited number of cell divisions. Chemotherapy works well on eukaryotic cells. Metakaryotic cells are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation, so they are more difficult to eliminate.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology basic science researchers working with the Medical College of Wisconsin pancreatic cancer group demonstrated in the laboratory that doxycycline can kill both eukaryotic and metakaryotic cells.

This study's goal is to discover if the metakaryocidal drug doxycycline kills any significant fraction of the metakaryotic cells found in treated pancreatic tumors. Targeting metakaryotic cells may decrease cancer relapse and metastases. The development of antimetakaryotics is vital for pancreatic cancer patients, who are at risk for disease recurrence and cancer-related death.

STUDY OBJECTIVES:

Primary Objectives:

To assess the efficacy of doxycycline on inducing metakaryotic cell death in primary pancreatic tumors from patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.

Secondary Objectives:

  • To determine the plasma drug concentrations of the study drug at baseline and at days 1, 3, 5, 8, 15, 22, 29, and at restaging and at the time surgery.
  • To assess the histopathologic treatment response of the primary tumors which have undergone neoadjuvant gemcitabine based chemoradiation and concurrent doxycycline therapy.
  • To enumerate the number of observed dead/dying metakaryotes per 1 gram of resected pancreatic tissue.

STUDY PROCEDURES:

Patients will take 100 mg doxycycline twice daily for a period of eight weeks (56 days). Following standard-of-care (not study trial-related) chemotherapy, patients will receive radiation therapy. Patients will receive doxycycline beginning on the first day of radiation therapy. Following this, patients will undergo surgery four to five weeks after completion of chemoradiation. Doxycycline will be discontinued five to seven days prior to surgery.

This study involves pharmacokinetic studies, which means that patients will have blood draws several times so that serum levels may be evaluated.

Being tested
Doxycycline
Keywords
pancreatic cancer, Resectable Pancreatic Cancer, Doxycycline, Metakaryote cells, Eukaryotic cells, Cancer Stem Cells, Targeted Cancer Stem Cell Therapy, Multi-metakaryocide therapy, Doxycycline Hyclate, Tetracycline
Medical subject headings
Pancreatic Neoplasms

What participants receive

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

  • DoxycyclineDrug

    Also called Vibramycin, Doryx

    Treatment with doxycycline hyclate will be administered as an oral agent on an outpatient basis. Patients will receive doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for a period of 8 weeks (56 days). Upon registration (baseline) and at the first, third, and fifth days of doxycycline therapy, patients will be seen to obtain trough serum concentrations for pharmacokinetic studies. Additional serum levels will be checked on days 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Study groups in NCT02775695
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Doxycycline Administered to PatientsExperimentalPatients will receive oral doxycycline and trough serum concentrations for pharmacokinetic studies will be obtained.
Receives: Drug: Doxycycline

What is being measured

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

  1. Determine the Efficacy of Doxycycline in Inducing Metakaryotic Cell Death in Primary Pancreatic Tumors as Measured by Pathologic Response

    The histopathologic response of the primary tumor will be assessed using the College of American Pathology criteria for residual tumor response following neoadjuvant therapy for the exocrine pancreas. Researchers will enumerate the number of observed dead/dying metakaryotes per 1 gram of resected pancreatic tissue.

    Measured: Month 3 visit

Timeline

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

  1. First posted18 May 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study start3 Apr 2017
  3. Primary completion25 Sep 2018
  4. Study completion26 May 2022

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
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
12 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02775695
Sponsor's protocol ID
PRO28944
Status last verified
Jun 2023
First submitted
5 May 2016
Last updated
3 Jul 2023
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Doxycycline in people with Resectable Pancreatic Cancer, run by Medical College of Wisconsin at 1 site in United States.

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 16 inclusion and 9 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 3 Jul 2023. 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 United States. 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. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 3 Jul 2023). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Determine the Efficacy of Doxycycline in Inducing Metakaryotic Cell Death in Primary Pancreatic Tumors as Measured by Pathologic Response (time frame: Month 3 visit). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 3 Jul 2023.

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