Capecitabine and Vorinostat in Treating Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

Stopped early · Phase 2

Conditions studied: Paranasal Sinus Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Recurrent Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Recurrent Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Recurrent Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Recurrent Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVA Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVA Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVA Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVA Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVB Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVB Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVB Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVB Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVC Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVC Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVC Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Stage IVC Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In brief

This partially randomized phase II trial studies giving capecitabine and vorinostat in treating patients with head and neck cancer that has come back after previous treatment or that has spread to other areas in the body. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Vorinostat may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether giving capecitabine together with vorinostat is more effective than capecitabine alone in treating patients with cancer of the head and neck cancer.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT01267240
Run by: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
People needed: 25
Starts: 2010-12-01
Expected to finish: 2016-10-01
Last updated by the study team: 2017-04-14

Who can join

Age: 19 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed SCCHN or NPC that is recurrent and/or metastatic and that is not amendable to curative therapy by surgery or radiation; SCCHN originating from the following sites are eligible: oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx and paranasal sinus are eligible; for patients with a diagnosis of SCCHN of unknown origin, their eligibility must be reviewed and approved by the principal investigator
For patients with SCCHN, they may have received one prior targeted therapy for recurrent or metastatic disease (excluding histone deacetylase [HDAC] inhibitors) provided treatment is completed > 4 weeks prior to enrollment; they may have received prior systemic chemotherapy (ie, induction, concurrent or adjuvant) for SCCHN as part of the initial multimodality treatment for locally advanced disease if the chemotherapy is completed > 6 months prior to enrollment; patients are not eligible if they received fluorouracil (5-FU) or capecitabine previously as part of the initial multimodality treatment
Patients with NPC must have completed one prior chemotherapy regimen for recurrent or metastatic disease at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment; in addition, they may have received prior systemic chemotherapy (ie, induction, concurrent or adjuvant) for NPC as part of the initial multimodality treatment for locally advanced disease if the chemotherapy is completed > 6 months prior to enrollment; patients are eligible if they received 5-FU as part of the initial multimodality treatment; patients are not eligible if they received capecitabine previously
Patients must have measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as > 20 mm with conventional techniques or as > 10 mm with spiral computed tomography (CT) scan; indicator lesions must not have been previously treated with surgery, radiation therapy or radiofrequency ablation unless there is documented progression after therapy
Patients must have completed any previous surgery or radiotherapy >= 4 weeks prior to enrollment
Previously treated patients must have evidence of progressive disease, either clinically or radiographically, as assessed by the investigator
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status < 2 (Karnofsky > 60%)
Life expectancy of greater than 12 weeks
Absolute neutrophil count >= 1.5 x 10\^9/L
Platelets >= 100 x 10\^9/L
Total bilirubin =< 1.25 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 3 x ULN or =< 5 x ULN with documented liver metastases
Creatinine =< 1.25 x ULN OR creatinine clearance >= 50 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 for patients with creatinine levels above 1.25 x ULN
12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) with normal tracing, or non-clinically significant changes that do not require medical intervention; corrected QT (QTc) interval < 470 msec, and without history of Torsades de Pointes or other symptomatic QTc abnormality
Eligibility of patients receiving any medications or substances known to affect or with the potential to affect the activity of vorinostat will be determined following review of their case by the principal investigator
Women of childbearing potential and men must be surgically sterilized, practicing abstinence, or agree to use 2 birth control methods prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation; the 2 birth control methods can be either be 2 barrier methods or a barrier method plus a hormonal method to prevent pregnancy; the following are considered adequate barrier methods of contraception: diaphragm or sponge, and condom; other methods of contraception such as copper intrauterine device or spermicide may be used; appropriate hormonal contraceptives will include any registered and marketed contraceptive agent that contains an estrogen and/or a progestational agent (including oral, subcutaneous, intrauterine, or intramuscular agents); should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
Patients must be willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plan, laboratory tests and other study procedures
Willingness to discontinue taking any medications that are generally accepted to have a risk causing Torsades de Pointes during the study

You may not qualify if…

Past or current malignancy other than SCCHN or NPC, except for:
Cervical carcinoma Stage 1B or less
Non-invasive basal cell and squamous cell skin carcinoma
Malignant melanoma with a complete response of a duration of > 10 years
Radically treated prostate cancer (prostatectomy or radiotherapy) with normal prostate specific antigen (PSA), and not requiring ongoing anti-androgen hormonal therapy
Other cancer diagnosis with a complete response of duration of > 5 years
Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents
Patients with known brain metastases should be excluded from this clinical trial
Prior use of capecitabine is not allowed
Prior and concomitant treatment with HDAC inhibitors (such as valproic acid) are not allowed
History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to vorinostat or other agents used in study
Patients who are unable to take oral medications and / or who have a clinical or radiological diagnosis of bowel obstruction are ineligible
Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, active peptic ulcer disease, myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to entry, congestive heart failure, symptomatic congestive heart failure, active cardiomyopathy, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, uncontrolled hypertension or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
Pregnant women are excluded from this study; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with vorinostat
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients are ineligible
Patients with known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency are excluded

Where it is running

Tower Cancer Research Foundation — Beverly Hills, California, United States
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center — Duarte, California, United States
USC / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center — Los Angeles, California, United States
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center — Martinez, California, United States
Veterans Administration Hospital - Martinez — Martinez, California, United States
University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center — Sacramento, California, United States
City of Hope South Pasadena — South Pasadena, California, United States
Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center — Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Tom Baker Cancer Centre — Calgary, Alberta, Canada
BCCA-Vancouver Cancer Centre — Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Juravinski Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences — Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
London Health Sciences Centre-Corporate — London, Ontario, Canada
London Regional Cancer Program — London, Ontario, Canada

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.