Aplastic Anemia, Fungal Infection, Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Conditions
Brief summary
To investigate the efficacy of posaconazole as prophylaxis antifungal agent in aplastic anemia / hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome (AA/hMDS) patients undergoing antithymocyte globulin (ATG) treatment
Detailed description
With compromised bone marrow function, patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and/and hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome (hMDS) are at an increased risk of invasive fungal infection. Moreover, the use of antithyocyte globulin (ATG), a part of standard first line treatment for AA/hMDS, increases the risk of fungal infection due to its antilymophocytic effects. It has been reported that fungal infection occurs most often in the first few weeks after initiation of ATG treatment, and the reported incidence of fungal infection overall varies from 9\ 80% for AA/hMDS patients. Among them invasive fungal infection accounts for 6-20% depending on reports. Such being the case, antifungal prophylaxis is recommended for AA/hMDS patients undergoing ATG treatment. More specifically, the British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH) recognized the threat of increased invasive fungal infections in AA patients, and stipulated the use of mould (aspergillus) active azole, preferably itraconazole or posaconazole as prophylaxis. Unfortunately however, though many centers have adopted their own practice schemes, and antifungals have been routinely administered in the context of investigational regimens, there is no consensus as to which antifungal agent should be used. Considering Aspergillus sp has remained the most common fungal isolate in AA patients for the past 20 years, it is only rational that an antifungal agent with broad spectrum, covering both yeast and fungi, be used in this context. Posaconazole, a triazole antifungal agent, not only has a broad coverage spectrum but also associated with predictable and reliable systemic bioavailability. Also for patients, once daily dosage is both pragmatic and convenient. According to meta-analyses of prophylactic antifungal agents use (published in 2007), fluconazole diminished the risk of fungal related mortality compared to placebo (RR 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32-0.75, P=0.0009). More importantly, when compared to fluconazole, posaconazole prophylaxis yielded even lesser fungal related mortality and significantly decreased invasive fungal infection rate. Considering the fact that posaconazole is already being used for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes patients undergoing induction treatment, it is only natural that posaconazole be used for AA/hMDS patients, who are at higher risk of developing invasive fungal infection compared to AML.
Interventions
DRUGPosaconazole
Dosing of posaconazole Posaconazole tablet 300 mg twice daily on day 1; Maintenance dose: 300 mg once daily on day 2 and thereafter. Treatment period: 4 weeks \*if posaconazole tablet intolerance: posaconazole suspension 200mg tid
Sponsors
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Seoul National University Hospital
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
open label, single arm, phase 2, multicenter \*historical control will be used for comparison: historical control patients are defined as those diagnosed with AA/hMDS and underwent ATG treatment with either fluconazole or itraconazole prophylaxis.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. willing and able to provide written informed consent for voluntary participation in the trial 2. adult patients (≥18 years, \<75 years old) 3. no QTc prolongation on initial ECG 4. Adequate organ function for treatment as follows: A. Absolute neutrophil count \> 1.5 x 109/L B. Platelets \>100 x 109/L C. Serum creatinine ≤ 2.0 x ULN (upper limit of normal) D. Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN E. AST and ALT ≤ 2.0 x ULN
Exclusion criteria
1. those suspected of fungal infection within 30 days of ATG treatment 2. those allergic to -triazoles 3. those with history of malignancies within 5 years and/or concomitant malignancy other than AA/hMDS 4. those with history of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or other immunosuppressants 5. female patients who are pregnant, breast-feeding or male or female patients of reproductive potential who are not employing an effective method of birth control 6. active HBV, HCV patients 7. HIV positive patients 8. those with history of receiving organ transplantation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| the Incidence of Proven/Probable/Possible Fungal Infection | during 4 weeks of posaconazole prophylaxis (i.e. upto 4 weeks) | Define Invasive fungal infections according to guidelines of the Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Mycoses Study Group of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Ascioglu S, Rex JH, de Pauw B, et al. Defining opportunistic invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplants: an international consensus. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46:1813-1821. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Survival | through study completion, an average of 18 months | The overall survival (OS) curves will be estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method |
| Any Incidence of Proven/Probable/Possible Fungal Infection | through study completion, an average of 18 months | Define Invasive fungal infections according to guidelines of the Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Mycoses Study Group of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Ascioglu S, Rex JH, de Pauw B, et al. Defining opportunistic invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplants: an international consensus. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46:1813-1821. |
Countries
South Korea
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Posaconazole Prophylaxis Group aplastic anemia / hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome patients undergoing antithymocyte globulin treatment and receiving posaconazole as prophylaxis antifungal agent
Posaconazole: Dosing of posaconazole Posaconazole tablet 300 mg twice daily on day 1; Maintenance dose: 300 mg once daily on day 2 and thereafter. Treatment period: 4 weeks
\*if posaconazole tablet intolerance: posaconazole suspension 200mg tid | 20 |
| Total | 20 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Posaconazole Prophylaxis Group |
|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 6 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 14 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Asian/ Not Hispanic or Latino | 20 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment South Korea | 20 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 10 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 10 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 6 / 20 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 4 / 20 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 4 / 20 |
Outcome results
Primary
the Incidence of Proven/Probable/Possible Fungal Infection
Define Invasive fungal infections according to guidelines of the Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Mycoses Study Group of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Ascioglu S, Rex JH, de Pauw B, et al. Defining opportunistic invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplants: an international consensus. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46:1813-1821.
Time frame: during 4 weeks of posaconazole prophylaxis (i.e. upto 4 weeks)
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Posaconazole Prophylaxis Group | the Incidence of Proven/Probable/Possible Fungal Infection | 20 Participants |
Secondary
Any Incidence of Proven/Probable/Possible Fungal Infection
Define Invasive fungal infections according to guidelines of the Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Mycoses Study Group of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Ascioglu S, Rex JH, de Pauw B, et al. Defining opportunistic invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised patients with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplants: an international consensus. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46:1813-1821.
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 18 months
Secondary
Overall Survival
The overall survival (OS) curves will be estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 18 months