Shark Cartilage in Treating Patients With Advanced Colorectal or Breast Cancer

NCT ID: NCT00026117

Last Updated: 2016-07-13

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE3

Total Enrollment

88 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2001-08-31

Study Completion Date

2006-09-30

Brief Summary

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RATIONALE: Shark cartilage extract may help shrink or slow the growth of colorectal cancer or breast cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of shark cartilage in treating patients who have advanced colorectal cancer or advanced breast cancer.

Detailed Description

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OBJECTIVES:

* Determine whether the addition of powdered shark cartilage (BeneFin™) to standard therapy improves overall survival in patients with advanced colorectal or breast cancer.
* Determine whether this therapy has any impact on toxicity in these patients.
* Determine whether this therapy improves the quality of life in these patients.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to disease type (breast vs colorectal female vs colorectal male), age (49 and under vs 50-69 vs 70 and over), ECOG performance status (0-1 vs 2), baseline quality of life (UNISCALE rating less than 50% vs 50-75% vs more than 75%), and concurrent chemotherapy (yes vs no). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

Conditions

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Breast Cancer Colorectal Cancer

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Study Groups

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BeneFin

Patients receive oral shark cartilage (BeneFin™) 3-4 times daily. Treatment continues in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Quality of life is assessed weekly for 1 month and then monthly thereafter during treatment.

Patients are followed every 6 months for 5 years.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

BenFin

Intervention Type DRUG

placebo

Patients receive oral placebo 3-4 times daily. Treatment continues in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Quality of life is assessed weekly for 1 month and then monthly thereafter during treatment.

Patients are followed every 6 months for 5 years.

Group Type OTHER

placebo

Intervention Type OTHER

Interventions

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BenFin

Intervention Type DRUG

placebo

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Breast or colorectal primary tumor sites

* Considered incurable
* Breast cancer patients must have disease progression after at least 2 different chemotherapy regimens (may include chemotherapy given as an adjuvant treatment)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Sex:

* Male or female

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

* More than 3 months

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

Renal:

* Calcium less than 1.2 times ULN

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Chemotherapy:

* Concurrent chemotherapy allowed
* No concurrent participation in a cytotoxic chemotherapy clinical trial

Other:

* At least 60 days since prior shark cartilage
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Cancer Institute (NCI)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Charles L. Loprinzi, MD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Mayo Clinic

Locations

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CCOP - Scottsdale Oncology Program

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Site Status

Mayo Clinic

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Illinois Oncology Research Association

Peoria, Illinois, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Carle Cancer Center

Urbana, Illinois, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Cedar Rapids Oncology Project

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Iowa Oncology Research Association

Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Site Status

Siouxland Hematology-Oncology

Sioux City, Iowa, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Wichita

Wichita, Kansas, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Duluth

Duluth, Minnesota, United States

Site Status

CentraCare Health Plaza

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Missouri Valley Cancer Consortium

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Site Status

Medcenter One Health System

Bismarck, North Dakota, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Merit Care Hospital

Fargo, North Dakota, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Toledo Community Hospital

Toledo, Ohio, United States

Site Status

Rapid City Regional Hospital

Rapid City, South Dakota, United States

Site Status

CCOP - Sioux Community Cancer Consortium

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Loprinzi CL, Levitt R, Barton DL, Sloan JA, Atherton PJ, Smith DJ, Dakhil SR, Moore DF Jr, Krook JE, Rowland KM Jr, Mazurczak MA, Berg AR, Kim GP; North Central Cancer Treatment Group. Evaluation of shark cartilage in patients with advanced cancer: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group trial. Cancer. 2005 Jul 1;104(1):176-82. doi: 10.1002/cncr.21107.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 15912493 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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CDR0000068987

Identifier Type: REGISTRY

Identifier Source: secondary_id

NCCAM

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

NCCTG-971151

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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