The short perioperative period (days to weeks around surgery) is characterized by stress-inflammatory responses, including catecholamines (CAs, e.g., adrenaline) and prostaglandins (PGs, e.g., prostaglandin-E2) release, and induce deleterious pro-metastatic effects. Animal studies implicated excess perioperative release of CAs and PGs in facilitating cancer progression by affecting the malignant tissue, its local environment, and anti-metastatic immune functions. Congruently, animal studies conducted by the investigators indicate that combined use of the beta-adrenergic blocker, propranolol, and the prostaglandins inhibitor, etodolac - but neither drug separately - efficiently prevented post-operative metastatic development. Two recently conducted clinical trials, conducted by the investigators, in three medical centers in Israel, recruiting breast (n=38) and colorectal (n=34) cancer patients, assessing the safety and short-term efficacy of perioperative propranolol and etodolac treatment. Drugs were well tolerated, without severe adverse events. Importantly, molecular/biological analyses of the excised primary tumor indicated that drug treatment caused promising anti-metastatic transformations, as well as improvements in immune and inflammatory indices. These included (i) decreased tumor cell capacity to migrate, (ii) reduced pro-metastatic capacity of the malignant tissue, and (iii) improvement in immune infiltrating into the tumor (Paper published in Clinical Cancer Research, 2017). Herein, the investigators propose to conduct a double-blind placebo-controlled two-arm Phase II clinical trial in 200 colorectal cancer patients undergoing curative surgery in Israel. A perioperative 20-day drug treatment will be initiated 5 days before surgery. Primary outcomes will include (i) 3-year disease-free-survival (DFS), and 5-year overall survival (OS); and (ii) biological markers in blood samples, and in the excised tumor tissue. Secondary outcomes will include safety indices and psychological measures of depression, anxiety, distress, and fatigue
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
200
A perioperative combined drug regimen
Placebo
HaEmek Medical Center
Afula, Israel
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGRambam Health Care Campus
Haifa, Israel
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGRabin Medical Center
Petah Tikva, Israel
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGSourasky Medical Center
Tel Aviv, Israel
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGSheba Medical Center
Tel Litwinsky, Israel
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGAsaf Harofeh Medical Center
Ẕerifin, Israel
RECRUITING5-year disease-free-survival
Data regrading post-surgical recurrence will be recorded at 1,3,6,12,18,24,36,48, and 60 following surgery. Primary outcome 1 will be rate of recurrence/disease at 60 months.
Time frame: From the date of surgery until malignant disease is identified, assessed up to 60 months post-surgery]
Biomarkers in extracted tumor tissue samples assessing pro- and anti-metastatic processes
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition ( EMT) status and natural-killer cell, macrophage, T-cell, and B-cell infiltration levels into tumor tissue (as assessed by messenger RNA profiling of tissue samples
Time frame: An average of one year following surgery
Biomarkers in blood samples assessing pro- and anti-metastatic processes
Cytokine levels in blood samples (interleukin-6, interleukin-10, C-reactive protein, interferon-gamma, and vascular endothelial growth factor and additional exploratory analysis of other cytokines)
Time frame: An average of one year following surgery
Number of patients with treatment related adverse events
According to the Clavien-Dindo classification system (7 grades of events depicting the severity of the event)
Time frame: 30 days following surgery
Depression, Anxiety, Global distress
Assessed by changes on the brief symptom inventory 18 questionnaire (this questionnaire assess all three scales for depression, anxiety and global distress)
Time frame: At baseline and at 30 days post-surgery
Fatigue
4 items related to fatigue in the 36 item short-form survey questionnaire.
Time frame: At baseline and at 30 days post-surgery
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.