Clinical trial · Interventional
Amifostine to Protect the Rectum During External Beam Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer
Amifostine as a Rectal Protector During External Beam Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: A Phase II Study
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a drug called amifostine in reducing the bowel side effects of radiation treatment for prostate cancer. Amifostine is a 'radioprotector' medicine that to protects normal tissue from radiation damage. This study will determine whether placing amifostine in the rectum during radiation treatment for prostate cancer can decrease common side effects of treatment, including diarrhea, painful bowel movements, bleeding, and gas. Patients 18 years of age or older with prostate cancer may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood tests, bone scan if a recent one is not available, and possibly computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the pelvis. They will also have a liquid retention test, in which they are given an enema of 4 tablespoons of salt water that they must retain for 20 minutes. Participants will receive standard radiation therapy for prostate cancer-5 consecutive days for 8 weeks-in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Radiation Oncology Clinic. Amifostine will be placed in the rectum by a mini-enema before each radiation treatment so that it covers the lining of the rectum. To determine the side effects of the treatment, patients will undergo a proctoscopic examination before beginning radiation therapy, two times during therapy, and at each follow-up visit for 5 years after treatment ends. This examination involves inserting a proctoscope (a thin flexible tube with a light at the end) into the rectum and taking pictures. Patients will be followed in the clinic at visits scheduled 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months after treatment for a physical examination and routine blood tests, proctoscopic examination, and review of bowel symptoms.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prostatic Neoplasms | Prostate Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amifostine trihydrate | Drug | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Radiation therapy | Radiation | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Amifostine
- description
- 1000 mg for the first 18 patients. 2000 mg for the last 12 patients. The syringe of amifostine will be connected to a rectal enema bottle for administration. Administered slowly over 30-60 seconds with the patient in recumbent position 30-45 minutes prior to each radiation treatment (33-39 doses).
- interventionNames
- Drug: Amifostine trihydrate
- Radiation: Radiation therapy
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Percentage of Participants With a Good Toxicity Outcome Who Experienced an Acute Rectal Toxicity and Received Topical Administrations of Amifostine in Conjunction With High Dose, 3D Conformal Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer.
- timeFrame
- RTOG Acute was used on week 5 and 7
- description
- A good toxicity outcome is defined as having less than grade 2 on both weeks 5 and 7 of treatment. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Acute radiation morbidity scoring scheme and the Rectal Mucosal Toxicity response criteria will be used to assess rectal toxicity. The RTOG measures the rectal toxicities. The physician assigns a grade based on symptoms reported by the patient. For details about the RTOG (method and scoring of radiation morbidity, etc.) see http://www.rtog.org/ResearchAssociates/AdverseEventReporting/AcuteRadiationMorbidityScoringCriteria.aspx
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Male
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
* INCLUSION CRITERIA: Pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland. Age greater than or equal to 18 years. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. Informed consent: All patients must sign a document of informed consent indicating their understanding of the investigational nature and risks of the study before any protocol related studies are performed (this does not include routine laboratory tests or imaging studies required to establish eligibility). EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Other active malignancy (except for non-melanoma skin cancer). Patient with a prior history of pelvic or prostate radiotherapy. Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Patients with distant metastatic disease. Cognitively impaired patients who cannot give informed consent. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positivity. Other medical conditions deemed by the principal investigator (PI) or associates to make the patient ineligible for high dose radiotherapy.
References
Publications (9)
- BACKGROUNDGreenlee RT, Hill-Harmon MB, Murray T, Thun M. Cancer statistics, 2001. CA Cancer J Clin. 2001 Jan-Feb;51(1):15-36. doi: 10.3322/canjclin.51.1.15. PMID 11577478
- BACKGROUNDFuks Z, Leibel SA, Wallner KE, Begg CB, Fair WR, Anderson LL, Hilaris BS, Whitmore WF. The effect of local control on metastatic dissemination in carcinoma of the prostate: long-term results in patients treated with 125I implantation. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1991 Aug;21(3):537-47. doi: 10.1016/0360-3016(91)90668-t. PMID 1869452
- BACKGROUNDPollack A, Smith LG, von Eschenbach AC. External beam radiotherapy dose response characteristics of 1127 men with prostate cancer treated in the PSA era. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2000 Sep 1;48(2):507-12. doi: 10.1016/s0360-3016(00)00620-9. PMID 10974469
- RESULTSimone NL, Menard C, Soule BP, Albert PS, Guion P, Smith S, Godette D, Crouse NS, Sciuto LC, Cooley-Zgela T, Camphausen K, Coleman CN, Singh AK. Intrarectal amifostine during external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer produces significant improvements in Quality of Life measured by EPIC score. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2008 Jan 1;70(1):90-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.05.057. Epub 2007 Sep 12. PMID 17855015
- RESULTSimone, NL; Soule, BP; Ménard, C; Albert, P; Guion, P; Smith, S; Godette, D; Coleman, CN; Singh, AK. Assessing Rectal Toxicity in a Pilot Study using Intrarectal Amifostine and Concurrent Radiation. 42nd annual meeting of the American society of clinical oncology, Atlanta, GA, June 2006.
- RESULTMenard C, Camphausen K, Muanza T, Sears-Crouse N, Smith S, Ben-Josef E, Coleman CN. Clinical trial of endorectal amifostine for radioprotection in patients with prostate cancer: rationale and early results. Semin Oncol. 2003 Dec;30(6 Suppl 18):63-7. doi: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2003.11.016. PMID 14727242
- RESULTSingh AK, Menard C, Guion P, Simone NL, Smith S, Crouse NS, Godette DJ, Cooley-Zgela T, Sciuto LC, Coleman J, Pinto P, Albert PS, Camphausen K, Coleman CN. Intrarectal amifostine suspension may protect against acute proctitis during radiation therapy for prostate cancer: a pilot study. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2006 Jul 15;65(4):1008-13. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2006.02.030. Epub 2006 May 26.