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Safety and Efficacy of Repeat Administration of Ad/PNP and Fludarabine Phosphate in Patients With Local Head/Neck Cancer

Primary Purpose

Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer

Status
Recruiting
Phase
Phase 1
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Ad/PNP
Fludarabine Phosphate
Sponsored by
GeoVax, Inc.
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional treatment trial for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer focused on measuring Fludarabine, Adenovirus, Head & neck squamous cell carcinoma

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - undefined (Adult, Older Adult)All SexesDoes not accept healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Provided Informed Consent
  2. Age ≥ 18 years
  3. Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of recurrent cancer of the head and neck region for whom there is no curative treatment option. For the purposes of trial eligibility, cancers of the head and neck shall include, in addition to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), cutaneous squamous cell primary sites and squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary presenting with neck lymph nodal disease, as well as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and salivary gland tumors.
  4. All standard or approved treatment options that would provide substantive palliation must have failed, been exhausted, or patient not eligible or willing to use them (for example neuropathy, nephropathy , or hearing loss precluding the use of cisplatin)
  5. Tumor mass (primary tumor and/or lymphadenopathy) measurable by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 and technically suitable for intratumoral injections (otolaryngologist will determine feasibility). Patients with nodal disease (or metastatic disease) that is needle accessible are eligible. Patients with additional tumors (including distant metastatic disease) beyond the intratumoral injection accessible tumor(s) that are not accessible for intratumoral injection are eligible ONLY if the patient has no other treatment option for the metastatic disease and treatment of local disease may provide the patient some benefit or palliation.
  6. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of ≤ 2
  7. In the judgment of the Investigator, the patient has recovered sufficiently from any previous significant therapy side effects or toxicities prior to Ad/PNP administration.
  8. Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500 cells/ul; hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dl, platelets ≥ 100,000/ul
  9. Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dl, or calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 60 ml/min
  10. Bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal, alanine aminotransferase ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal and/or aspartate aminotransferase ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal, alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 x upper limit of normal
  11. Prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR) ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal
  12. Activated partial thromboplastin (aPTT) time ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal
  13. Female patients must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy at screening (pregnancy test is not required for patients with bilateral oophorectomy and/or hysterectomy or for those patients who are > 1 year postmenopausal)
  14. All patients of reproductive potential must agree to use a medically acceptable form of contraception (eg, hormonal birth control, double-barrier method) or abstinence.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Prior history or current diagnosis of leukemia
  2. Have received any gene therapy products or oncolytic viral therapy
  3. Receiving allopurinol
  4. Received an investigational drug within 30 days prior to first injection of Ad/PNP
  5. Received radiation treatment < 4 weeks prior to first injection of Ad/PNP, and does not have any RECIST 1.1 evaluable lesions that are outside the radiation field. (If the patient has RECIST 1.1 evaluable lesions outside the radiation field then they can be included.)
  6. Received chemotherapy (systemic anticancer treatment) < 4 weeks prior to first injection of Ad/PNP and has not recovered from all the related side effects. (If the patient has recovered from all related side effects or has reached a new baseline, then they may begin receiving treatment at sooner than 4 weeks)
  7. Have significant baseline neuropathy (> Grade 2 based on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse events [CTCAE] v5.0)
  8. Uncontrolled intercurrent disease (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disease, active infection)
  9. Had within 6 months prior to enrollment: Myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular accident, uncontrolled congestive heart failure, significant liver disease, unstable angina
  10. Fever (temperature > 38.1 degrees C orally)
  11. Receiving chronic systemic corticosteroids (> 3 weeks) or any chronic immunosuppressive medications within 14 days prior to first injection of Ad/PNP. Subjects receiving short courses of corticosteroids are considered eligible for the study.
  12. Receiving anticoagulants other than those to maintain patency of venous lines
  13. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding
  14. History of HIV infection. No requirement for testing.

Sites / Locations

  • Stanford UniversityRecruiting
  • Winship Cancer Institute - Emory University School of MedicineRecruiting
  • Thomas Jefferson UniversityRecruiting

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm Type

Experimental

Arm Label

Ad/PNP + fludarabine phosphate, 5 cycles

Arm Description

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Safety as measured by the number of adverse events Grade 2 and above that are considered by investigator to be definitely, probably, or possibly related to study treatment, graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Effects v. 4.0
Adverse events Grade 2 and above that are considered by investigator to be definitely, probably, or possibly related to study treatment will be collected from initial dose through 60 days after last dose of study drug. Outcome measure will be reported as the number of events for each dose group, and all safety events will be summarized with descriptive statistics.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Best Overall Response (ORR) per RECIST 1.1.
Best durable overall response (ORR) defined as CR or partial response determined by RECIST 1.1 persisting for at least 4 weeks
Progression Free Survival (PFS)
Progression Free Survival (PFS) defined as time from first intratrumoral injection to date of progression or to death, whichever occurs first.
Duration of treatment response
Duration of treatment response defined as time from first documentation of CR or PR until first occurrence of disease progression or death.

Full Information

First Posted
October 19, 2018
Last Updated
August 30, 2023
Sponsor
GeoVax, Inc.
Collaborators
Stanford University, Emory University, Thomas Jefferson University
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1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT03754933
Brief Title
Safety and Efficacy of Repeat Administration of Ad/PNP and Fludarabine Phosphate in Patients With Local Head/Neck Cancer
Official Title
Phase 1/2, Open-label Study Evaluating Safety of Repeat Administration of Ad/PNP-F-araAMP (Ad/PNP Administered Intratumorally Followed by Intravenous Fludarabine Phosphate) in Subjects With Recurrent, Local Head and Neck Cancer
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
August 2023
Overall Recruitment Status
Recruiting
Study Start Date
February 11, 2019 (Actual)
Primary Completion Date
May 2024 (Anticipated)
Study Completion Date
August 2025 (Anticipated)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title
Sponsor
Name of the Sponsor
GeoVax, Inc.
Collaborators
Stanford University, Emory University, Thomas Jefferson University

4. Oversight

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product
Yes
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product
No
Product Manufactured in and Exported from the U.S.
No
Data Monitoring Committee
Yes

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
Primary Objective: The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety of repeat administration of a dose level of Ad/PNP plus fludarabine phosphate (F-araAMP) which demonstrated anti-tumor activity in patients with advanced head and neck cancer in a completed phase I study. Secondary Objective: The secondary objective is to evaluate the antitumor activity of repeat administration of Ad/PNP plus F-araAMP. FDA Office of Orphan Drugs Division is a source of funding for the overall project.
Detailed Description
Mechanism of action. The study drug, Ad/PNP-F-araAMP (Fludarabine phosphate) consists of a nonreplicating adenoviral vector expressing the E. coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) injected intratumorally followed by intravenous administration of F-araAMP. This combination generates 2-fluoroadenine (F-Ade) within the tumor resulting in focal chemotherapeutic activity. F-araAMP is an agent that is rapidly cleaved by plasma phosphatases to fludarabine, which is the primary circulating form of the drug and has activity against certain hematological malignancies, but not against solid tumors such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Fludarabine (F-araA) is an adenosine analog and substrate for E. coli PNP, which cleaves the glycosidic bond of F-araA to generate F-Ade. The F-Ade metabolite has shown pronounced activity against human tumor xenografts in mice. Many refractory tumors are refractory precisely because they have a very low growth fraction, i.e., a relatively small percentage of tumor cells dividing at any particular point in time. In nonclinical studies, significant in vivo antitumor activity has been demonstrated by F-Ade generation from F-araAMP in tumors in which 2.5 to 10% of cells express the E. coli PNP gene. In addition, anti-tumor effect was seen in patients with advanced solid tumors (melanoma and head and neck cancer) in the higher dose cohorts during a Phase 1 study (see next section). Tumor response with Ad/PNP-F-araAMP in Phase 1 Study. The safety and efficacy of Ad/PNP-F-araAMP has been evaluated in a Phase 1 study, PNP-001. Four escalating dose levels were evaluated in 10 subjects with head and neck cancer and 2 subjects with melanoma; clinical activity was observed at the highest dose levels following 3 intratumoral injections of Ad/PNP over 2 days and IV F-araAMP phosphate over 3 days. The overall response rate (CR+PR) was approximately 67% in the 2 highest dose cohorts, Cohorts 3 and 4. Results suggest a dose response effect. The duration of response in the injected tumor was limited, with 4 of 5 responding tumors having disease progression of the injected lesion prior to last follow-up on Day 56, suggesting that repeat administration should be evaluated. Ad/PNP + F-araAMP was well tolerated. No subject experienced a dose-limiting toxicity and none of the subjects discontinued study treatment. Overall, the activity and safety profile of Ad/PNP seen in the Phase 1 study supports further clinical evaluation of repeat administration of Ad/PNP (IT) and F-araAMP phosphate infusion for patients with HNSCC. Purpose of the Study. Based upon the tumor response seen with a single administration of the two highest dose levels of Ad/PNP-F-araAMP in the Phase 1 study, PNP plans to investigate the safety and assess anti-tumor activity of repeat cycles of injection of Ad/PNP + F-araAMP in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Subjects in the study will have RECIST 1.1 measurable HNSCC which is amenable to local injection for which there is no effective curative or palliative treatment option. This study population was selected since results from this Phase 1/2 trial are intended to support the safety of repeat dosing in further clinical investigation. Study Design. The trial is designed as a single-arm study to evaluate the safety of repeat cycles of Ad/PNP and F-araAMP in patients with recurrent HNSCC with tumor(s) accessible for injection. Ad/PNP will be injected intratumorally twice on Day 1 and once on Day 2 followed by infusion of F-araAMP daily on Days 3, 4, and 5. Subjects will receive repeat administration of Ad/PNP-F-araAMP every 4 weeks (i.e., each cycle) for 5 cycles or until injected tumor progresses, unacceptable toxicity occurs, no tumor is present for injection, or patient death. Tumor response in the injected tumor(s) will be assessed by physical examination as well as by radiographic imaging. All subjects will be monitored for adverse events during study participation.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer
Keywords
Fludarabine, Adenovirus, Head & neck squamous cell carcinoma

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Treatment
Study Phase
Phase 1, Phase 2
Interventional Study Model
Single Group Assignment
Masking
None (Open Label)
Allocation
N/A
Enrollment
10 (Anticipated)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
Ad/PNP + fludarabine phosphate, 5 cycles
Arm Type
Experimental
Intervention Type
Biological
Intervention Name(s)
Ad/PNP
Other Intervention Name(s)
Gedeptin
Intervention Description
Ad/PNP is a replication defective adenoviral vector expressing E. coli Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase
Intervention Type
Drug
Intervention Name(s)
Fludarabine Phosphate
Other Intervention Name(s)
Fludara
Intervention Description
Fludarabine phosphate is an anticancer agent currently used to treatment patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Safety as measured by the number of adverse events Grade 2 and above that are considered by investigator to be definitely, probably, or possibly related to study treatment, graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Effects v. 4.0
Description
Adverse events Grade 2 and above that are considered by investigator to be definitely, probably, or possibly related to study treatment will be collected from initial dose through 60 days after last dose of study drug. Outcome measure will be reported as the number of events for each dose group, and all safety events will be summarized with descriptive statistics.
Time Frame
up to 60 days
Secondary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Best Overall Response (ORR) per RECIST 1.1.
Description
Best durable overall response (ORR) defined as CR or partial response determined by RECIST 1.1 persisting for at least 4 weeks
Time Frame
Six months
Title
Progression Free Survival (PFS)
Description
Progression Free Survival (PFS) defined as time from first intratrumoral injection to date of progression or to death, whichever occurs first.
Time Frame
Six months
Title
Duration of treatment response
Description
Duration of treatment response defined as time from first documentation of CR or PR until first occurrence of disease progression or death.
Time Frame
Six months

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
18 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Provided Informed Consent Age ≥ 18 years Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of recurrent cancer of the head and neck region for whom there is no curative treatment option. For the purposes of trial eligibility, cancers of the head and neck shall include, in addition to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), cutaneous squamous cell primary sites and squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary presenting with neck lymph nodal disease, as well as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and salivary gland tumors. All standard or approved treatment options that would provide substantive palliation must have failed, been exhausted, or patient not eligible or willing to use them (for example neuropathy, nephropathy , or hearing loss precluding the use of cisplatin) Tumor mass (primary tumor and/or lymphadenopathy) measurable by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 and technically suitable for intratumoral injections (otolaryngologist will determine feasibility). Patients with nodal disease (or metastatic disease) that is needle accessible are eligible. Patients with additional tumors (including distant metastatic disease) beyond the intratumoral injection accessible tumor(s) that are not accessible for intratumoral injection are eligible ONLY if the patient has no other treatment option for the metastatic disease and treatment of local disease may provide the patient some benefit or palliation. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of ≤ 2 In the judgment of the Investigator, the patient has recovered sufficiently from any previous significant therapy side effects or toxicities prior to Ad/PNP administration. Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500 cells/ul; hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dl, platelets ≥ 100,000/ul Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dl, or calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 60 ml/min Bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal, alanine aminotransferase ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal and/or aspartate aminotransferase ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal, alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 x upper limit of normal Prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR) ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal Activated partial thromboplastin (aPTT) time ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal Female patients must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy at screening (pregnancy test is not required for patients with bilateral oophorectomy and/or hysterectomy or for those patients who are > 1 year postmenopausal) All patients of reproductive potential must agree to use a medically acceptable form of contraception (eg, hormonal birth control, double-barrier method) or abstinence. Exclusion Criteria: Prior history or current diagnosis of leukemia Have received any gene therapy products or oncolytic viral therapy Receiving allopurinol Received an investigational drug within 30 days prior to first injection of Ad/PNP Received radiation treatment < 4 weeks prior to first injection of Ad/PNP, and does not have any RECIST 1.1 evaluable lesions that are outside the radiation field. (If the patient has RECIST 1.1 evaluable lesions outside the radiation field then they can be included.) Received chemotherapy (systemic anticancer treatment) < 4 weeks prior to first injection of Ad/PNP and has not recovered from all the related side effects. (If the patient has recovered from all related side effects or has reached a new baseline, then they may begin receiving treatment at sooner than 4 weeks) Have significant baseline neuropathy (> Grade 2 based on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse events [CTCAE] v5.0) Uncontrolled intercurrent disease (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disease, active infection) Had within 6 months prior to enrollment: Myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular accident, uncontrolled congestive heart failure, significant liver disease, unstable angina Fever (temperature > 38.1 degrees C orally) Receiving chronic systemic corticosteroids (> 3 weeks) or any chronic immunosuppressive medications within 14 days prior to first injection of Ad/PNP. Subjects receiving short courses of corticosteroids are considered eligible for the study. Receiving anticoagulants other than those to maintain patency of venous lines Women who are pregnant or breast feeding History of HIV infection. No requirement for testing.
Central Contact Person:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name or Official Title & Degree
Chief Medical Officer
Phone
678-384-7220
Email
info@geovax.com
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name or Official Title & Degree
Director Clinical Operations
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
A. Dimitrios Colevas, MD
Organizational Affiliation
Stanford University
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
Stanford University
City
Stanford
State/Province
California
ZIP/Postal Code
94305
Country
United States
Individual Site Status
Recruiting
Facility Contact:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Luis Martinez Ramirez
Phone
650-736-2344
Email
martluis@stanford.edu
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
A. Dimitrios Colevas, MD
Phone
650-724-9707
Email
colevas@stanford.edu
Facility Name
Winship Cancer Institute - Emory University School of Medicine
City
Atlanta
State/Province
Georgia
ZIP/Postal Code
30322
Country
United States
Individual Site Status
Recruiting
Facility Contact:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Madison Miller Stallings
Phone
404-686-1794
Email
madison.miller.stallings@emory.edu
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Nicole C. Schmitt, MD, FACS
Phone
404-778-1900
Email
nicole.cherie.schmitt@emory.edu
Facility Name
Thomas Jefferson University
City
Philadelphia
State/Province
Pennsylvania
ZIP/Postal Code
19107
Country
United States
Individual Site Status
Recruiting
Facility Contact:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Camilo Henao, MPH
Phone
215-955-9959
Email
Camilo.Henao@jefferson.edu
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Joseph M Curry, MD, FACS
Phone
215-955-6760
Email
joseph.curry@jefferson.edu

12. IPD Sharing Statement

Plan to Share IPD
No
Citations:
PubMed Identifier
29119917
Citation
Parker WB, Sorscher EJ. Use of E. coli Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase in the Treatment of Solid Tumors. Curr Pharm Des. 2017 Nov 8:10.2174/1381612823666171109101851. doi: 10.2174/1381612823666171109101851. Online ahead of print.
Results Reference
background
PubMed Identifier
25899782
Citation
Rosenthal EL, Chung TK, Parker WB, Allan PW, Clemons L, Lowman D, Hong J, Hunt FR, Richman J, Conry RM, Mannion K, Carroll WR, Nabell L, Sorscher EJ. Phase I dose-escalating trial of Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase and fludarabine gene therapy for advanced solid tumors. Ann Oncol. 2015 Jul;26(7):1481-7. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdv196. Epub 2015 Apr 21.
Results Reference
background

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Safety and Efficacy of Repeat Administration of Ad/PNP and Fludarabine Phosphate in Patients With Local Head/Neck Cancer

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