This randomized phase I/II trial studies the side effects and best way to give lyophilized black raspberries in preventing oral cancer in high-risk patients previously diagnosed with stage I-IV or in situ head and neck cancer. Chemoprevention is the use of certain drugs to keep cancer from forming. The use of lyophilized black raspberries may prevent oral cancer. Studying samples of oral cavity scrapings, blood, urine, and saliva in the laboratory from patients receiving lyophilized black raspberries may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and the effect of lyophilized back raspberries on biomarkers.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the adherence of post-surgical head and neck (HN) cancer patients to clinical trial design expectations and define tolerability and potential adverse effects of long-term black raspberry administration in this patient cohort. II. Determine the effects of dose and delivery vehicle on the degree of uptake of black raspberry components in target oral tissues of post-surgical HN cancer patients over time and determine the relationships between adherence/exposure data and uptake. III. Determine the ability of black raspberries to modulate patterns of gene expression within key regulatory pathways in "at-risk normal" oral mucosa of post-surgical HN cancer patients that would favor the inhibition, delay or reversal of oral carcinogenesis. IV. Determine the persistence of modulation of "berry-responsive genes" for 2 years following commencement of black raspberry treatment and preliminarily define rate of recurrence and second primary oral cancers in a former oral cancer patient sub-cohort. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 4 treatment arms. ARM I: Patients receive lozenge placebo orally (PO) four times daily (QID). ARM II: Patients receive lyophilized black raspberries lozenge PO QID. ARM III: Patients receive Saliva Substitute placebo PO QID. ARM IV: Patients receive lyophilized black raspberries Saliva Substitute PO QID. In all arms, treatment continues for 6 months. Oral cavity scrapings, blood, urine, and saliva samples are collected periodically for laboratory analyses. After completion of study treatment, some patients are followed up at weeks 1-5 and then at 2, 6, 12, and 18 months.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
70
Receive lozenge placebo PO
Correlative studies
Ancillary studies
Receive LBR lozenge PO
Receive LBR Saliva Substitute PO
Receive Saliva Substitute placebo PO
Ohio State University Medical Center
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Define tolerability and potential adverse effects of long-term black raspberry administration of post-surgical HN cancer patients
Use diaries and collection of "empties" over 6-month treatment period. Test both measures simultaneously using global test. Two measures tested individually at alpha=0.05 if global test is significant. First check for interaction effect between dose and delivery with double-sided test at alpha=0.01. If that isn't significant, use data from both doses to perform a double-sided alpha=0.05 on difference in compliance between delivery methods. Dose response effect in compliance also tested. Exploring for interaction effects with continued tobacco use vs not and oral cavity patients vs others.
Time frame: up to 6 months
Effects of dose and delivery vehicle on the degree of uptake of black raspberry components in target oral tissues of post-surgical HN cancer patients over time and determine the relationships between adherence/exposure data and uptake.
A double-sided test at alpha=0.05 and a mean summary across the repeated measures to test the difference in delivery methods will be used. Relationship between diary compliance and empties records and the two berry components measures over time will be modeled. The critical statistical result from this analysis will be the degree to which the individual patient's trends in the compliance measures correlate with the trends for the two components measured. Interaction effects with continued tobacco use will also be checked.
Time frame: up to 2 years
Correlation between change in gene expression within key regulatory pathways and dose and delivery method
Using qRT-PCR measurements for each of 8 genes. Multiple endpoint approach for each gene will be used. Linear mixed models will be used for the repeated measures. Global test at 0.05 to decide superior delivery method. Mean summary statistic across the repeated measures will be used. Interaction effect of dose and delivery tested. Test for interaction of tobacco use at 0.05. Proc Mixed used to estimate both within person (over time changes) and between person relationships across berry components and pathway measures.
Time frame: up to 2 years
Sustainability of the measures within genes found to show significant berry effects beyond the 6-month exposure period
Slopes of change (toward baseline) estimated. Hypothesis testing to rule out chance as explanation of changes toward baseline in the berry exposed groups. Relationship between sustainability and the delivery dose studied. Effects on sustainability of continued or changing tobacco use will be estimated. Measures during extended follow-up that are clear indicators of efficacy will be collected.
Time frame: up to 2 years
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