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Bupropion to Reduce Cancer Related Fatigue in Cancer Survivors

Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial of Bupropion For Cancer Related Fatigue

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03996265
Enrollment
422
Registered
2019-06-24
Start date
2019-06-27
Completion date
2026-08-05
Last updated
2026-01-15

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

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm, Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Brief summary

This phase III trial studies how well bupropion works in reducing cancer related fatigue in cancer survivors. Cancer and its treatment can cause fatigue. Bupropion is a drug that is used to treat depression, as well as to help people quit smoking. It belongs to the family of drugs called antidepressants and works by increasing certain types of activity in the brain. Bupropion may reduce cancer-related fatigue by causing changes in inflammation and stress hormones.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To determine the efficacy of bupropion hydrochloride controlled-release (bupropion) versus placebo in reducing fatigue in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of cancer survivors with fatigue. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess the efficacy of bupropion versus placebo on depression and quality of life in cancer survivors with fatigue. II. To assess the tolerability of bupropion in cancer survivors with fatigue. EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess the efficacy of bupropion versus placebo on symptomatology and cognition in cancer survivors with fatigue. II. To explore the effects of bupropion on putative mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue. III. To explore associations of CYP2B6 genotype with bupropion metabolism and changes in fatigue. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. ARM I: Patients receive bupropion hydrochloride controlled-release orally (PO) once daily (QD) for up to 13 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout study. ARM II: Patients receive placebo PO QD for up to 13 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout study.

Interventions

PROCEDUREBiospecimen Collection

Undergo blood sample collection

OTHERPlacebo Administration

Given PO

OTHERQuality-of-Life Assessment

Ancillary studies

OTHERQuestionnaire Administration

Ancillary studies

Sponsors

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
University of Rochester NCORP Research Base
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Be at least 18 years of age * Be diagnosed with cancer * Have stable disease or no evidence of disease * Report WORST level of fatigue in the past week as moderate to severe (i.e., a score \>= 4 on a 0-10 scale, screening measures, question 1) * Have completed surgery, radiation, and/or systemic intravenous anticancer therapy (e.g., chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy) 2 or more months prior to enrollment. Participants currently receiving oral maintenance, targeted, or hormonal therapy are eligible. Participants receiving intravenous supportive therapy (e.g., bisphosphonates) are eligible * Able to read and speak English * Currently not pregnant or breastfeeding. Women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception, i.e, abstinence, IUD (intrauterine device), hormonal contraceptive (birth control pills) or barrier method (condoms) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation * Be capable of providing written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* Be receiving intravenous anti-cancer therapy (e.g., intravenous immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, targeted therapy) * Be currently taking any medications that contain bupropion (e.g., Wellbutrin, Forfivo, Aplenzin, or Zyban) * Be taking an monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), linezolid, or methylene blue within two weeks prior to enrollment * Be taking any anti-psychotic medications within a week prior to enrollment * Have a history of renal impairment (i.e., glomerular filtration rate \< 45) * Have a history of cirrhosis (i.e., Child-Pugh score \>= 5) * Have a history of seizures * Have a history of bulimia or anorexia nervosa * Report a history of sensitivity to bupropion * Report an allergy to lactose * Have psychiatric or neurological disorder(s) that would interfere with study participation per physician or physician's designee

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
FatigueAt baseline and 12 weeksMeasured by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) Fatigue subscale (FFS). Scale scores range from 0-4; lower scores indicate greater fatigue. Will use analysis of covariance with group as the main factor and baseline FFS as a covariate.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Quality of lifeAt baseline and 12 weeksMeasured by the Total Score of the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) scale (included in the FACIT-F). The FACT-G consists of four subscales: physical well-being, functional well-being), emotional well-being, and social well-being. Scores on the four subscales are summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 108 with higher scores indicating better quality of life. This will be utilized to estimate the indirect (mediation) and direct effects and to obtain bootstrap-based 95% confidence intervals for these effects.
DepressionAt baseline and 12 weeksMeasured by the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression Short Form 8a. Will perform mediation analyses.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
CognitionAt baseline and 12 weeksMeasured by the PROMIS Cognitive Functioning 8a and Cognitive Abilities 4a measures. Will perform mediation analyses.
SymptomatologyAt baseline and 12 weeksMeasured by the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

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