Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Metastatic Cancer of Unknown Primary

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
Information provided by:
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00357630
First received: July 26, 2006
Last updated: April 11, 2009
Last verified: October 2008
  Purpose

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well gemcitabine works in treating patients with metastatic cancer of unknown primary.


Condition Intervention Phase
Carcinoma of Unknown Primary
Pain
Drug: gemcitabine hydrochloride
Procedure: quality-of-life assessment
Phase 2

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Phase II Protocol: Gemcitabine for Metastatic Cancer With Unknown Primary Site - Analysis of Symptom Benefit

Resource links provided by NLM:


Further study details as provided by National Cancer Institute (NCI):

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Efficacy, in terms of improved quality of life and reduction of symptom distress [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Changes in symptom distress, pain, and quality of life at 8, 16, and 32 weeks [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Tumor response and duration [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Estimated Enrollment: 52
Study Start Date: June 2006
Primary Completion Date: February 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Detailed Description:

OBJECTIVES:

  • Evaluate the efficacy of gemcitabine hydrochloride in patients with metastatic cancer of unknown primary (CUP), in terms of improved quality of life (QOL) (as measured by the FACT Physical Well Being subscale [FACT-G]) and reduction of symptom distress (as measured by the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Short Form Global Distress Index [MSAS-SF]).
  • Define clinical benefit response using a QOL instrument in patients with CUP receiving gemcitabine hydrochloride.
  • Correlate objective and/or evaluable tumor response with symptom and QOL response in these patients.
  • Explore the association between symptom response, QOL response, and clinical benefit response in these patients.
  • Evaluate changes in QOL in patients who have no symptom or objective response after treatment with gemcitabine hydrochloride.
  • Correlate EuroQOL ratings with those using symptom instruments (MSAS-SF) and quality of life instruments (FACT-G).
  • Evaluate changes in perceived QOL, as measured by the EuroQOL instrument, and how these changes relate to symptom response and QOL response.
  • Evaluate the patient's assessment of treatment burden, as measured by a single question, and how this compares to symptom response and QOL response.

OUTLINE: This is an open-label, multicenter study.

Patients receive gemcitabine hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 36, and 43, followed by 1 week of rest (course 1). For all subsequent courses, patients receive gemcitabine hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, and 15. Treatment repeats every 4 weeks for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Quality of life (QOL) and symptom response are assessed at baseline and at weeks 8, 16, and 32 (end of treatment). Questionnaires include the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General, Pain Visual Analog Scale, and EuroQOL. Patients' perception of symptom response and perception of treatment burden are also assessed.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically for up to 3 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 52 patients will be accrued for this study.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Histologically confirmed poorly differentiated carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of unknown primary

    • Diagnosis based on biopsy and conventional imaging, including CT scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis with or without positron emission tomography (PET) scans or other specialized tests, performed within the past 4 weeks
  • Must not have any of the following clinical features:

    • Squamous cell carcinoma in the lymph nodes of the neck or inguinal nodes only
    • Women with axillary lymph node metastases only
    • Women with peritoneal carcinomatosis only
    • Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors
    • Poorly differentiated tumors with midline tumor or elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)/alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
    • Men with adenocarcinoma and elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
  • Measurable disease
  • No symptom emergency at the time of study entry including, but not limited to, the following:

    • Back pain with epidural cord compression
    • Large effusions causing distress
    • Hypercalcemia
    • Bowel obstruction
    • Very painful (worst pain 10/10) solitary bone metastases with impending fracture

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Modified "Physical Well-Being" subscale of the FACT-G score ≥ 6 within the past week
  • Pain-intensity score ≥ 20 mm on the Memorial Pain Assessment Card OR receiving analgesics of ≥ 10 mg per day of oral morphine equivalent within the past week
  • ECOG performance status 1-2
  • WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³
  • Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
  • Not pregnant or nursing
  • Negative pregnancy test
  • Fertile patients must use effective contraception
  • Able to read, understand, and complete the quality of life and symptom questionnaires, and perception of change
  • Able to complete the analgesic diary on a daily basis

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

  • No prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00357630

  Hide Study Locations
Locations
United States, Illinois
University of Illinois Cancer Center
Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612-7243
Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Chicago Westside Hospital
Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
Decatur Memorial Hospital Cancer Care Institute
Decatur, Illinois, United States, 62526
Hinsdale Hematology Oncology Associates
Hinsdale, Illinois, United States, 60521
Regional Cancer Center at Memorial Medical Center
Springfield, Illinois, United States, 62781-0001
United States, Indiana
Elkhart General Hospital
Elkhart, Indiana, United States, 46515
Howard Community Hospital
Kokomo, Indiana, United States, 46904
Center for Cancer Therapy at LaPorte Hospital and Health Services
La Porte, Indiana, United States, 46350
CCOP - Northern Indiana CR Consortium
South Bend, Indiana, United States, 46601
Memorial Hospital of South Bend
South Bend, Indiana, United States, 46601
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center
South Bend, Indiana, United States, 46617
United States, Iowa
McFarland Clinic, PC
Ames, Iowa, United States, 50010
United States, Michigan
Bronson Methodist Hospital
Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, 49007
West Michigan Cancer Center
Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States, 49007-3731
Borgess Medical Center
Kalamazooaa, Michigan, United States, 49001
Lakeland Regional Cancer Care Center - St. Joseph
St. Joseph, Michigan, United States, 49085
United States, New Jersey
Fox Chase Virtua Health Cancer Program at Virtua Memorial Hospital Marlton
Marlton, New Jersey, United States, 08053
Fox Chase Virtua Health Cancer Program at Virtua West Jersey
Voorhees, New Jersey, United States, 08043
United States, New York
Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center Comprehensive Cancer Center
Bronx, New York, United States, 10466
United States, Ohio
Mercy Cancer Center at Mercy Medical Center
Canton, Ohio, United States, 44708
Adena Regional Medical Center
Chillicothe, Ohio, United States, 45601
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106-5065
CCOP - Columbus
Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43215
Grant Medical Center Cancer Care
Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43215
Riverside Methodist Hospital Cancer Care
Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43214-3998
Mount Carmel Health - West Hospital
Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43222
Doctors Hospital at Ohio Health
Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43228
Grady Memorial Hospital
Delaware, Ohio, United States, 43015
Fairfield Medical Center
Lancaster, Ohio, United States, 43130
St. Rita's Medical Center
Lima, Ohio, United States, 45801
Strecker Cancer Center at Marietta Memorial Hospital
Marietta, Ohio, United States, 45750
Licking Memorial Cancer Care Program at Licking Memorial Hospital
Newark, Ohio, United States, 43055
Community Hospital of Springfield and Clark County
Springfield, Ohio, United States, 45505
Mercy Medical Center
Springfield, Ohio, United States, 45504
Mount Carmel St. Ann's Cancer Center
Westerville, Ohio, United States, 43081
Genesis - Good Samaritan Hospital
Zanesville, Ohio, United States, 43701
United States, Wisconsin
Gundersen Lutheran Cancer Center at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center
La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States, 54601
Sponsors and Collaborators
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Investigators
Study Chair: Victor T. Chang, MD Veterans Affairs Medical Center - East Orange
Investigator: Raymond S. Lord, MD West Michigan Cancer Center
  More Information

Additional Information:
No publications provided

Responsible Party: Robert L. Comis, ECOG Group Chair's Office
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00357630     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: CDR0000486704, ECOG-E5Z02
Study First Received: July 26, 2006
Last Updated: April 11, 2009
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by National Cancer Institute (NCI):
adenocarcinoma of unknown primary
newly diagnosed carcinoma of unknown primary
undifferentiated carcinoma of unknown primary
pain

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Carcinoma
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplasms, Unknown Primary
Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial
Neoplasms by Histologic Type
Neoplasms
Neoplastic Processes
Pathologic Processes
Gemcitabine
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
Antimetabolites
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Pharmacologic Actions
Antineoplastic Agents
Therapeutic Uses
Antiviral Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Enzyme Inhibitors
Immunosuppressive Agents
Immunologic Factors
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Radiation-Sensitizing Agents

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 16, 2013