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A Pharmacokinetic Study of Melphalan in Children

Melphalan Pharmacokinetics in Children Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Pilot Study

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02390544
Enrollment
34
Registered
2015-03-17
Start date
2015-05-08
Completion date
2018-09-23
Last updated
2021-08-30

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Keywords

children, bone marrow transplant, pharmacokinetics

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the pharmacokinetics (PK) of melphalan in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Melphalan is an important component of HSCT preparative regimens, but can be associated with significant toxicity. PK data is a powerful clinical tool that, when used to develop individualized treatment plans for a specific patient, may ultimately increase the likelihood of selecting the right dose for the right patient and/or of reducing the number of adverse drug events. The investigators' goal is to establish baseline pediatric melphalan PK data. These data may be used for patient specific dosing of melphalan in the future to minimize toxicity and improve transplant outcomes.

Detailed description

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) continues to be the only curative therapy for patients with many hematological diseases. The adverse effects associated with chemotherapy agents used as part of HSCT preparative regimens are not insignificant and can be life threatening at times. The investigators' central hypothesis is that increased systemic exposure to melphalan due to variation in PK in younger children leads to increased toxicity seen in them. Although the PK of melphalan has been studied in animal models and in adult patients, limited data exists in pediatric patients especially those undergoing allogeneic HSCT. The objective of this study is to describe the pharmacokinetics of melphalan in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Up to forty patients who are scheduled to receive melphalan as part of their preparative regimen will be enrolled. Prior to the start of the preparative regimen, study participants will receive a test dose of melphalan (10% of the standard dose). Blood samples will be collected at specific time points prior to and after the administration of the test dose and again around the full standard dose of melphalan. This study will establish that a novel method (dry blood spot assay) of determining PK of melphalan can be utilized in the clinical setting. Additionally, urine samples will be collected to measure markers of kidney injury, which will help correlate melphalan exposure with toxicity.

Interventions

DRUGMelphalan

Melphalan is a bifunctional alkylating agent that inhibits DNA and RNA synthesis, cross-links strands of DNA and acts on both resting and rapidly dividing cells including tumor cells. It is administered intravenously.

Sponsors

Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients undergoing either allogeneic RIC HSCT, or autologous transplant containing melphalan as part of the preparative regimen at CCHMC will be included.

Exclusion criteria

* Failure to sign informed consent, or inability to undergo informed consent process. * It is not medically advisable to obtain the specimens necessary for this study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
To characterize the pharmacokinetics of melphalan in children undergoing HSCTPrior to the melphalan infusion, and then approximately 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 60 min, 2, 2.5, 4, and 6 hours after the end of the melphalan infusion.Blood samples will be collected at the above time points around the test dose of melphalan and again around the standard full dose of melphalan. AUC will be used to characterize the pharmacokinetics of melphalan.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Perform measurement of acute kidney injury marker, KIM-1Prior to the melphalan infusion and approximately 8 hours and 24 hours following the end of melphalan infusion.Urine samples will be collected at the above time points around the test dose of melphalan and again around the standard full dose of melphalan for measurement of KIM-1.
Perform measurement of acute kidney injury marker, NGALPrior to the melphalan infusion and approximately 8 hours and 24 hours following the end of melphalan infusion.Urine samples will be collected at the above time points around the test dose of melphalan and again around the standard full dose of melphalan for measurement of NGAL.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026