NCT01200121

Bevacizumab as a Palliative Treatment for Patients With Symptomatic Malignant Ascites Due to Advanced-stage Gastrointestinal Cancers

Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Phase II-study Investigating the Efficacy of Bevacizumab for Symptom Control in Patients With Malignant Ascites Due to Advanced-stage Gastrointestinal Cancers

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 53 (actual)
• Sponsor: AIO-Studien-gGmbH · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Malignant ascites represents a severe clinical problem for physicians and patients being confronted with this common symptom of advanced-stage gastrointestinal cancer. Unfortunately, there is no standardized and evidence-based treatment for malignant ascites and therapies which are commonly being used are only temporarily effective. Newer modes of therapy, such as the application of the tri-functional antibody catumaxomab, are associated with significant side effects and are limited to patients in stages of good overall performance. Therefore, there is still an urgent need for more effective, longer-lasting, and less toxic modes of treatment for peritoneal effusions caused by gastrointestinal cancers. Preclinical data strongly suggest that bevacizumab might be a very effective agent for the treatment of malignant ascites, which is in large part caused by the hyperpermeability-promoting factor VEGF. Emerging clinical results from cancer patients with malignant ascites treated with bevacizumab add further support to this idea. Bevacizumab has been tested in a variety of large clinical trials, has a good toxicity profile, and is effective in a number of human cancers underlying malignant ascites. In the present study, Bevacizumab will be administered as an intraperitoneal infusion at an absolute standardized dosage of 400 mg. This dosage was chosen because it is comparable to the approved standard dosage for intravenous administration which was also used in both studies reporting the successful and safe intraperitoneal administration of Bevacizumab to patients with malignant ascites. Finally, a standardized dosage seems more practical in the particular patient population treated in this study.

Conditions

• Malignant Ascites
• Gastrointestinal Cancers

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Bevacizumab	Patients will receive paracentesis as needed for symptom con¬trol. In addition, patients will receive up to 4 intraperitoneal administrations of 400 mg Bevacizumabafter paracentesis has been performed. During the 8-week treatment period, a minimum interval of 14 days will be kept between applications of the study medication.
OTHER	Placebo	Patients will receive paracentesis as needed for symptom con¬trol. In addition, patients will receive up to 4 intraperitoneal administrations of Placebo after paracentesis has been performed. During the 8-week treatment period, a minimum interval of 14 days will be kept between applications of the study medication.

Timeline

• Start date: 2010-02-01
• Primary completion: 2014-08-01
• Completion: 2014-12-01
• First posted: 2010-09-13
• Last updated: 2015-04-13

Locations

26 sites across 1 country: Germany