PG2 Treatment for Improving Fatigue Among Advanced Cancer Patients Under Standard Palliative Care

NCT ID: NCT01720550

Last Updated: 2025-06-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE4
• Total Enrollment: 323 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2012-11-30
• Study Completion Date: 2017-06-30

Brief Summary

The objective of this study is to conduct a trial in the spirit of providing as much as possible the benefit of PG2 treatment to eligible patients and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of PG2 treatment for relieving fatigue among advanced cancer patients who are under standard palliative care (SPC) at hospice setting and have no further curative options available. Patient's fatigue status, to be measured by the Brief Fatigue Inventory-Taiwanese Form (BFI-T), will be the primary endpoint. The fatigue improvement response rate among patients between two study arms will then be compared as the basis for efficacy evaluation at the end of the first treatment cycle, and will be the primary endpoint. Other endpoints, the fatigue improvement response rate and the mean fatigue scores change from baseline among patients within and between cycles will be included in the secondary efficacy endpoints, and will be compared between two study arms. Patients' quality of sleep, appetite, pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and global quality of life (QoL) will be also measured by 11 questions (SS11) from EORTC(European Organization) for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 for secondary endpoint evaluation. The other secondary endpoints include Karnofsky performance scores, and weight change and its related c-reactive protein level of the patients.

Detailed Description

This is a trial to evaluate use of different doses of PG2 treatment for fatigue improvement in advanced cancer patients who are under standard palliative care at hospice setting and have no further curative options available. Only patients who give consent to participate in this study and meet all other inclusion and exclusion criteria will be eligible to enroll into this study. All patients will continue the standard palliative care (SPC) during this study.

The main aim of this trial is to compare improvement of patient's fatigue status between patients with different doses of PG2 treatment. Patient's fatigue status will be assessed by the Brief Fatigue Inventory-Taiwanese (BFI-T) Form. Each patient's fatigue improvement response will be defined as an improvement in the mean fatigue scores by at least 10% from baseline. Other quality of life parameters will be measured by the 11 questions (SS11) of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and by Karnofsky performance scale. Patient's weight change and its related c-reactive protein will be followed. There are two study arms in this trial: 1) the PG2 High Dose arm; and 2) the PG2 Low Dose arm.

Conditions

Cancer-related Fatigue

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

PG2 High Dose

Astragalus Polysaccharides 500 mg

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Astragalus Polysaccharides 500 mg

Intervention Type: DRUG

PG2 (500 mg in 500 ml saline), t.i.w. via i.v. infusion for 2.5-3.5 hours over 2 treatment cycles (8 weeks)

PG2 Low Dose

Astragalus Polysaccharides 250 mg

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Astragalus Polysaccharides 250 mg

Intervention Type: DRUG

PG2 (500 mg in 500 ml saline), t.i.w. via i.v. infusion for 2.5-3.5 hours over 2 treatment cycles (8 weeks)

Interventions

Astragalus Polysaccharides 500 mg

PG2 (500 mg in 500 ml saline), t.i.w. via i.v. infusion for 2.5-3.5 hours over 2 treatment cycles (8 weeks)

Intervention Type: DRUG

Astragalus Polysaccharides 250 mg

PG2 (500 mg in 500 ml saline), t.i.w. via i.v. infusion for 2.5-3.5 hours over 2 treatment cycles (8 weeks)

Intervention Type: DRUG

Other Intervention Names

PG2 Injection 500 mg; PG2 Injection 250 mg

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Signed the informed consent form
• ≧ 20 years old
• Have locally advanced or metastatic cancer or inoperable advanced cancer
• Under standard palliative care (SPC) at hospice setting and have no further curative options available
• BFI score ≧ 4
• Life expectancy of at least 3 months as determined by the investigator
• Willing and able to complete quality of life questionnaires

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnant or breast-feeding
• Uncontrolled systemic disease
• Take central nervous system stimulators within 30 days before screening
• Have enrolled or have not yet completed other investigational drug trials within 30 days before screening
• Karnofsky Performance Scores less than 30 %
• Diagnosed as dying status

• Minimum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

PhytoHealth Corporation

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Yuen-Liang YL Lai, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Mackay Memorial Hospital

Locations

Changhua Christian Hospital

Changhua, , Taiwan

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Branch

Kaohsiung City, , Taiwan

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Lovers Lake Branch

Keelung, , Taiwan

China Medical University Hospital

Taichung, , Taiwan

Chi Mei Hospital, Loiuying Campus

Tainan City, , Taiwan

Mackay Memorial Hospital

Taipei, , Taiwan

Tri-Service General Hospital

Taipei, , Taiwan

Taipei Medical University -Shung Ho Hospital

Taipei, , Taiwan

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou

Taoyuan District, , Taiwan

Countries

Taiwan

Other Identifiers

PH-CP012 (II)

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id