Gemcitabine and Bexarotene in Treating Patients With Progressive or Refractory Stage IB, Stage II, Stage III, or Stage IV Cutaneous T-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (GemBex)
Lymphoma
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Lymphoma focused on measuring recurrent mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome, stage IB mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome, stage II mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome, stage III mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome, stage IV mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome, recurrent cutaneous T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stage IB cutaneous T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stage II cutaneous T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stage III cutaneous T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stage IV cutaneous T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Eligibility Criteria
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
Histologically confirmed cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) including its variants (e.g., mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome)
- CTCL stage IB, IIA, IIB, III or IVA disease
No visceral involvement (i.e., stage IVB disease)
- Lymphadenopathy is allowed
- Patients must have developed progressive disease after receiving or have been refractory to at least 1 course of prior standard, systemic, skin-directed therapy (e.g., interferon, chemotherapy, or denileukin diftitox [Ontak®])
- No CD30 + (Ki1+ve) anaplastic large cell lymphoma
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- ECOG performance status 0-1
- Life expectancy > 6 months
- Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL (transfusions and/or erythropoietin are allowed)
- ANC > 1.5 x 10^9/L
- Platelet count ≥ 100 x 10^9/L
- Total bilirubin ≤ 1.25 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
- AST and ALT ≤ 2 times ULN
- Serum creatinine ≤ 2 times ULN
- No clinically significant active infection
- No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
- No excessive alcohol consumption
- No biliary tract disease
- No history of pancreatitis
- HIV negative
- Hepatitis B and C negative
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 1 month after study participation
- No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal or squamous cell skin cancer, cervical epithelial neoplasm CIN1, or carcinoma in situ
- No other significant medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude study compliance
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- See Disease Characteristics
- More than 4 weeks since any prior investigational agent
- More than 2 weeks since prior topical steroids or more than 4 weeks since prior systemic steroids
- Local radiotherapy may be given to isolated symptomatic tumour nodules that require immediate treatment for up to 2 weeks prior to study drugs
- No prior treatment with bexarotene (Targretin®)
- No concurrent anticancer therapy
- No concurrent investigational agent
- No concurrent drug therapy with other medications that can elevate triglycerides or cause pancreatic toxicity (e.g., gemfibrozil)
- No concurrent warfarin
Sites / Locations
- Leeds Cancer Centre at St. James's University Hospital
- Saint Bartholomew's Hospital
- St. Thomas' Hospital
- Christie Hospital
- Southampton General Hospital
- Royal Cornwall Hospital
- Edinburgh Cancer Centre at Western General Hospital
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Experimental
GemBex
Gemcitabine days 1 and 8 of a 3 week cycle (4 cycles total - 12 weeks) Bexarotene daily: in combination with Gemcitabine during first 12 weeks, then Bexarotene maintenance until disease progression.