Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) is a disease of the bone marrow characterized by anemia,neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia (low red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet counts). MDS patients with thrombocytopenia who fail standard therapies require regular platelet transfusions which are expensive and inconvenient, and are a risk for further serious bleeding complications. The new treatment of MDS using azacitidine has shown to increase the survival rate of MDS patients including to improve platelet production over time. However,in the early cycles of treatment with azacitidine,the low platelet counts tend to exacerbate before they provide any clinical benefit. Eltrombopag is a drug designed to activate the thrombopoietin receptor. Eltrombopag has been able to increase platelet counts in healthy Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP), a disease where patients destroy their own platelets very rapidly and thus develop thrombocytopenia. Eltrombopag is administered orally and is Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic ITP who failed to respond to standard treatment. This study is a single arm pilot study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of Eltrombopag in the treatment of low platelet counts in adult subjects with MDS treated using azacitidine This study also incorporates a correlative laboratory component designed to determined the mechanism of action of 5-azacitidine +/- Eltrombopag and to determine a baseline profile which may predict those most responsive. These studies will incorporate gene methylation and expression, and immunoprofiling.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
25
Standard: azacitidine D1-5, 8\&9, until loss of clinical benefit. Experimental: eltrombopag at a dose ranging from 50-300mg for 6 months, continuing only in those deriving clinical benefit.
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Cabrini Hospital
Malvern, Victoria, Australia
Number of events of non-haematological toxicities related to the combination of eltrombopag and azacitidine
The number of events of Grade III/IV non-haematological toxicities will be measured based on the possibly, probably or definitely relatedness to the combination of eltrombopag and azacitidine
Time frame: At 6 cycles of therapy (approx 6 months)
Number of patients with improved platelet counts and the dose at which this may be achieved.
Time frame: Approximately 2.5 years after the last accrued patient completes study treatment
Correlation of the laboratory findings with the response of the combination of 5-azacitidine and eltrombopag in patients with MDS and low marrow blast count AML
Time frame: Approximately 2.5 years after last accrued patient completes study treatment
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