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CompletedNCT00004997Updated Mar 4, 2008

Leucovorin for the Treatment of 5 q Minus Syndrome

A Phase 2 interventional study of Leucovorin in 5q Minus Syndrome and Myelodysplastic Syndrome, sponsored by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC). Completed at 1 site in United States. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2008-03-04.

Sponsored by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
14
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The 5 q minus syndrome is a condition that occurs due to a missing segment of chromosome 5 in the normal genetic make-up of the cells responsible for forming blood cells. The condition causes patients to have the inability to make blood normally. Many patients with this syndrome need transfusions of red blood cells, platelets, and/or white blood cells. Low levels of platelets may cause the patient to bleed easily and low levels of whit blood cells make the patient susceptible to infections. A small number of patients with 5 q minus syndrome develop leukemia, which is often untreatable with chemotherapy.

Researchers believe that one of the genes missing in 5 q minus syndrome is the gene responsible for making folic acid active in the body. Folic acid is a vitamin required for normal blood production.

The purpose of this study to test the effectiveness of a drug called leucovorin for the treatment of 5 q minus syndrome. Leucovorin is an active form of the vitamin folic acid that does not require the missing genes to activate it.

Patients participating in this study may or may not improve with leucovorin treatment. However, the study will improve researchers understanding of the disease and may lead other potential therapies for the disease.

Read the detailed description

The objective of this protocol is to determine whether leucovorin treatment can normalize hematopoietic cell growth and differentiation in patients with 5q- syndrome which may lack the gene for dihydrofolate reductase enzyme.

02

Conditions studied

  • 5q Minus Syndrome
  • Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Keywords

  • Hematopoietic
  • DHFR Enzyme
  • Anemia
  • Folic Acid
  • MDS
  • Myelodysplasia
  • Myelodysplastic
03

In context

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

2,124 studies on the registry are indexed under Myelodysplastic Syndromes; 320 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 14 is below the median of 39 across 1,740 interventional studies indexed under Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

Browse Myelodysplastic Syndromes studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) is the lead sponsor of 367 studies on the registry; 27 are open to participants now.

Of its 22 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 18 (82%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

All patients 18 years old and older with RA, RARS and RAEB who have a 5q deletion as their sole cytogenetic abnormality who require transfusion support with blood defined as needing at least one unit of packed red blood cells per month for greater than or equal to 2 months and/or thrombocytopenia defined as a platelet count less than 50,000, and/or severe neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count less than 500) are eligible, including patients that had been treated with chemotherapy or experimental agents such as retinoids, phenylbutyrate, amifostine, Vitamin D, ATG or hematopoietic growth factors.

Patients must not be transforming to acute leukemia (greater than 20% blasts in marrow aspirate).

Patients must not have had treatment with growth factors or any other experimental drug within 4 weeks prior to entry on protocol.

Patients must not have an ECOG performance status greater than 2.

Patients must not have an active uncontrolled infection.

No patients for whom bone marrow transplant is indicated as primary therapy.

Must be able to give informed consent.

Patients must not be HIV positive.

Patients must not be pregnant.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Enrollment
14 participants

Interventions

  • DrugLeucovorin
06

Study locations

1 site
  • Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Mathew P, Tefferi A, Dewald GW, Goldberg SL, Su J, Hoagland HC, Noel P. The 5q- syndrome: a single-institution study of 43 consecutive patients. Blood. 1993 Feb 15;81(4):1040-5. PubMed 8427985 ↗
  • Funanage VL, Myoda TT, Moses PA, Cowell HR. Assignment of the human dihydrofolate reductase gene to the q11----q22 region of chromosome 5. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Oct;4(10):2010-6. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.10.2010-2016.1984. PubMed 6504041 ↗
  • Maurer BJ, Carlock L, Wasmuth J, Attardi G. Assignment of human dihydrofolate reductase gene to band q23 of chromosome 5 and of related pseudogene psi HD1 to chromosome 3. Somat Cell Mol Genet. 1985 Jan;11(1):79-85. doi: 10.1007/BF01534737. PubMed 3856332 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 4, 2008, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00004997
Lead sponsor
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
First posted
Mar 23, 2000
Start date
Apr 1998
Completion
Jul 2002
Last update
Mar 4, 2008
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Jul 2002. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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