RATIONALE: Chemoprevention therapy is the use of certain drugs to try to prevent the development or recurrence of cancer. Dehydroepiandrosterone and clarithromycin may be effective in preventing multiple myeloma. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of dehydroepiandrosterone with that of clarithromycin in treating patients who may be at a high risk of developing multiple myeloma.
OBJECTIVES: * Determine whether dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or clarithromycin causes a significant reduction in bone marrow plasmacytosis, serum and/or urine M protein or Bence Jones protein, and surrogate endpoint biomarkers in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined or borderline significance. * Determine whether differences in interleukin-1-beta (IL-1-beta) expression and IL-1-beta dependent biomarkers (adhesion molecule expression and serum interleukin-6 levels) are useful surrogate endpoint biomarkers in these patients. * Determine whether differences in ploidy, proliferative index, nuclear pleomorphism index, circulating monoclonal plasma cells, Th1/Th2 ratios, serum s-interleukin-6R (SIL-6R) levels, interleukin-6 and SIL-6R expression, or plasma cell apoptosis assay are useful surrogate endpoint biomarkers in these patients. * Determine the effects of these treatment regimens on the quality of life of these patients. OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients are stratified according to disease (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance vs monoclonal gammopathy of borderline significance) and monoclonal protein abnormality (IgG vs IgA). Patients are randomized to 1 of 4 treatment arms. * Arm I: Patients receive oral dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) once daily. * Arm II: Patients receive oral clarithromycin once or twice daily. * Arm III: Patients receive oral placebo once daily. * Arm IV: Patients receive oral placebo twice daily. Treatment continues for 6 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Quality of life is assessed at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and then at disease progression. Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year and then every 6 months for 1.5 years. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 75 patients (25 per treatment arms I and II and 25 between arms III and IV) will be accrued for this study within 2.5 years.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Mayo Clinic in Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
Mayo Clinic in Florida
Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota, United States
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