Phase III Double-Blind Study of Glutamine Versus Placebo in the Prevention of Acute Diarrhea in Patients Receiving Pelvic Radiation Therapy
glutamine
+ placebo
Neoplasms
Supportive Care Study
Summary
Study start date: February 1, 1998
Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.OBJECTIVES: I. Determine whether glutamine is effective in reducing the acute treatment related diarrhea in patients receiving pelvic external beam radiation therapy as adjuvant or primary treatment of malignancy. II. Determine whether glutamine can reduce chronic treatment related enteropathy following completion of therapy. III. Determine whether glutamine causes any toxicity in this situation. IV. Provide initial reliability and validity data for a patient bowel function questionnaire. OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study. Patients are stratified by history of anterior resection of the rectum (yes vs no); total planned cumulative dose, including boost fields of external beam radiotherapy (4500-5350 cGy vs 5350-6000 cGy vs greater than 6000 cGy); use of fluorouracil (none vs bolus vs continuous infusion); and primary site (rectal cancer vs prostate cancer vs gynecological cancer vs other). Beginning the first or second day of radiotherapy, patients receive either oral glutamine or a placebo twice daily, including the days that they do not receive radiotherapy. Patients continue on treatment throughout radiotherapy and continue 2 weeks postradiotherapy or until grade 3 diarrhea occurs. Patients are followed weekly for 4 weeks, then at 12 months, and then at 24 months after radiotherapy.
Protocol
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.129 patients to be enrolled
Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.Supportive Care Study
Eligibility
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.Any sex
Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.Over 18 Years
Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.Healthy volunteers not allowed
If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.Conditions
Pathology
Criteria
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed pelvic cancer Planned therapy is to undergo continuous definitive or adjuvant external beam pelvic radiation therapy with or without fluorouracil (5-FU) plus or minus levamisole No split course radiation therapy Planned course of radiation therapy must also meet the following criteria: - Entire pelvis must be encompassed by the planned radiotherapy fields - Total planned dose to the central axis midplane or isocenter for the whole pelvic field must be between 4500-5350 cGy - Treatment must be given 4-5 times per week on a one-treatment-per-day basis No stool incontinence or stool frequency of 7 or more per day prior to initiation of radiation therapy Must be entered on study before the second radiation therapy fraction No current or prior metastases beyond pelvic regional lymph nodes Must have functioning rectum No planned perineal irradiation No anal cancer No active intraluminal gastrointestinal (GI) tumors Patients with completely resectioned GI tumors who also receive adjuvant treatment are eligible PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: Not specified Renal: Creatinine less than 2 times upper limit of normal Other: No known allergy to glutamine No history of inflammatory bowel disease No other medical condition that may interfere with treatment Not pregnant or nursing Adequate contraception is required of all fertile patients PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: No concurrent leucovorin or other chemotherapy agents, except 5-FU with or without levamisole Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: See Disease Characteristics No prior pelvic radiotherapy No brachytherapy prior to completion of all external beam radiotherapy Surgery: No abdominal-perineal resection, Hartmann procedure, or other surgical procedure that has left patient without a functioning rectum
Study Plan
Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.2 intervention groups are designated in this study
50% chance of being blinded to the placebo group
Treatment Groups
Group I
ExperimentalGroup II
PlaceboStudy Objectives
Primary Objectives
Study Centers
These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.This study has 18 locations
CCOP - Scottsdale Oncology Program
Scottsdale, United StatesOpen CCOP - Scottsdale Oncology Program in Google MapsCCOP - Illinois Oncology Research Association
Peoria, United StatesCCOP - Carle Cancer Center
Urbana, United StatesCCOP - Cedar Rapids Oncology Project
Cedar Rapids, United States