This study investigates whether alteplase can help to improve pleural fluid drainage and dyspnea (breathlessness) in patients with non-draining malignant pleural effusion. Alteplase helps dissolve blood clots and is used to treat heart attacks, strokes, and clots in the lungs. Alteplase may help to control symptoms of breathlessness.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To evaluate dyspnea using the visual analog scale (VAS) scale at one week in patients with symptomatic septated malignant neoplasm of the pleural effusion (MPE) and a non-draining/inadequately draining indwelling pleural catheter (IPC). SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: I. To evaluate dyspnea using the visual analog scale (VAS) scale at 48 hours (+/-12 hours) after treatment with intrapleural alteplase, in patients with septated MPE and a nondraining/inadequately draining IPC. In addition, complications, quality adjusted survival (calculated using the SF-6D to determine utilities and then integrating utilities over time to arrive at quality-adjusted survival), change in dyspnea (using the Borg score and VAS scale) at 1 week (+/- 1 day), 2 weeks (+/- 2 days) and every 4 weeks (+/- 2 days) after the intervention until IPC removal or death. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. ARM I: Patients receive alteplase instilled into the IPC which is capped for 1-2 hours before the catheter is drained. ARM II: Patients receive placebo instilled into the IPC which is capped for 1-2 hours before the catheter is drained. Beginning 1 week later, patients may receive alteplase as in arm I.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
30
Instilled into IPC
Instilled into IPC
M D Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, United States
RECRUITINGIncidence of Adverse Events, Graded According to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events
Time frame: through study completion; an average of 1 year
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