Clinical Trials

Radiation Therapy, Amifostine, and Chemotherapy in Treating Young Patients With Newly Diagnosed Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Location:

Trial status:

Inactive

Why is this study being done?

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

- Determine the response rate, overall survival, and event-free survival of children with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma who are treated with induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy and amifostine.

Secondary

- Characterize the role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in children.

- Investigate the predictive value of the detection of EBV DNA in the peripheral blood of children with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

- Determine the incidence of NUT rearrangements in childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

- Determine the radioprotective effect of amifostine when given daily prior to radiation therapy.

OUTLINE: This is a nonrandomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to stage of disease (I or IIA [stratum I] vs IIB-IV [stratum II]).

- Stratum I: Patients undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Patients also receive amifostine subcutaneously on the same days they undergo radiotherapy.

- Stratum II:

- Induction therapy (weeks 1-9): Patients receive cisplatin IV over 6 hours on day 1 and fluorouracil IV continuously on days 1-4. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with responding or stable disease proceed to consolidation therapy.

- Consolidation therapy (weeks 10-18): Patients undergo radiotherapy and receive amifostine as in stratum I. Patients also receive cisplatin IV over 6 hours on days 1 and 22 (2 courses).

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically for 10 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 160 patients will be accrued for this study.

Who is eligible to participate?

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histological diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma WHO type II or III

- Stage I-IV disease

- Newly diagnosed disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- Performance status

- Patients ≤ 16 years of age: Lansky 60-100%

- Patients > 16 years of age: Karnofsky 60-100%

- Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate ≥ 70 mL/min OR

- Creatinine based on age/gender as follows:

- No greater than 0.4 mg/dL (for patients 1 month to < 6 months of age)

- No greater than 0.5 mg/dL (for patients 6 months to < 1 year of age)

- No greater than 0.6 mg/dL (for patients 1-2 years of age)

- No greater than 0.8 mg/dL (for patients < 6 years of age)

- No greater than 1.0 mg/dL (for patients 6 to < 10 years of age)

- No greater than 1.2 mg/dL (for patients 10 to < 13 years of age)

- No greater than 1.4 mg/dL (for female patients 13 to ≥ 16 years of age)

- No greater than 1.5 mg/dL (for male patients 13 to < 16 years of age)

- No greater than 1.7 mg/dL (for male patients ≥ 16 years of age)

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) for age

- AST or ALT < 2.5 times ULN for age

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- No prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy to the nasopharynx or neck for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Last updated: 10/07/2012

NCT ID: NCT00274937

IRB Number:07-007844