This phase II trial tests how well itraconazole works in combination with the usual standard of care endoscopy with ablation for the prevention of esophageal cancer in patients who have high-risk Barrett's esophagus (BE). BE is a condition in which the lining of the esophagus changes and becomes more like the tissue that lines the intestine. People with Barrett's esophagus have a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer. Itraconazole is a drug used to prevent or treat fungal infections. Ablation refers to the removal of abnormal tissue using heat. Endoscopy is a procedure for looking at the esophagus using a long, flexible tube called an endoscope, which has a video camera at the end. Radiofrequency ablation is a type of heat therapy that uses radiofrequency energy (similar to microwave heat) to destroy the abnormal tissue in the esophagus. Giving itraconazole in combination with standard of care endoscopy with ablation may improve the effects of ablation and prevent esophageal cancer in patients with high-risk Barrett's esophagus.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To evaluate if itraconazole in the peri-ablation period in participants with high-risk Barrett's esophagus (BE) can accelerate BE regression i.e., achieve complete resolution of intestinal metaplasia (CRIM) faster than the control group. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To measure the time to event of complete eradication of dysplasia (CED). II. To measure the rate of BE recurrence during routine follow-up. III. To determine the safety and tolerability of itraconazole in participants with high-risk BE. IV. To correlate levels of itraconazole and its primary metabolite hydroxyitraconazole in plasma and esophageal tissues with treatment response. V. To compare biosocial impact on the participants in the itraconazole and control arms. EXPLANATORY OBJECTIVE: I. To correlate the degree of inhibition of Hedgehog (Hh), PI3K-AKT, and VEGFR2 signaling pathways with treatment response. EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine whether expression (baseline and magnitude of change) of stem cell markers such as LGR5/CD44/DCAMKL1 can predict treatment response. II. To bank blood samples and tissue biopsies for future analyses to understand the determinants of response. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups. GROUP I: Patients receive itraconazole orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-42 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 6 weeks for up to 2 cycles as long as there is an absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo usual standard of care endoscopy and radiofrequency ablation on study. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout the study as well as tissue biopsy on study. GROUP II: Patients receive placebo PO BID on days 1-42 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 6 weeks for up to 2 cycles as long as there is an absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo usual standard of care endoscopy and radiofrequency ablation on study. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout the study as well as tissue biopsy on study. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 12 months.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
64
Undergo tissue biopsy
Undergo blood sample collection
Undergo endoscopy
Given PO
Given PO
Ancillary studies
Undergo radiofrequency ablation
University of Kansas Cancer Center
Kansas City, Kansas, United States
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Washington University School of Medicine
St Louis, Missouri, United States
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Baylor University Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, United States
Time to complete resolution of intestinal metaplasia (CRIM) in days
CRIM will be defined based on the absence of visible Barrett's esophagus (BE) and invisible BE (i.e., no intestinal metaplasia \[IM\] in biopsies of the gastroesophageal junction and the cardia). Will be reported descriptively. Will compare the unadjusted hazard rates between the itraconazole and control groups using log rank test.
Time frame: Between day 1, cycle 1 (1 cycle = 6 weeks) and the date of endoscopy at which the participant is deemed to reach CRIM
Time to complete eradication of dysplasia
Will be assessed by surveillance biopsies at the time of the endoscopy that documents CRIM and the biopsies at the time of first surveillance endoscopy will be evaluated for dysplasia.
Time frame: Between day 1, cycle 1 (1 cycle = 6 weeks) and the date of endoscopy at which surveillance biopsies do not show dysplasia
Rate of BE recurrence over follow-up
Will be assessed between the study treatment group and the control group. BE recurrence will be defined as histologic presence of IM (with or without dysplasia) in biopsies from the tubular esophagus or in biopsies at the gastroesophageal junction. The results from the standrd of care endoscopy closest to the 12-month time point after CRIM will be used to collect information for this endpoint.
Time frame: At 12 months after CRIM
Incidence of adverse events
Will be assessed by National Cancer Institutes Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 criteria to document adverse events and measure specific laboratory parameters to monitor for the safety and tolerability of itraconazole and assessed by descriptive statistics.
Time frame: Up to 30 days after the end of intervention
Correlate levels of itraconazole and its primary metabolite hydroxyitraconazole
Will be assessed in plasma and esophageal tissues with treatment response. Will measure these metabolites after two weeks of itraconazole therapy by obtaining biopsies of the esophagus. These measurements will be correlated with biomarker and clinical response to understand how tissue levels of the drug change the molecular and primary endpoints. Will also measure the blood levels to test the feasibility of blood levels for prediction of clinical response in the future.
Time frame: After two weeks of itraconazole
Biosocial impact
Will be assessed by questionnaires to collect information about the biosocial endpoints. These will include cancer-specific distress questionnaire, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, Health-Related Quality of life short form 12 version 2, and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System anxiety and depression scores as previously used at the beginning and at the end of the study. The summary measures such as mean or median of these distress scores will be compared between arms using t-test (or Wilcoxon rank test in case of non normality). Linear regression models will be used for studying the differences in the average distress scores between arms adjusted for age, sex and prior history of anxiety or depression.
Time frame: At baseline and at the end of the study
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