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Sputum Cytometry Guided Management for the Elimination of Chronic Cough in Patients With ILD

Sputum Cytometry Guided Management for the Elimination of Chronic Cough in Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease (SpECC-ILD) - a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05086432
Acronym
SpECC-ILD
Enrollment
120
Registered
2021-10-20
Start date
2025-05-22
Completion date
2027-03-31
Last updated
2025-09-29

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

Conditions

ILD

Keywords

ILD, Sputum, Chronic cough

Brief summary

In Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) there is thickening of lung tissue, which makes it difficult for patients to breathe and get enough oxygen into their bodies. In addition to shortness of breath, daily cough is very common, with 4 out of 5 patients experiencing this symptom. Cough in particular has a major impact on the ability to exercise, be active, and to simply enjoy life. There are many reasons for cough in ILD, and very often there are multiple overlapping causes. It is hard to improve cough in these patients, with available medicines providing limited relief. One explanation for this gap is an incomplete understanding of cough in ILD. To improve patients' cough there is a need to better understand its cause. In other lung diseases, such as asthma, doctors and scientists have used phlegm tests to measure inflammation in the lung, which helps them choose the right medicine for the right patient. This has not been done for ILD, even though it has recently been found that many patients with ILD and everyday cough have abnormal phlegm tests. Using this strategy in ILD could improve patients' cough and quality of life, and possibly even slow progression of the disease.

Detailed description

SpECC-ILD is an open-label, randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of sputum-guided management (using sputum cytometry) compared to standard care over 16 weeks in patients with chronic cough and ILD. A total of 80 participants will be enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either sputum guided therapy or standard of care for a total of 16 weeks. Participants randomized to the intervention arm will receive open-label sputum-guided management of airway inflammation identified during screening. Participants in this arm will receive standard of care treatment as determined by their ILD specialist who will be blinded to the results of the sputum analysis.

Interventions

OTHERSputum-guided management

As previously described.

OTHERStandard of Care

As previously described.

Sponsors

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
CollaboratorOTHER
Vitalograph
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
McMaster University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Written informed consent consistent with ICH-GCP and local laws, signed prior to any study procedures being performed * Age \>18 years * A clinical diagnosis of ILD with accepted specific diagnoses including: * Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) * Chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis associated ILD (CHP-ILD) * Connective tissue disease associated ILD (CTD-ILD) * Pneumoconiosis * Daily Cough for at least 8 weeks * Able to produce an adequate sample with sputum induction

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with a diagnosis of systemic sclerosis associated ILD (SSc-ILD) or sarcoidosis * Cause of cough attributed to a known etiology (ex. ACE-inhibitor, uncontrolled gastroesophageal reflux or upper airway cough syndrome, acute viral illness) * Current use of inhaled corticosteroids * Current use of systemic corticosteroids (prednisone equivalent \> 20mg/day) * Current use of chronic antibiotics * Airflow obstruction (ie. pre-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio \< 0.7) * History of physician-diagnosed asthma * History of emphysema * A history of cholestatic jaundice or hepatic dysfunction associated with prior use of azithromycin * Moderate to severe hepatic dysfunction with a Child Pugh score \>10 * Known allergy or hypersensitivity to inhaled corticosteroids or macrolide antibiotics * Corrected QT-interval (QTc) on screening electrocardiogram (ECG) of \> 450ms * An established history of untreated atypical mycobacterial infection * A history of hearing impairment, tinnitus, or vertigo * Medication use likely to suppress cough (ex: morphine, gabapentin, amitriptyline)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in hourly cough frequency16 weeksThe difference in hourly cough frequency over a 24-hour period between baseline and end of study.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in FVC16 weeksThe difference in forced vital capacity (as obtained by spirometry) between baseline and end of study
Change in Leicester Cough Questionnaire16 weeksThe difference in LCQ between baseline and end of study
Change in King's Brief ILD Questionnaire16 weeksThe difference in KB-ILD between baseline and end of study
Change in sputum total cell count16 weeksThe difference in sputum total cell count between baseline and end of study
Change in sputum neutrophils16 weeksThe difference in sputum neutrophil percent between baseline and end of study
Change in FEV116 weeksThe difference in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (as obtained by spirometry) between baseline and end of study
Adverse events16 weeksAdverse events reported by participants
Serious adverse events16 weeksSerious adverse events reported by participants
Completion rates for Bi-weekly LCQ16 weeksRates of completion for bi-weekly LCQ
Study medication adherence rate16 weeksRates of adherence to study medications
Change in sputum eosinophils16 weeksThe difference in sputum eosinophil percent between baseline and end of study

Countries

Canada

Contacts

Primary ContactCiaran Scallan, MB
scallc@mcmaster.ca9055221155
Backup ContactTerence Ho, MB, MSc
hot4@mcmaster.ca9055221155

Outcome results

None listed

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