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Curcumin to Improve Inflammation and Symptoms in Patients With Clonal Cytopenia of Undetermined Significance, Low Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome, and Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

A Phase 2, Double-blind, Randomized Study to Compare the Effect of Curcumin Versus Placebo on Inflammatory Cytokines, Symptoms and Disease Parameters in Clonal Cytopenia of Undetermined Significance (CCUS), Low-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (LR-MDS), and Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs)

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06063486
Enrollment
30
Registered
2023-10-02
Start date
2024-03-01
Completion date
2027-03-01
Last updated
2026-03-27

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

Conditions

Clonal Cytopenia of Undetermined Significance, Essential Thrombocythemia, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Myelofibrosis, Polycythemia Vera

Brief summary

This phase II trial evaluates how a curcumin supplement (C3 complex/Bioperine) changes the inflammatory response and symptomatology in patients with clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS), low risk myelodysplastic syndrome (LR-MDS), and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Chronic inflammation drives disease development and contributes to symptoms experienced by patients with CCUS, LR-MDS, and MPN. Curcumin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties and has been studied in various chronic illnesses and hematologic diseases.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To compare the change in inflammatory cytokine levels in study patients treated with curcumin versus placebo over a 12-month follow-up period. II. To compare the change in symptomatology in study patients treated with curcumin versus placebo over a 12-month follow-up period. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To investigate the effect on variant allele frequency (VAF) of baseline mutations in study patients treated with curcumin versus placebo. II. To investigate the effect on methylation patterns in study patients treated with curcumin versus placebo. III. To evaluate the effect on peripheral blood cells in study patients treated with curcumin versus placebo. IV. To assess the safety of curcumin for patients with CCUS/LR-MDS and symptomatic MPN who do not require disease-modifying therapy. EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE: I. To investigate the correlation between inflammatory cytokine levels and symptom scores in study patients treated with curcumin versus placebo. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. Arm I: Patients receive curcumin/demethoxycurcumin/bisdemethoxycurcumin-containing supplement (C3 complex)/piperine extract (standardized) (Bioperine) orally (PO) twice daily (BID) for 12 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients also undergo bone marrow aspiration and biopsy at baseline and follow up, and collection of blood samples throughout the trial. Arm II: Patients receive placebo PO BID for 12 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients also undergo bone marrow aspiration and biopsy at baseline and follow up, and collection of blood samples throughout the trial. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up annually for up to 10 years.

Interventions

PROCEDUREBiospecimen Collection

Undergo collection of blood samples

PROCEDUREBone Marrow Aspiration

Undergo bone marrow aspiration

PROCEDUREBone Marrow Biopsy

Undergo bone marrow biopsy

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTCurcumin/ Demethoxycurcumin/Bisdemethoxycurcumin-containing Supplement

Given PO

Given PO

DRUGPlacebo Administration

Given PO

OTHERQuestionnaire Administration

Ancillary studies

Sponsors

University of Southern California
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

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

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Age \>= 18 * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) =\< 2 * Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent * Diagnosis of polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocytosis (ET) or myelofibrosis (MF) per World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 diagnostic criteria * Presence of at least one symptom measurable using the MPN-/Symptom Assessment Form (SAF) with a severity greater than 3 * MPN patients determined to have stable disease undergoing surveillance and unlikely to require initiation of new cytoreductive therapy (i.e., hydroxyurea, ruxotinib, interferon within the study period); patients on a stable dose of hydroxyurea for at least 6 months who meet the other inclusion/

Exclusion criteria

may be included * A diagnosis of CCUS or LR-MDS * CCUS defined as persistent cytopenia for \> 6 months (hemoglobin \[Hgb\] \< 11.3 g/dL \[7 mmol/L\] in women and Hgb \< 12.9 g/dL \[8 mmol/L\] in men, platelet \< 150 x 10\^9/L or neutrophils \< 1.8 x 10\^9/L), normal cytogenetics, presence of detectable MDS associated mutations and bone marrow morphology non-diagnostic of MDS or any other malignancies * LR-MDS as defined by WHO 2016 diagnosis criteria * Minimum baseline symptom score of 25 in the fatigue section of the symptom questionnaire

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean change in peripheral blood levels of inflammatory cytokinesAt baseline, 3 months, and 12 monthsInterleukin (IL) 1beta, IL-6, IL-18, transforming growth factor-beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha will be assessed. Mean inflammatory cytokine changes in the treatment group will be compared to that of the control group. A two-sided two-sample unequal-variance t-test will be applied to compare the difference of the mean of changes at 12-months from the baseline measurement between the two arms, respectively. P-values from the test and the 95% confidence interval of the estimated difference will be reported for each of the inflammatory cytokines.
Mean change in symptom scores for clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance and low risk myelodysplastic syndrome patientsAt baseline, 3 months, 12 monthsSymptoms scores will be assessed using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 version 3 (EORTC-QLQ-C30 version 3).This is a validated tool for assessing health-related quality of life in cancer patients. The questionnaire is composed of both multi-item scales and single-item measures. These include five functional scales, three symptom scales, a global health status / QoL scale, and six single items. Each of the multi-item scales includes a different set of items - no item occurs in more than one scale. Scores range from 0 to 100. A high scale score represents a higher response level. A high score for a functional scale represents a high/healthy level of functioning. A high score for the global health status/ QoL represents a high QoL and a high score for a symptom scale/item represents a high level of symptomatology/problems.(no symptom) to 10 (worst possible symptom).
Mean change in symptom scores for myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patientsAt baseline, 3 months, 12 monthsMPN-related symptoms will be assessed using the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score. Possible scores range from 0 (no symptom) to 10 (worst possible symptom).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in the variant allele frequency of mutated clonesAfter 12 months of treatmentBoth parametric methods i.e., the two-sample t-test and the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test (with no assumption on the distribution of the data) will be applied.
Change in the deoxyribonucleic acid methylation patternAfter 12 months of treatmentBoth parametric methods i.e., the two-sample t-test and the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test (with no assumption on the distribution of the data) will be applied.
Change in peripheral blood cell countsAfter 12 months of treatmentPeripheral blood cell counts will include absolute neutrophil count, hemoglobin, and platelets. Change in peripheral blood cell counts will be compared to pretreatment. Both parametric methods i.e., the two-sample t-test and the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test (with no assumption on the distribution of the data) will be applied.
Safety of curcumin in patients with CCUS/LR-MDS and symptomatic MPNEvery 2 weeks for the first month of treatment, every month for the following 2 months, then every 3 months for a total of 12 months.Will be assessed and graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE), Version 5.0.
Change in the rate of transfusion requirement measuredUp to 10 yearsWill be measured by the number of units required per 8-week period. Both parametric methods i.e., the two-sample t-test and the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test (with no assumption on the distribution of the data) will be applied.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTChristine Duran
duran_c@med.usc.edu323-865-0371
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORCasey L O'Connell, MD

University of Southern California

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 28, 2026