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Pilot Study of IT Topotecan and Maintenance Chemotherapy for HR-EBTs in Children < 6 Years, Post Consolidation

A Pilot Study of Intrathecal Topotecan and Maintenance Chemotherapy in the Post-consolidation Setting for the Treatment of High-risk Embryonal Central Nervous System Tumours in Children Less Than 6 Years of Age

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06942039
Enrollment
15
Registered
2025-04-24
Start date
2025-09-23
Completion date
2032-12-31
Last updated
2026-02-27

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

Conditions

CNS Embryonal Tumor, CNS, Medulloblastoma, Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor, Medulloblastoma, Childhood, Medulloblastoma, Group 3, Medulloblastoma, Group 4, Pineoblastoma, Neuroblastoma, Embryonal Tumor With Multilayered Rosettes, Embryonal Tumor With Abundant Neuropil and True Rosettes, Ependymoblastoma, Medulloepithelioma, CNS Embryonal Tumor With Rhabdoid Features, CNS Embryonal Tumor, Nos

Keywords

HR-EBT

Brief summary

Pilot study to determine feasibility of adding intrathecal chemotherapy and maintenance therapy after high dose chemotherapy for treatment of newly diagnosed HR-EBTs in patients less than 6 years of age.

Detailed description

This is a pilot study to determine feasibility of adding intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy and maintenance therapy after high dose chemotherapy for treatment of newly diagnosed HR-EBTs in patients less than 6 years of age. Patients meeting all inclusion criteria will receive 3 cycles of multiagent chemotherapy induction (vinCRIStine, cyclophosphamide, CISplatin, etoposide) with IT cytarabine and hydrocortisone, and 3 cycles of consolidation with CARBOplatin, thiotepa, and autologous stem cell rescue (as per CCG 99703). Maintenance chemotherapy will then be given immediately after the completion of consolidation therapy and consist of risk-stratified oral chemotherapy using either "Maintenance A" (48 weeks) using tamoxifen and retinoic acid or "Maintenance B" (54 weeks) using metronomic isotretinoin, celecoxib, etoposide, temozolomide, and cyclophosphamide. Both arms of maintenance will receive monthly IT topotecan. Following the end of treatment, patients will be scheduled for a follow-up visit every 3 months for 24 months to evaluate PFS and OS. Approximately 15 patients will be recruited as part of this clinical study. Patients aged between 0 and 6 years old at the time of enrollment will be eligible. This study will only enrol patients with high risk Central Nervous System Embryonal Brain Tumors (CNS-EBTs) with histologic and/or molecular confirmation of diagnosis for ATRT intrinsic to the brain and spinal cord, group 3 and group 4 MB, pineoblastoma, CNS neuroblastoma, ETMR, including embryonal tumor with abundant neuropil and true rosettes (ETANTR), ependymoblastoma and ETMR not otherwise specified), medulloepithelioma, CNS embryonal tumor with rhabdoid features (INI-1 intact) and CNS embryonal tumor, not otherwise specified. Response to treatment will be evaluated using the modified RAPNO (Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology) 1. This study will also explore the genetic landscape of CNS HR-EBTs. Our biological study will include genomic analyses of tumor and CSF with use of epigenomic analyses (methylation profiling) arrays, Nanostring sub-typing studies, Next generation sequencing analyses for DNA and/or RNA.

Interventions

DRUGVincristine

Intravenous VinCRIStine given on Days 1, 8 \& 15 during induction (3 cycles, 1 cycle = 21 days) alongside double IT therapy, CISplatin, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, mesna and filgrastim (G-CSF).

DRUGEtoposide

Induction: Intravenous Etoposide given on Days 1, 2 \& 3 during induction (3 cycles, 1 cycle = 21 days) alongside double IT therapy, CISplatin, vinCRIStine, cyclophosphamide, mesna and filgrastim (G-CSF). Maintenance Arm B (for high-risk patients): Oral Etoposide given on Days 1-21 every 9 weeks (max 6 cycles, 1 cycle = 9 weeks) in combination with IT Topotecan, ISOtretinoin, Celecoxib, Cyclophosphamide and Temozolomide.

Age-based dosing as a part of double IT therapy (cytarabine, hydrocortisone) during induction (3 cycles, 1 cycle = 21 days) alongside CISplatin, vinCRIStine, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, mesna and filgrastim (G-CSF).

DRUGhydrocortisone

Double IT therapy (cytarabine, hydrocortisone) during induction (3 cycles, 1 cycle = 21 days) alongside CISplatin, vinCRIStine, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, mesna and filgrastim (G-CSF).

DRUGCisplatin

Intravenous CISplatin given on Day 1 during induction (3 cycles, 1 cycle = 21 days) alongside double IT therapy, vinCRIStine, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, mesna and filgrastim (G-CSF).

DRUGCyclophosphamide

Induction: Intravenous high-dose Cyclophosphamide given on Days 2 \& 3 during induction (3 cycles, 1 cycle = 21 days) alongside double IT therapy, CISplatin, vinCRIStine, etoposide, mesna and filgrastim (G-CSF). Maintenance Arm B (for high-risk patients): Oral Cyclophosphamide given on Days 1-21 every 9 weeks (max 6 cycles, 1 cycle = 9 weeks) in combination with IT Topotecan, ISOtretinoin, Celecoxib, Etoposide and Temozolomide.

DRUGMesna

Induction: Intravenous Mesna given at hour 0 of Cyclophosphamide delivery and 3, 6, 9 \& 12 hours post-dose during induction (3 cycles, 1 cycle = 21 days).

DRUGFilgrastim

Induction: Subcutaneous or intravenous Filgrastim (G-CSF) given 24-48 hrs after last dose of chemotherapy and/or as per institutional guidelines until count recovery. Consolidation: Subcutaneous or intravenous Filgrastim (G-CSF) given 24-48 hours after last stem cell infusion and/or per institutional guidelienes until count recovery.

DRUGcarboplatin

Consolidation: Intravenous Carboplatin given on days -3 \& -2 during consolidation alongside thiotepa and filgrastim.

DRUGThiotepa

Consolidation: Intravenous Thiotepa given on days -3 \& -2 during consolidation alongside carboplatin and filgrastim.

DRUGTopotecan IT

Maintenance A (for low-risk patients): IT Topotecan on Day 1 of each cycle (max 12 cycles, 1 cycle = 28 days) alongside Tamoxifen and ISOtretinoin. Maintenance B (for high-risk patients): IT Topotecan every 4 weeks (max 6 cycles, 1 cycle = 9 weeks) alongside ISOtretinoin, Celecoxib, Etoposide, Cyclophosphamide and Temozolomide.

DRUGTamoxifen

Maintenance A (for low-risk patients): Oral Tamoxifen twice daily, Days 1-28 (max 12 cycles, 1 cycle = 28 days) alongside ISOtretinoin and IT Topotecan.

DRUGISOtretinoin

Maintenance A (for low-risk patients): Oral ISOtretinoin twice daily on Days 15-28 of each cycle (max 12 cycles, 1 cycle = 28 days) alongside Tamoxifen and IT Topotecan. Maintenance B (for high-risk patients): Oral ISOtretinoin twice daily on Days 1-21, every 6 weeks (max 6 cycles, 1 cycle = 9 weeks) alongside IT Topotecan, Celecoxib, Etoposide, Cyclophosphamide and Temozolomide.

DRUGCelecoxib

Maintenance B (for high-risk patients): Oral Celecoxib twice daily on Days 1-21, every 6 weeks (max 6 cycles, 1 cycle = 9 weeks) alongside IT Topotecan, ISOtretinoin, Etoposide, Cyclophosphamide and Temozolomide.

DRUGetoposide phosphate

During Induction and Maintenance B (for high-risk patients), etoposide phosphate may be given for subsequent doses to patients who have experienced etoposide allergic reactions.

DRUGTemozolomide

Maintenance B (for high-risk patients): Oral Temozolomide daily on Days 1-21, every 9 weeks (max 6 cycles, 1 cycle = 9 weeks) alongside IT Topotecan, ISOtretinoin, Etoposide, Cyclophosphamide and Celecoxib.

Sponsors

C17 Council
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

All patients will receive 3 cycles of induction with IT chemotherapy and 3 cycles of consolidation therapy. Patients will then receive either Maintenance A or Maintenance B based on their risk profile.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 6 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Tumor Tissue Sample 2. Age: Patient must be aged ≥ 0 years to ≤ 6 years at the time of definitive confirmation of histologic diagnosis of eligible CNS tumor. 3. Diagnoses. Participants must have Central nervous system (CNS) HR-EBT including atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour (ATRT), group 3 and group 4 medulloblastoma (MB), pineoblastoma, CNS neuroblastoma, embryonal tumor with multi-layered rosettes (ETMR including embryonal tumor with abundant neuropil and true rosettes (ETANTR), ependymoblastoma and ETMR not otherwise specified), medulloepithelioma, CNS embryonal tumor with rhabdoid features (INI-1 intact) and CNS embryonal tumor, not otherwise specified. Metastatic disease included. Any extent of resection included. 4. Cranial and Spine MRI. A baseline MRI brain and spine with and without contrast is required for all patients. cranial MRI (with and without gadolinium) must be done pre-operatively. Post-operatively, cranial MRI (with and without gadolinium) must be done. 5. Lumbar Puncture (LP) CSF for cytopathology (strongly recommended but not mandatory; if medically feasible). A baseline LP CSF cytology either pre-operatively or post-operatively at least 10 days after definitive surgery for all patients if medically feasible (This is not mandatory and will not make the patient ineligible). 6. Life expectancy: Patients must have a life expectancy of greater than 8 weeks from diagnosis. 7. Performance level: Patients must have a performance status corresponding of a Lansky score ≥ 50. 8. Organ Function Requirements: Participants must have normal organ and marrow function as defined below: Adequate renal function defined as: \- Creatinine clearance (12-24-hour urine collection) or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73m2 Adequate cardiac function defined as: * Shortening fraction of ≥ 27% by echocardiogram, or * Ejection fraction of ≥ 47% by radionuclide angiogram. Adequate pulmonary function defined as: \- No evidence of dyspnea at rest and a pulse oximetry \> 94% on room air. Adequate Bone Marrow Function defined as: * Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \> 1000/μL * Platelet Count \> 100,000/μL (without transfusion for 3 days) * Hemoglobin greater than 8 gm/dL (may have received red blood cell (RBC) transfusions) Adequate liver function defined as: * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5X upper limit of normal (ULN) within normal institutional limits for age (patients with documented Gilbert's Disease may be enrolled with Study Chair approval and total bilirubin ≤ 2.0 × ULN) * Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 100 U/L

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients who are receiving any other conventional anti-cancer agents or investigational agents. 2. Patients who received previous therapy including radiotherapy or chemotherapy other than corticosteroids. 3. Presence of another malignancy, except if the other primary malignancy is neither currently clinically significant nor requiring active intervention. 4. Concomitant medications restrictions: Concurrent use of enzyme inducing anticonvulsants (e.g. phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine), selected strong inhibitors of cytochrome P450 3A4 include azole antifungals, such as fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and strong inducers include drugs such as rifampin, phenytoin, phenobarbitol, carbamazepine, and St. John's wort or CYP450 3A4 stimulators or inhibitors. 5. Other uncontrollable medical disease: Patient has a severe and uncontrollable medical disease (i.e., uncontrolled diabetes, hyperglycemia, chronic renal disease or active uncontrolled infection), has chronic liver disease (i.e., chronic active hepatitis and cirrhosis), hypercholesterolemia (serum cholesterol \>300 mg/dL), intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, active hyperparathyroidism, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements. 6. Patients who have a known diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, hepatitis B or C. 7. Ineligible diagnoses for study entry by neuropathology: This includes sonic hedgehog (SHH) and wingless (WNT) MBs, all ependymomas, all choroid plexus carcinomas, all high grade glial and glio-neuronal tumors, all diffuse midline gliomas, all primary CNS germ cell tumors, all primary CNS sarcomas, all primary or metastatic CNS lymphomas and solid leukemic lesions (chloromas, granulocytic sarcomas). 8. The participant or parent(s)/guardian(s) cannot comply with the study visit schedule and other protocol requirements, in the investigator's opinion. All patients must meet inclusion/

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
To determine the feasibility of adding intrathecal (IT) topotecan and maintenance therapy after high dose chemotherapy for treatment of newly diagnosed HR-EBTs in patients less than 6 years of age.At completion of maintenance therapy (approximately 48-54 weeks after start of maintenance therapy)Feasibility failure will be defined by ≥5 patients who stop maintenance therapy (all IT and oral agents) due to excessive toxicity, deemed attributable to maintenance therapy
To test the feasibility of centralized diagnostics and national tumour board review for clinical management of HR-EBTsWithin 4 weeks after definitive surgical resection, prior to start of induction chemotherapyFeasibility of centralized diagnostics will be defined as: * 80% of patients will have central review and central molecular testing performed before timely start of therapy (\~4 weeks post-surgery) Feasibility of national tumour board review will be defined as: * 80% of patients will be reviewed within treatment timeline of within \~4 weeks post-surgery
To establish a national HR infant brain tumor trial platform for future studiesAt study completion (anticipated average duration of 2 years per participant)Data will be gathered on whether platform is able to support future research projects, facilitate collaboration in Canada, and improve clinical outcomes for this population

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
To determine progression free and overall survival and patterns of failure for all enrolled patientsUp to 24 months following completion of maintenance therapyTime to progression (TTP), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) up to two years following completion of treatment
To describe the toxicities of adding intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy and maintenance therapy after high dose chemotherapy for treatment of newly diagnosed HR-EBTs in patients less than 6 years of age30 days after last dose of study treatmentIncidence of grade ≥3 adverse events (AE) and serious adverse events (SAE) related to study treatment

Countries

Canada

Contacts

CONTACTSylvia Cheng
sylvia.cheng@cw.bc.ca416-813-7654
CONTACTC17 Council
DECRYPT-BABYBRAIN@C17.ca
STUDY_CHAIRSylvia Cheng

BC Cancer Centre

STUDY_CHAIRAnnie Huang

The Hospital for Sick Children

STUDY_CHAIRLucie Lafay-Cousin

Alberta Children's Hospital

Outcome results

None listed

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