Treatment of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis With Pentoxifylline

Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Clinical Trial

Official title: Treatment of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis With Pentoxifylline

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Sarcoidosis is a disease most commonly affecting the lungs, but it can also involve lymph nodes, skin, liver, spleen, eyes, bones, and glands. The cause of the disease is unknown. When it occurs it can produce an inflammatory reaction leading to irreversible organ damage and disability.

In sarcoidosis granulomas can form in various organs (primarily lung) which can lead to its dysfunction. Granuloma is formed by clusters of inflammatory cells. The formation of these granulomas is influenced by the release of a substance called TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor alpha) which is found in some white blood cells. A drug known as pentoxifylline (POF) is known to markedly reduce the release of TNF-alpha.

The standard medical treatment for sarcoidosis is steroid therapy. However, steroid therapy is associated with significant side effects and often must be stopped. Unfortunately, some of these patients can relapse when the steroid therapy is discontinued. Because of this, researchers are interested in finding alternative therapies for the treatment of sarcoidosis.

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of giving POF to patients with sarcoidosis currently taking steroids. Researchers will compare the results between patients taking steroids with pentoxifylline and those patients taking steroids alone.

Clinical Trial Description

Corticosteroids are currently the mainstay of therapy for active pulmonary sarcoidosis and are used to prevent relapses in many patients with stable disease. The pulmonary manifestations of sarcoidosis are heterogenous and not all patients require corticosteroid therapy. Corticosteroids often produce undesirable side effects and, therefore, other therapies that can reduce or replace corticosteroid use are being sought. As tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) plays a pivotal role in the formation of granulomata (the pathological hallmark of the disease), drugs that inhibit its production/release may prove effective in the treatment of this disease. Pentoxifylline (POF), a xanthine derivative used for many years in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, is known to inhibit TNF-alpha release by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and alveolar macrophages from patients with active sarcoidosis. To evaluate whether this drug is beneficial in the treatment of sarcoidosis, we propose to conduct a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with POF in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis on corticosteroid therapy. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether POF treatment can be beneficial as an adjunct to corticosteroid therapy in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. The role of TNF-alpha and other cytokines (released from alveolar macrophages) in explaining treatment responses defined by whether or not a patient improved will be assessed by testing whether the effect of treatment on the probability of improvement varies with cytokine levels. ;

Study Design

Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Pulmonary Sarcoidosis
• Sarcoidosis
• Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary

• NCT number: NCT00001877
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: February 1999
• Completion date: May 2004