To assess toxicity with use of Ruxolitinib in NSCLC cachexia patients; to associate levels of JAK/STAT signaling in blood, adipose, and muscle pre- and post-ruxolitinib treatment with changes in cachexia and anorexia.
Lung cancer patients on a whole, and a significant percentage of NSCLC patients in particular, develop cancer cachexia. In fact, approximately 30-40% of all NSCLC patients will develop cachexia in their disease course, with the highest percentages in stage IV patients. One-third of these patients will die of cachexia-related morbidity. In these groups, stage-matched NSCLC patients with cachexia will have poorer survival than those without cachexia. The JAK 1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib has been used in many types of non-oncologic and oncologic patients with a well-established toxicity profile. Ruxolitinib was created as an oral agent with the capacity to antagonize JAK/STAT signaling across cell types. Based on the findings of the REACH2 and REACH3 trials, a starting dose of 10 mg twice daily oral administration of ruxolitinib was established for the latter patient population and is also a starting dose for the polycythemia patients. Known but manageable side effects of ruxolitinib use include thrombocytopenia, anemia, neutropenia, risk of infection, among other conditions. Ruxolitinib has not specifically been used in 1) cancer cachexia patient populations in an evaluable trial or 2) in the setting of first line cancer therapies for solid tumors who are receiving new standards of care including immunotherapy (IO). Therefore, in this trial, investigators propose using ruxolitinib in an open-label approach to antagonize systemic and tissue-specific, tumor-directed JAK/STAT signaling as a means curtailing cachexia progression in stage IV NSCLC patients. This study will ensure an acceptable toxicity profile when ruxolitinib is used in cancer cachexia patients.The use of ruxolitinib dose escalation in the same patients with frequent tissue and serum collections will permit us to better understand how important JAK/STAT signaling is to clinical cancer cachexia development.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
10
There will be intra-patient dose escalation of ruxolitinib in every patient enrolled on study.
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, United States
Number of non-small cell lung cancer cachexia patients with toxicity with the use of Ruxolitinib
To assess toxicity with use of Ruxolitinib in NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) cachexia patients; to associate levels of JAK/STAT (Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription) signaling in blood, adipose, and muscle pre- and post-ruxolitinib treatment with changes in cachexia and anorexia. NCI's CTCAE v5.0 toxicity criteria will be used to measure Ruxolitinib-related side effects. Immunoblotting, FACS analyses, and other biologic metrics will be used to determine if Ruxolitinib can suppress cachexia-associated JAK/STAT activation in blood and peripheral tissues.
Time frame: 3 months
Number of adverse events associated with ruxolitinib when administered to cancer cachexia patients
For the secondary objective of adverse events, investigator will again use NCI's CTCAE v5.0 toxicity criteria throughout the trial evaluation.
Time frame: 3 months
Number of participants with Objective Response (OR) as determined by RECIST criteria
Patient tumor response will be determined by CT-based imaging (CT, PET/CT), MRI (brain evaluation), and other clinical indicators (bronchoscopy, image-guided biopsies), etc. with RECIST and iRECIST criteria response criteria as a function of Ruxolitinib use and dose. In patients with measurable disease, to describe any preliminary evidence of Ruxolitinib's anti-tumor activity by assessment of objective response as determined by RECIST in cancer cachexia patients. Two such measurements will be conducted during the course of the trial.
Time frame: 3 months
Analysis providing any preliminary evidence that ruxolitinib improves quality of life (QoL) for cancer cachexia patients
Quality of life questionnaire while on ruxolitinib will be assessed with the EORTC QLQ-CAX24 (The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire). Questionnaire will be given to patients every 2 weeks for 3 months while on study and 1 month of follow-up.
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Time frame: 4 months
Suppression of body weight loss in cancer cachexia patients
To describe any preliminary evidence suggesting that Ruxolitinib suppresses body weight loss in cancer cachexia patients. Body weight will be measured every 2 weeks while on study, including 1 month of follow-up, to provide measures of how Ruxolitinib may be suppressing cachexia-associated body weight loss.
Time frame: 4 months
Analysis of any preliminary evidence suggesting that Ruxolitinib suppresses adipose and lean muscle loss in cancer cachexia patients.
Body weight will be measured every 2 weeks while on study, including 1 month of follow-up. Both DEXA (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) imaging every 2 weeks while on study/follow-up and CT-based imaging with auto-segmentation will provide measures of how Ruxolitinib may be suppressing cachexia-associated adipose and muscle loss.
Time frame: 4 months
Analysis of any preliminary evidence suggesting that Ruxolitinib suppresses anorexia in cancer cachexia patients.
Anorexia will be assessed with the EORTC QLQ-CAX24 questionnaire as well as direct clinical history taking every 2 weeks on study. Descriptive statistics will be used to report changes.
Time frame: 4 months
Analysis of any preliminary evidence suggesting that Ruxolitinib improves overall survival in cancer cachexia patients.
Progression-free survival (CT-based imaging) will be assessed for all patients while on and off Ruxolitinib. There will be one determination of OS at 6 months from start of active phase of study. Estimates will be descriptively presented using the Kaplan-Meier method.
Time frame: 6 months