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Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

NCT number NCT05233397
Other study ID # CONNECT1905
Secondary ID
Status Recruiting
Phase Phase 2
First received
Last updated
Start date December 16, 2022
Est. completion date December 2026

Study information

Verified date January 2024
Source Nationwide Children's Hospital
Contact Leonie Mikael, PhD
Phone 16147223284
Email leonie.mikael@nationwidechildrens.org
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority
Study type Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

ACTEMRA (tocilizumab) is an IL-6 receptor antagonist used for the treatment of adult Rheumatoid Arthritis as well as Polyarticular (PJIA) and Systemic (SJIA) Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. In this Phase II, the drug will be used to treat pediatric patients diagnosed with recurrent Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma including patients who have undergone surgery and/or radiation therapy.


Description:

Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma (ACP) is a highly debilitating pediatric brain tumor that lacks medical anti-tumor therapies. Current therapy, which depends largely on surgery and radiation, is associated with poor quality of life and becomes more challenging and risky in the setting of recurrent disease. Recent discoveries regarding the biological characteristics of ACP indicate that available agents, including IL-6 pathway blockers may have efficacy in the control of ACP. We hypothesize that the IL6- receptor antagonist ACTEMRA (tocilizumab) will be safe and effective at inducing tumor response in children with residual ACP. In this study, up to 38 patients will receive tocilizumab at the dose approved for pediatric Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (< 30 kg: 12 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks; ≥30 kg: 8 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks). Therapy may continue for up to two years (26 cycles). It will be a multi-center Phase 2 trial with two strata for patients aged >1 year and <25 years with unresectable ACP who may have been previously treated with radiation (Stratum 1, 18 patients) or without radiation (Stratum 2, 18 patients).


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Recruiting
Enrollment 38
Est. completion date December 2026
Est. primary completion date December 2024
Accepts healthy volunteers No
Gender All
Age group 1 Year to 25 Years
Eligibility Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age: Patients must be = 12 months and = 25 years of age at the time of study enrollment. 2. Diagnosis: Patients with histologically-confirmed adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) Histologic confirmation of ACP may be made on solid tumor or, if no solid tumor can be safely obtained, cyst fluid with classic ACP characteristics of thick, cholesterol-rich, greenish-brown liquid in the context of imaging features consistent with craniopharyngioma, including lobulated, cystic/solid mass with calcifications that originates in the sellar/suprasellar region. 3. Disease Status: Patients must have measurable disease. - Stratum 1: Patients with progressive or recurrent ACP who demonstrate cystic and/or solid recurrence or progression at least 6 months post completion of radiation therapy - Stratum 2: Patients with measurable ACP who have undergone surgery but have NOT previously undergone irradiation (but may have received prior systemic or intracystic therapy). Progressive disease is allowed but not required. 4. Performance Level: Karnofsky = 50% for patients > 16 years of age and Lansky = 50 for patients = 16 years of age (See Appendix I). Note: Neurologic deficits in patients with CNS tumors must have been stable for at least 7 days prior to study enrollment. Patients who are unable to walk because of paralysis, but who are up in a wheelchair, will be considered ambulatory for the purpose of assessing the performance score. 5. Prior Therapy: Patients must have recovered or stabilized from the acute toxic effects of prior treatments - Biologic (anti-neoplastic agent): At least 7 days must have elapsed after the last (systemic or intracystic) dose of a biologic agent. For agents that have known adverse events occurring beyond 7 days after administration, this period must be extended beyond the time during which adverse events are known to occur. The duration of this interval must be discussed with the study chair - Immunotherapy: At least 42 days after the completion of any type of systemic immunotherapy, e.g. tumor vaccines. - Monoclonal antibodies: At least 21 days after the last dose of a monoclonal antibody. - Radiation therapy: Patients must have had their last (conventional or hypofractionated) fraction of: a) Focal irradiation > 6 months prior to enrollment and b) No prior craniospinal irradiation is permitted. - Corticosteroids: Patients receiving dexamethasone must be on a stable or decreasing dose for at least 1 week prior to enrollment - Myelosuppressive systemic therapy: At least 21 days must have elapsed after the last systemic myelosuppressive therapy. - Surgery: At least 6 weeks must have elapsed since surgery. 6. Organ Function Requirements Adequate Bone Marrow Function Defined as: - Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) =1000/mm3 - Platelet count =100,000/mm3 (transfusion independent, defined as not receiving platelet transfusions for at least 7 days prior to enrollment) - Hemoglobin >8 g/dL (may be transfused) Adequate Renal Function Defined as: - Creatinine clearance or radioisotope GFR > 70ml/min/1.73 m2 or - A serum creatinine based on (Schwartz et al. J. Peds, 106:522, 1985) age/gender as follows: 1 to < 2 years: maximum serum creatinine 0.6 mg/dL for males and females. 2 to < 6 years: maximum serum creatinine 0.8 mg/dL for males and females. 6 to < 10 years: maximum serum creatinine 1.0 mg/dL for males and females. 10 to < 13 years: maximum serum creatinine 1.2 mg/dL for males and females. 13 to < 16 years: maximum serum creatinine 1.5 mg/dL for males and 1.4 mg/dL for females. = 16 years: maximum serum creatinine 1.7 mg/dL for males and 1.4 mg/dL for females. Adequate Liver Function Defined as: - Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits - AST (SGOT) = 2.5 × institutional upper limit of normal - ALT (SGPT) = 2.5 × institutional upper limit of normal Adequate Neurologic Function Defined as: - Patients with neurological deficits should have deficits that are stable for a minimum of 1 week prior to enrollment. - Patients with current seizure disorders may be enrolled if seizures are well-controlled on antiepileptic therapies. 7. Informed Consent: All patients and/or their parents or legally authorized representatives must sign a written informed consent. Assent, when appropriate, will be obtained according to institutional guidelines. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnancy or Breast-Feeding: Pregnant or breast-feeding women will not be entered on this study due to unknown risks of fetal and teratogenic adverse events as seen in animal/human studies. Pregnancy tests must be obtained in girls who are post-menarchal. Males or females of reproductive potential may not participate unless they have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method for at least 90 days after discontinuation of drug for females and at least 60 days for males. For females of childbearing potential, agreement to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use contraceptive methods (bilateral tubal ligation, male sterilization, hormonal contraceptives that inhibit ovulation, hormone-releasing intrauterine devices, and copper intrauterine devices; hormonal contraceptive methods must be supplemented by a barrier method) and agreement to refrain from donating eggs are required. For males of reproductive potential, agreement to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or use a condom, and agreement to refrain from donating sperm. 2. Gastrointestinal Disease: Patients with a history of serious gastrointestinal disease, including inflammatory bowel disease or gastrointestinal perforation 3. Concomitant Medications - Corticosteroids: Patients receiving corticosteroids who have not been on a stable or decreasing dose of corticosteroid for at least 7 days prior to enrollment are not eligible. - Investigational Drugs: Patients who are currently receiving another investigational drug are not eligible. - Anti-cancer Agents: Patients who are currently receiving other anti-cancer agents are not eligible. 4. Study Specific: - Patients who have an uncontrolled infection are not eligible. - Patients who have received any live or attenuated vaccinations within three months prior to start of therapy are not eligible. - Any significant concurrent medical or surgical condition that would jeopardize the patient's safety or ability to complete the study, including, but not limited to, disease of the nervous, renal, hepatic, cardiac (such as symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia), pulmonary, or endocrine system - Patients who have a history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus or Tuberculosis infection are not eligible. - Patients who have received a prior solid organ transplantation are not eligible. - Patients who in the opinion of the investigator may not be able to comply with the safety monitoring requirements of the study are not eligible. - Patients who have a history of alcohol, drug, or chemical abuse within 6 months of screening. - Patients who have had surgery within the last 6 weeks or who have concerns for poor postsurgical wound healing. - Patients who have a history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to tocilizumab and its excipients are not eligible.

Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


Intervention

Drug:
Tocilizumab
For < 30 kg: 12 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks; For =30 kg: 8 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks

Locations

Country Name City State
Australia Perth Children's Hospital Perth Western Australia
Australia Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick New South Wales
Australia Queensland Children's Hospital South Brisbane Queensland
Canada Montreal Children's Hospital Montréal Quebec
Canada The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Toronto Ontario
Germany Hopp Children's Cancer Center at NCT Heidelberg (KiTZ) Heidelberg Baden-Württemberg
Netherlands Jasper van der Lugt Utrecht
United Kingdom Great Ormond Street Hospital London
United States Children's Hospital Colorado Aurora Colorado
United States Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Massachusetts
United States Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Chicago Illinois
United States Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati Ohio
United States Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Ohio
United States Duke University Health System Durham North Carolina
United States Texas Children's Hospital Houston Texas
United States Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle Washington
United States Children's National Medical Center Washington District of Columbia

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
Nationwide Children's Hospital Children's Hospital Colorado

Countries where clinical trial is conducted

United States,  Australia,  Canada,  Germany,  Netherlands,  United Kingdom, 

References & Publications (16)

Brunner HI, Ruperto N, Zuber Z, Keane C, Harari O, Kenwright A, Lu P, Cuttica R, Keltsev V, Xavier RM, Calvo I, Nikishina I, Rubio-Perez N, Alexeeva E, Chasnyk V, Horneff G, Opoka-Winiarska V, Quartier P, Silva CA, Silverman E, Spindler A, Baildam E, Gamir ML, Martin A, Rietschel C, Siri D, Smolewska E, Lovell D, Martini A, De Benedetti F; Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation PRINTO; Pediatric Rheumatology Collaborative Study Group (PRCSG). Efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in patients with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis: results from a phase 3, randomised, double-blind withdrawal trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Jun;74(6):1110-7. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-205351. Epub 2014 May 16. — View Citation

Choy EH, Isenberg DA, Garrood T, Farrow S, Ioannou Y, Bird H, Cheung N, Williams B, Hazleman B, Price R, Yoshizaki K, Nishimoto N, Kishimoto T, Panayi GS. Therapeutic benefit of blocking interleukin-6 activity with an anti-interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibody in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2002 Dec;46(12):3143-50. doi: 10.1002/art.10623. — View Citation

De Benedetti F, Brunner HI, Ruperto N, Kenwright A, Wright S, Calvo I, Cuttica R, Ravelli A, Schneider R, Woo P, Wouters C, Xavier R, Zemel L, Baildam E, Burgos-Vargas R, Dolezalova P, Garay SM, Merino R, Joos R, Grom A, Wulffraat N, Zuber Z, Zulian F, Lovell D, Martini A; PRINTO; PRCSG. Randomized trial of tocilizumab in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. N Engl J Med. 2012 Dec 20;367(25):2385-95. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1112802. Erratum In: N Engl J Med. 2015 Feb 26;372(9):887. — View Citation

Donson AM, Apps J, Griesinger AM, Amani V, Witt DA, Anderson RCE, Niazi TN, Grant G, Souweidane M, Johnston JM, Jackson EM, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, Handler MH, Tan AC, Gore L, Virasami A, Gonzalez-Meljem JM, Jacques TS, Martinez-Barbera JP, Foreman NK, Hankinson TC; Advancing Treatment for Pediatric Craniopharyngioma Consortium. Molecular Analyses Reveal Inflammatory Mediators in the Solid Component and Cyst Fluid of Human Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2017 Sep 1;76(9):779-788. doi: 10.1093/jnen/nlx061. — View Citation

Grob S, Mirsky DM, Donson AM, Dahl N, Foreman NK, Hoffman LM, Hankinson TC, Mulcahy Levy JM. Targeting IL-6 Is a Potential Treatment for Primary Cystic Craniopharyngioma. Front Oncol. 2019 Aug 21;9:791. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00791. eCollection 2019. — View Citation

Gump JM, Donson AM, Birks DK, Amani VM, Rao KK, Griesinger AM, Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, Johnston JM, Anderson RC, Rosenfeld A, Handler M, Gore L, Foreman N, Hankinson TC. Identification of targets for rational pharmacological therapy in childhood craniopharyngioma. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2015 May 21;3:30. doi: 10.1186/s40478-015-0211-5. — View Citation

Gust J, Hay KA, Hanafi LA, Li D, Myerson D, Gonzalez-Cuyar LF, Yeung C, Liles WC, Wurfel M, Lopez JA, Chen J, Chung D, Harju-Baker S, Ozpolat T, Fink KR, Riddell SR, Maloney DG, Turtle CJ. Endothelial Activation and Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in Neurotoxicity after Adoptive Immunotherapy with CD19 CAR-T Cells. Cancer Discov. 2017 Dec;7(12):1404-1419. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-17-0698. Epub 2017 Oct 12. — View Citation

Mihara M, Kasutani K, Okazaki M, Nakamura A, Kawai S, Sugimoto M, Matsumoto Y, Ohsugi Y. Tocilizumab inhibits signal transduction mediated by both mIL-6R and sIL-6R, but not by the receptors of other members of IL-6 cytokine family. Int Immunopharmacol. 2005 Nov;5(12):1731-40. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2005.05.010. — View Citation

Nellan A, McCully CML, Cruz Garcia R, Jayaprakash N, Widemann BC, Lee DW, Warren KE. Improved CNS exposure to tocilizumab after cerebrospinal fluid compared to intravenous administration in rhesus macaques. Blood. 2018 Aug 9;132(6):662-666. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-05-846428. Epub 2018 Jun 28. No abstract available. — View Citation

Nishimoto N, Kishimoto T. Humanized antihuman IL-6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2008;(181):151-60. doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-73259-4_7. — View Citation

Nishimoto N, Kishimoto T. Inhibition of IL-6 for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2004 Aug;4(4):386-91. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2004.03.005. — View Citation

Nishimoto N, Yoshizaki K, Maeda K, Kuritani T, Deguchi H, Sato B, Imai N, Suemura M, Kakehi T, Takagi N, Kishimoto T. Toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and dose-finding study of repetitive treatment with the humanized anti-interleukin 6 receptor antibody MRA in rheumatoid arthritis. Phase I/II clinical study. J Rheumatol. 2003 Jul;30(7):1426-35. — View Citation

Nishimoto N, Yoshizaki K, Miyasaka N, Yamamoto K, Kawai S, Takeuchi T, Hashimoto J, Azuma J, Kishimoto T. Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody: a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Jun;50(6):1761-9. doi: 10.1002/art.20303. — View Citation

Roszkiewicz J, Orczyk K, Smolewska E. Tocilizumab in the treatment of systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis - single-centre experience. Reumatologia. 2018;56(5):279-284. doi: 10.5114/reum.2018.79497. Epub 2018 Oct 31. — View Citation

Sato K, Tsuchiya M, Saldanha J, Koishihara Y, Ohsugi Y, Kishimoto T, Bendig MM. Reshaping a human antibody to inhibit the interleukin 6-dependent tumor cell growth. Cancer Res. 1993 Feb 15;53(4):851-6. — View Citation

Yokota S, Miyamae T, Imagawa T, Iwata N, Katakura S, Mori M, Woo P, Nishimoto N, Yoshizaki K, Kishimoto T. Therapeutic efficacy of humanized recombinant anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody in children with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Mar;52(3):818-25. doi: 10.1002/art.20944. — View Citation

* Note: There are 16 references in allClick here to view all references

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Primary Sustained objective response rate of patients with recurrent/progressive previously irradiated ACP to treatment with systemic tocilizumab To calculate the number of patients who experience sustained objective response rate [minor response (MR) + partial response (PR) + complete response (CR)] of patients with recurrent/progressive previously irradiated Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma to treatment with systemic tocilizumab (Stratum 1). From Day 1 of treatment through 30 days following end of protocol treatment
Primary Sustained objective response rate of patients with measurable ACP who have undergone surgery but have not been previously treated with radiation to treatment with systemic tocilizumab To calculate the number of patients who experience sustained objective response rate (MR + PR + CR) of patients with measurable Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma who have undergone surgery but have not been previously treated with radiation to treatment with systemic tocilizumab (Stratum 2). From Day 1 of treatment through 30 days following end of protocol treatment
Secondary Biological effects of tocilizumab on ACP tumor tissue and cyst fluid. To measure the concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, CXCL1, CXCR2, IDO-1 and IL-6R using a combination of ELISA, RNAseq, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence in cyst fluid or tumor tissue or blood. Comparisons will be made with known levels in the literature and among patient samples from within the study. From Day 1 of treatment through 30 days following end of protocol treatment
Secondary Toxicities associated with tocilizumab in children with ACP To calculate the number of participants with, as well as frequency and severity of, tocilizumab-related Adverse Events as assessed by CTCAE v5.0 in children with recurrent or refractory ACP. From Day 1 of treatment through 30 days following end of protocol treatment
Secondary PFS of ACP patients treated with tocilizumab after radiation To assess one-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates for patients with ACP who are treated with tocilizumab following progression after radiation (Stratum 1). 12 months
Secondary PFS of ACP patients treated with tocilizumab who have not received radiation To assess one-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates for patients with ACP who are treated with tocilizumab who have not previously received radiation (Stratum 2). 12 months