PPALM-Palm Oil and Pentoxifylline Against Late Morbidity

NCT ID: NCT02230800

Last Updated: 2019-12-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 62 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2014-11-25
• Study Completion Date: 2019-12-20

Brief Summary

Side effects are common after treatment with radiotherapy for tumours in the pelvis and can affect the way the bowel and urinary system work as well as causing sexual difficulties, skin damage and bone problems. Problems in the bowel, bladder, sexual organs and skin mostly result from thickening of the tissues in response to radiotherapy, a process called "fibrosis". Fibrosis often worsens over time.

There has been progress in treating bowel symptoms which usually are the worst problem after radiotherapy. However, even after receiving the best possible treatments, while many patients are better, they are often not cured of all their difficult problems.

For some years, it has been hypothesised that if fibrosis could be treated then symptoms would improve. Recent research in laboratory animals has suggested that an effective treatment for radiation-induced fibrosis is combination therapy with a drug called Pentoxifylline together with a nutritional supplement containing gamma-tocotrienol (Tocovid SupraBio), a substance derived from palm oil. Both of these agents are simple to take and side effects are rare.

This study will recruit volunteers who continue to have difficult side effects after previous radiotherapy to the pelvis despite receiving the best treatments available from a unique clinic at The Royal Marsden which has pioneered treatment for bowel problems after radiotherapy. Two out of every three volunteers who take part, will be randomly assigned to treatment with Pentoxifylline and Tocovid SupraBio, while one out of three will receive dummy pills. Neither the patients nor the staff assessing them will know which treatment they have been given. Volunteers take the active treatments or dummy tablets for a year and will be assessed regularly while on treatment and for a year afterwards. This study will show whether active treatment is more effective than dummy pills in improving the symptoms caused by radiation-induced fibrosis.

Conditions

Long-term Adverse Effects of Radiotherapy for Pelvic Cancer

Study Design

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

Study Groups

Tocovid SupraBio plus pentoxifylline (PTX)

Tocovid SupraBio\* 200mg po bd plus pentoxifylline (PTX) 400mg po bd for 12 months.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Tocovid SupraBio plus pentoxifylline

Intervention Type: DRUG

Matching placebos

Matching placebos bd for 12 months.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Matching placebos

Intervention Type: DRUG

Interventions

Tocovid SupraBio plus pentoxifylline

Intervention Type: DRUG

Matching placebos

Intervention Type: DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age over 18 years.
• Past history of a malignant pelvic neoplasm (T1-4 N0-2 M0) of the rectum, prostate, testis, bladder, uterine cervix, uterus, vagina, vulva, anal canal or ovary.
• A minimum 12 months follow-up post-radiotherapy (24 months for patients with past history of stage T4 and/or N2 disease).
• A maximum 7 years post-radiotherapy
• No evidence of cancer recurrence.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms attributable to prior radiotherapy: grade 2 or higher in any CTCAE Version 4 category, or grade 1 with difficult intermittent symptoms.
• Symptoms are not relieved by appropriate life-style advice and medication over a 3-month period.
• Physical and psychological fitness for Tocovid SupraBio+PTX therapy.
• Written informed consent and availability for follow up.
• Willingness to keep to a specified level of dietary fat intake during the study.

Exclusion Criteria

• Surgery for rectal cancer.
• Contra-indication or other inability to undergo magnetic resonance imaging, if required to rule out malignancy.
• Dietary supplementation containing alpha-tocopherol above a daily dose of 30mg at any time during the last three months.
• Medication with pentoxifylline at any time since radiotherapy.
• Pregnancy or breast feeding.
• Ischaemic heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension, hypotension, acute myocardial infarction, cerebral haemorrhage, retinal haemorrhage, renal failure, liver failure and medication with insulin, ketorolac or vitamin K.
• Allergy to soya.
• Known hypersensitivity to the active constituent, pentoxifylline other methyl xanthines or any of the excipients', as per SmPC for pentoxifylline.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Malaysia Palm Oil Board

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Alexandra Taylor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Locations

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

London, , United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

References

Andreyev HJN, Matthews J, Adams C, Gothard L, Lucy C, Tovey H, Boyle S, Anbalagan S, Musallam A, Yarnold J, Abraham D, Bliss J, Abdi BA, Taylor A, Hauer-Jensen M. Randomised single centre double-blind placebo controlled phase II trial of Tocovid SupraBio in combination with pentoxifylline in patients suffering long-term gastrointestinal adverse effects of radiotherapy for pelvic cancer: The PPALM study. Radiother Oncol. 2022 Mar;168:130-137. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2022.01.024. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 35093409 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

CCR3894

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id