Completed

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase IIb Clinical Trial of 2-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) Versus Bicalutamide (CASODEX) Alone and in Combination in Patients With Prostate Cancer in the Period Prior to Radical Prostatectomy or Brachytherapy: Modulation of Tissue and Molecular Biomarkers in Human Prostate Tissue Serum

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What is being tested

bicalutamide

+ eflornithine
+ oral eflornithine placebo
Drug
Who is being recruted

Urogenital Diseases
+7

+ Genital Diseases
+ Genital Diseases, Male
Over 18 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Phase 2
Interventional
Study Start: November 2001
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner
Study start date: November 1, 2001Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

OBJECTIVES: * Compare levels of polyamine spermine, polyamine putrescine, and spermidine in patients with localized prostate cancer undergoing brachytherapy or radical prostatectomy and treated with neoadjuvant eflornithine and bicalutamide vs eflornithine alone vs bicalutamide alone vs no neoadjuvant therapy. * Compare the expression of surrogate biomarkers (i.e., serum prostate-specific antigen, tissue levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, Ki67, and TGF-alpha, apoptosis assays \[ICH-PARP and TUNEL\], and cytomorphometric indices) in patients treated with these regimens. * Compare the toxicity of these regimens in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients are stratified according to Gleason score (< 7 vs ≥ 7). Patients are randomized to 1 of 4 treatment arms. * Arm I: Patients receive oral eflornithine and oral bicalutamide once daily. * Arm II: Patients receive oral eflornithine and oral bicalutamide placebo once daily. * Arm III: Patients receive oral eflornithine placebo and oral bicalutamide once daily. * Arm IV: Patients receive oral eflornithine placebo and oral bicalutamide placebo once daily. In all arms, treatment continues for 28 days in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients then undergo either prostatectomy or brachytherapy, as determined by the patient, on day 29. Patients are followed at 4 weeks. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 44 patients (11 per treatment arm) will be accrued for this study within 11 months.

Official TitleA Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase IIb Clinical Trial of 2-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) Versus Bicalutamide (CASODEX) Alone and in Combination in Patients With Prostate Cancer in the Period Prior to Radical Prostatectomy or Brachytherapy: Modulation of Tissue and Molecular Biomarkers in Human Prostate Tissue Serum 
NCT00086736
Principal SponsorUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details
34 patients to be enrolledTotal number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.
Treatment Study
These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.

How participants are assigned to different groups/arms
In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.

Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.

How treatments are given to participants
Participants are divided into different groups, each receiving a specific treatment at the same time. This helps researchers compare how well different treatments work against each other.

Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.

How the effectiveness of the treatment is controlled
In a non placebo-controlled study, no participants receive an inert substance (placebo) to compare outcomes. Instead, all participants receive either the experimental treatment or an alternative treatment (often the Standard of Care). This method allows researchers to compare the effects of the experimental treatment with those of a different active intervention, rather than a placebo.

Other Options
Placebo-Controlled: A placebo is used to compare the effects of the experimental treatment with those of an inert substance, isolating the true treatment effect.

How the interventions assigned to participants is kept confidential
Participants, researchers, and outcome assessors do not know which treatment is being given. This helps reduce bias not just during the study, but also when the results are being evaluated.

Other Ways to Mask Information
Open-label: Everyone knows which treatment is being given.
Single-blind: Participants do not know which treatment they are receiving, but researchers do.
Double-blind: Neither participants nor researchers know which treatment is given.
Quadruple-blind: Participants, researchers, outcome assessors, and care providers all do not know which treatment is given.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria
MaleBiological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.
Over 18 YearsRange of ages for which participants are eligible to join.
Healthy volunteers not allowedIf individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.
Conditions
Pathology
Urogenital Diseases
Genital Diseases
Genital Diseases, Male
Genital Neoplasms, Male
Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
Prostatic Diseases
Prostatic Neoplasms
Urogenital Neoplasms
Male Urogenital Diseases
Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed prostate cancer * Localized disease * Paraffin blocks from diagnostic biopsies available * Planning to undergo brachytherapy or prostatectomy PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 and over Performance status * ECOG 0-3 Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL * WBC ≥ 3,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 125,000/mm\^3 Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL * SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2 times normal * No history of liver disease (e.g., hepatitis, cirrhosis, or jaundice) Renal * Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL Cardiovascular * No symptomatic coronary artery disease * No uncontrolled hypertension * No acute myocardial infarction within the past year Other * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No more than 10 decibels baseline hearing loss at any frequency by full bilateral audiometry within the past month * No hypersensitivity to eflornithine or bicalutamide * No other prior or active malignancy except nonmelanoma skin cancer or other cancer curatively treated at least 5 years ago with no evidence of recurrent or residual disease * No concurrent acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude study participation PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * No concurrent immunotherapy Chemotherapy * No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy * More than 1 year since prior antiandrogen, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist, bicalutamide, finasteride, or diethylstilbestrol * No other concurrent antiandrogen, LHRH agonist, finasteride, or diethylstilbestrol Radiotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * No other concurrent radiotherapy Surgery * See Disease Characteristics

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives
4 intervention groups 

are designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups
Group I
Experimental
Patients receive oral eflornithine and oral bicalutamide once daily for 28 days in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients then undergo either prostatectomy or brachytherapy, as determined by the patient, on day 29.

Group II
Experimental
Patients receive oral eflornithine placebo and oral bicalutamide once daily for 28 days in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients then undergo either prostatectomy or brachytherapy, as determined by the patient, on day 29.

Group III
Experimental
Patients receive oral eflornithine and oral bicalutamide placebo once daily for 28 days in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients then undergo either prostatectomy or brachytherapy, as determined by the patient, on day 29.

Group IV
Experimental
Patients receive oral eflornithine placebo and oral bicalutamide placebo once daily for 28 days in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients then undergo either prostatectomy or brachytherapy, as determined by the patient, on day 29.

Study 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 1 location
Suspended
University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer CenterBirmingham, United StatesSee the location
CompletedOne Study Center
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