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Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH)

Primary Purpose

Anemia, Sickle Cell, Hematologic Diseases, Hemoglobinopathies

Status
Completed
Phase
Phase 3
Locations
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
hydroxyurea
Sponsored by
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
About
Eligibility
Locations
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional treatment trial for Anemia, Sickle Cell

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - 50 Years (Adult)All SexesDoes not accept healthy volunteers

Men and women, ages 18 to 50, who had at least three emergency room visits or hospitalizations for sickle cell anemia during the year prior to recruitment. Patients with greater than 20 crises per year were included. A total of 295 patients had Hb ss and four had Hb SB thalassemia.

Sites / Locations

    Outcomes

    Primary Outcome Measures

    Occurrence of vaso-occlusive (painful) crisis

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    Full Information

    First Posted
    October 27, 1999
    Last Updated
    April 13, 2016
    Sponsor
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
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    1. Study Identification

    Unique Protocol Identification Number
    NCT00000586
    Brief Title
    Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH)
    Official Title
    Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH)
    Study Type
    Interventional

    2. Study Status

    Record Verification Date
    January 2009
    Overall Recruitment Status
    Completed
    Study Start Date
    January 1992 (undefined)
    Primary Completion Date
    June 1994 (Actual)
    Study Completion Date
    June 1994 (Actual)

    3. Sponsor/Collaborators

    Name of the Sponsor
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

    4. Oversight

    5. Study Description

    Brief Summary
    To assess the efficacy and safety of orally administered hydroxyurea in the treatment of painful crises in patients with sickle cell anemia.
    Detailed Description
    BACKGROUND: In spite of the fact that advances have been made in the management or prevention of some of the complications of sickle cell disease, the management of the most common complication--the painful crisis--is still unsatisfactory, and appropriate methods for its prevention are unknown. The morbidity associated with a painful crisis is much more than the suffering from pain alone. The interference with a normal lifestyle, the resulting obstacles to obtaining an education and holding a job, the risk of narcotics addiction, the cost of multiple hospitalizations, and the financial impact on the family and the individual must all be considered. Evidence from the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD) study showed that there is an association between multiple pain events and early death in young adults. If this association is true, then MSH has the potential to not only reduce morbidity but mortality as well. The CSSCD study has shown that over 50 percent of patients with sickle cell disease have at least one crisis per year, and a considerable number have more. These episodes are believed to occur as a result of hemoglobin S within the red cells leading to rigid, non-deformable cells which can no longer traverse the microvasculature and as a result produce obstruction with consequent pain, ischemia, and tissue necrosis. Previous approaches to the therapy of this group of disorders have included: attempts to modify the hemoglobin molecule so as to prevent polymerization; the use of vasoreactive drugs; and increasing red cell volume. All of these attempts have been abandoned either because of their inefficacy, toxicity, or impracticality. Chronic exchange transfusion programs have been of limited usefulness because of high rates of isoimmunization, iron overload, and risk of transmission of hepatitis and retroviral disease. The rationale for the present study draws its substance from the observation that patients with higher levels of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) (particularly the Saudi Arabian group), and infants who also have high Hb F levels have fewer crises. Several myelosuppressive drugs, such as 5-azacytidine and hydroxyurea, have been shown to increase Hb F production. The work with 5-azacytidine has had to be abandoned because of the known risk of malignancy. Preliminary studies by the investigators and others have shown convincingly that Hb F levels can be increased by administering hydroxyurea to patients over a several month period without producing dangerous levels of myelosuppression. The patients have also had a rise in their red cell life span and hematocrit. Further, it has been reported that these patients had a dramatic decrease in crisis frequency. This agent is readily available to all physicians, and there is evidence that it is being used without adequate justification and, possibly, without adequate monitoring. The timing of this study is therefore critical to ensure that an adequate answer to the question of efficacy is obtained and the risk of inappropriate use minimized. DESIGN NARRATIVE: Phase I has concluded. Phase II, also concluded, was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients in the Phase II trial were recruited from 21 clinics and randomized to receive hydroxyurea or placebo. The hydroxyurea was gradually increased from an initial dose of 15 mg/kg to the maximal level tolerated by each patient in order to maximize red blood cell hemoglobin F(Hb F) content without undue marrow suppression. Changes in Hb F production were monitored in each of the two groups by a variety of laboratory tests. The primary endpoint was a comparison of crisis rates in the treated and control groups. Painful crises were defined as pain lasting longer than four hours, requiring parenteral narcotics for relief, including chest syndrome but excluding ankle ulcer pain. Secondary endpoints included changes in pain severity and duration, psychosocial status, complications of the disease, and reasons for non-compliance with either regimen. Patients were followed for two to three years depending on when they entered the study. Because of the mutagenic nature of hydroxyurea, the use of contraception was a requirement of admission to the study. The trial was stopped early, on January 14, 1995, instead of in May 1995. The Data and Safety Monitoring Board determined that daily doses of hydroxyurea reduced the frequency of painful episodes and hospital admissions for those crises by about 50 percent. Beginning in 1996, a five year follow-up of the adult patients in MSH was initiated. The purpose was to ascertain the long-term effects of hydroxyurea in this patient population. Patients were followed annually to determine health status, quality of life, incidence of malignancies, and birth defects in their offspring. In addition, mortality rates were determined so that a comparison could be made between this cohort and the mortality data from the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD) adult cohort and the normal African-American population mortality data. The follow-up was conducted in three phases. Phase I or the Planning Phase in which the final protocol was developed, lasted three months. Phase II, patient entry between March 1996 and June 1996 and patient follow-up, extended from the fourth to the 48th month. Phase III, patient exit and data analysis, were carried out during the final nine months of the study. The DSMB stopped MSH Phase III early because the study showed that hydroxyurea substantially reduced the frequency of vaso-occlusive (painful) crises.

    6. Conditions and Keywords

    Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
    Anemia, Sickle Cell, Hematologic Diseases, Hemoglobinopathies

    7. Study Design

    Primary Purpose
    Treatment
    Study Phase
    Phase 3
    Masking
    Double
    Allocation
    Randomized

    8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

    Intervention Type
    Drug
    Intervention Name(s)
    hydroxyurea
    Primary Outcome Measure Information:
    Title
    Occurrence of vaso-occlusive (painful) crisis
    Time Frame
    Measured during the first 2 years a patient was enrolled in the study

    10. Eligibility

    Sex
    All
    Minimum Age & Unit of Time
    18 Years
    Maximum Age & Unit of Time
    50 Years
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers
    No
    Eligibility Criteria
    Men and women, ages 18 to 50, who had at least three emergency room visits or hospitalizations for sickle cell anemia during the year prior to recruitment. Patients with greater than 20 crises per year were included. A total of 295 patients had Hb ss and four had Hb SB thalassemia.
    Overall Study Officials:
    First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
    Samuel Charache
    Organizational Affiliation
    Johns Hopkins University
    Official's Role
    Principal Investigator
    First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
    Michael Terrin
    Organizational Affiliation
    Maryland Medical Research Institute
    Official's Role
    Principal Investigator

    12. IPD Sharing Statement

    Citations:
    PubMed Identifier
    1375104
    Citation
    Charache S, Dover GJ, Moore RD, Eckert S, Ballas SK, Koshy M, Milner PF, Orringer EP, Phillips G Jr, Platt OS, et al. Hydroxyurea: effects on hemoglobin F production in patients with sickle cell anemia. Blood. 1992 May 15;79(10):2555-65.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    8608254
    Citation
    Lu ZH, Steinberg MH. Fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell anemia: relation to regulatory sequences cis to the beta-globin gene. Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea. Blood. 1996 Feb 15;87(4):1604-11.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    7715639
    Citation
    Charache S, Terrin ML, Moore RD, Dover GJ, Barton FB, Eckert SV, McMahon RP, Bonds DR. Effect of hydroxyurea on the frequency of painful crises in sickle cell anemia. Investigators of the Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia. N Engl J Med. 1995 May 18;332(20):1317-22. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199505183322001.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    8925656
    Citation
    Charache S, Terrin ML, Moore RD, Dover GJ, McMahon RP, Barton FB, Waclawiw M, Eckert SV. Design of the multicenter study of hydroxyurea in sickle cell anemia. Investigators of the Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea. Control Clin Trials. 1995 Dec;16(6):432-46. doi: 10.1016/s0197-2456(95)00098-4.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    9176021
    Citation
    Hackney AC, Hezier W, Gulledge TP, Jones S, Strayhorn D, Busby M, Hoffman E, Orringer EP. Effects of hydroxyurea administration on the body weight, body composition and exercise performance of patients with sickle-cell anaemia. Clin Sci (Lond). 1997 May;92(5):481-6. doi: 10.1042/cs0920481.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    9028341
    Citation
    Steinberg MH, Lu ZH, Barton FB, Terrin ML, Charache S, Dover GJ. Fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell anemia: determinants of response to hydroxyurea. Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea. Blood. 1997 Feb 1;89(3):1078-88.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    9317197
    Citation
    Charache S. Mechanism of action of hydroxyurea in the management of sickle cell anemia in adults. Semin Hematol. 1997 Jul;34(3 Suppl 3):15-21.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    9315425
    Citation
    McMahon RP, Waclawiw MA, Geller NL, Barton FB, Terrin ML, Bonds DR. An extension of stochastic curtailment for incompletely reported and classified recurrent events: the Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH). Control Clin Trials. 1997 Oct;18(5):420-30. doi: 10.1016/s0197-2456(97)00014-7.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    10815784
    Citation
    Moore RD, Charache S, Terrin ML, Barton FB, Ballas SK. Cost-effectiveness of hydroxyurea in sickle cell anemia. Investigators of the Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia. Am J Hematol. 2000 May;64(1):26-31. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8652(200005)64:13.0.co;2-f.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    12672732
    Citation
    Steinberg MH, Barton F, Castro O, Pegelow CH, Ballas SK, Kutlar A, Orringer E, Bellevue R, Olivieri N, Eckman J, Varma M, Ramirez G, Adler B, Smith W, Carlos T, Ataga K, DeCastro L, Bigelow C, Saunthararajah Y, Telfer M, Vichinsky E, Claster S, Shurin S, Bridges K, Waclawiw M, Bonds D, Terrin M. Effect of hydroxyurea on mortality and morbidity in adult sickle cell anemia: risks and benefits up to 9 years of treatment. JAMA. 2003 Apr 2;289(13):1645-51. doi: 10.1001/jama.289.13.1645. Erratum In: JAMA. 2003 Aug 13;290(6):756.
    Results Reference
    background
    PubMed Identifier
    8982148
    Citation
    Charache S, Barton FB, Moore RD, Terrin ML, Steinberg MH, Dover GJ, Ballas SK, McMahon RP, Castro O, Orringer EP. Hydroxyurea and sickle cell anemia. Clinical utility of a myelosuppressive "switching" agent. The Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia. Medicine (Baltimore). 1996 Nov;75(6):300-26. doi: 10.1097/00005792-199611000-00002.
    Results Reference
    background
    Available IPD and Supporting Information:
    Available IPD/Information Type
    Individual Participant Data Set
    Available IPD/Information URL
    http://biolincc.nhlbi.nih.gov/studies/MSH/
    Available IPD/Information Identifier
    MSH
    Available IPD/Information Comments
    NHLBI provides controlled access to IPD through BioLINCC. Access requires registration, evidence of local IRB approval or certification of exemption from IRB review, and completion of a data use agreement.
    Available IPD/Information Type
    Study Protocol
    Available IPD/Information URL
    http://biolincc.nhlbi.nih.gov/studies/MSH/
    Available IPD/Information Type
    Study Forms
    Available IPD/Information URL
    http://biolincc.nhlbi.nih.gov/studies/MSH/

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    Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH)

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