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Dietary, Herbal and Alternative Medicine in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Study Purpose

RATIONALE: Giving the herb Boswellia serrata after surgery and radiation therapy may slow the growth of any remaining tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving Boswellia serrata together with standard treatment is more effective than standard treatment alone in treating high-grade gliomas. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is the study of a combination of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) herbal supplement intervention as an adjuvant to standard treatment of patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGG). The central hypothesis of this application is that a herbal preparation that inhibits 5-LO activity, will produce measurable biologically meaningful decrease in 5-LO eicosanoid production and brain edema that will be associated with improved survival and quality of life in patients with HGG.

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms

No
Study Type

An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes.


An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.


Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.

Interventional
Eligible Ages 18 Years and Over
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • - Patients after surgical removal of histologically confirmed World Health Organization high-grade gliomas, including astrocytomas grade III (anaplastic astrocytoma), astrocytoma grade IV (glioblastoma multiforme, GBM), anaplastic oligodendroglioma and oligoastrocytoma.
  • - Karnofsky performance status of greater or equal 60.
  • - Patients who signed informed consent.
  • - Patients can be receiving standard or investigational chemotherapy , hormonal therapy, immunotherapy or biologic agents as the primary treatment for their tumor.
  • - Glucocorticoid therapy is allowed.
  • - Bone marrow function (absolute neutrophil count [ANC] >=1500/mm^3 and platelet count >=75,000/mm^3); in the event of plate count dropping below 50,000/ mm^3 the Boswellia will be withdrawn until plate count reaches 75,000 mm^3 and above.
  • - Liver function (bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase =< 2 x normal and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT] =< 3 x normal) - Renal function (blood urea nitrogen [BUN] or creatinine =< 1.5 x normal) - Patients suffering from mild to moderate asthma, liver and kidney disease; an assessment of the condition will be made to establish a baseline and monitor progress at 4 weekly intervals to start with for the first two months and thereafter at the usual study intervals of 4 and 6 months; if there is any significant deterioration in their condition the Boswellia will be withdrawn until these parameters are restored to their pre-treatment levels.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • - Any medical condition that could interfere with eating and oral administration of B.
serrata.
  • - Patients already taking herbal preparations that contain 5-LO inhibitors.
  • - Any previous (within the past 3 years) or concurrent malignancies at other sites, with the exception of surgically cured carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix and non-melanoma skin cancer.
  • - Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
  • - Active infection.
- Inability to be followed closely at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Trial Details

Trial ID:

This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.

NCT00243022
Phase

Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans.

Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data.

Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.

Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.

Phase 2
Lead Sponsor

The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.

Ali Altunkaya
Principal Investigator

The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.

Glen Stevens, DO, PhD
Principal Investigator Affiliation The Cleveland Clinic
Agency Class

Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.

Other, NIH
Overall Status Terminated
Countries United States
Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.

Brain and Central Nervous System Tumors, Cerebral Edema
Additional Details

OBJECTIVES: Primary.

  • - To determine whether a herbal approach to decreasing 5-LO eicosanoid production reduces peritumoral brain edema in patients with HGG.
Secondary.
  • - To determine if this adjuvant approach improves the quality of life and progression free and overall survival of patients with HGG.
OUTLINE: This a randomized, controlled study. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.
  • - Arm I (intervention): Patients receive oral Boswellia serrata herbal extract 4 times a day and oral cyanocobalamin (vitamin B-12) once a day for 6 months in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.
  • - Arm II (control): Patients receive oral vitamin B-12 once a day for 6 months.
All patients are encouraged to eat a regular balanced diet (as recommended by the American Cancer Society for cancer prevention) with limited consumption of red and processed meats. Quality of life will be assessed at baseline and then at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 months. After completion of study treatment, patients will be followed every 6 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 70 patients (35 per treatment arm) will be accrued for this study.

Arms & Interventions

Arms

Experimental: Arm I (intervention)

Patients receive oral Boswellia serrata extract 4 times a day and oral cyanocobalamin (vitamin B 12) once a day for 6 months in the absence of unacceptable toxicity.

Active Comparator: Arm II (control)

Patients in the control arm receive oral cyanocobalamin (vitamin B 12) once a day for 6 months.

Interventions

Drug: - Boswellia serrata extract

given orally

Dietary Supplement: - cyanocobalamin

given orally

Contact a Trial Team

If you are interested in learning more about this trial, find the trial site nearest to your location and contact the site coordinator via email or phone. We also strongly recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider about the trials that may interest you and refer to our terms of service below.

Cleveland, Ohio

Status

Address

Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Cleveland, Ohio, 44195