A Phase 2 interventional study of Sirolimus in Vascular Malformation, sponsored by University Hospital, Tours. Completed at 12 sites in France. Open to participants aged 6 Years to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-22.
Sponsored by University Hospital, Tours · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
The most recent classification, adopted by International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA) in 1996, and updated in Melbourne in 2014, divides these lesions into two broad categories: vascular tumors and vascular malformations. Vascular malformations (VMs) are subdivided into high-flow VM and slow-flow VM.
Slow-flow VMs consist of congenital anomalies which may involve abnormal capillaries vessels, venous vessels, lymphatic vessels or combination of several of them. They can be superficial (involving cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues) and/or may have visceral involvement. They can be limited or diffuse, and are sometimes components of genetic hypertrophic syndromes.
The diagnosis of slow-flow VMs is performed on physical examination (biopsy may be required for confirmation), and is completed with imaging (ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Slow-flow VMs may be particularly voluminous; associated with underlying hypertrophy responsible for functional impairment; painful; associated with seepage or continuous cutaneous bleeding; complicated with visceral signs or hematologic disturbances (anemia, thrombopenia). Management requires dedicated multispecialty care. There are no guidelines for treatment, and management may include no intervention - but natural history of these VMs is progressive worsening -, compression by physical bandage, sclerotherapy, resection (when feasible),anti-inflammatory or anti-coagulation drugs.
Case reports and series have provided evidence for supporting the need for a clinical trial of sirolimus by reporting successful treatment on several children with complicated vascular anomalies. The choice of sirolimus is rational. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase regulated by phosphoinositide-3-kinase involved in cell mobility, cell growth and angiogenesis. Sirolimus inhibits mTOR, which induces inhibition of angiogenesis, in particular lymphangiogenesis, which has been demonstrated in several models.
Vascular anomalies include a heterogeneous group of disorders of newborns and children. While infantile hemangioma are common (10% of infants), generally not complicated and easily managed, the majority of other vascular anomalies are rare (\<2% altogether) and have no guidelines for management. The most recent classification, adopted by International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA) in 1996, divides these lesions into two broad categories: vascular tumors and vascular malformations. Vascular malformations (VMs) are subdivided into high-flow VM and slow-flow VM.
Slow-flow VMs consist of congenital anomalies which may involve abnormal capillaries vessels, venous vessels, lymphatic vessels or combination of several of them. They can be superficial (involving cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues) and/or may have visceral involvement. They can be limited or diffuse, and are sometimes components of genetic hypertrophic syndromes. They always result from defective embryologic vasculogenesis.
The diagnosis of slow-flow VMs is performed on physical examination - a biopsy may be required for confirmation -, and is completed with imaging, which includes ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Slow-flow VMs may be simple to manage or can be complicated for several reasons: they may be particularly voluminous; associated with underlying hypertrophy responsible for functional impairment; painful; associated with seepage or continuous cutaneous bleeding; complicated with visceral signs or hematologic disturbances (anemia, thrombopenia). Management requires dedicated multispecialty care. There are no guidelines for treatment, and management may include no intervention - but natural history of these VMs is progressive worsening -, compression by physical bandage, sclerotherapy, resection (when feasible), anti-inflammatory or anti-coagulation drugs.
The vast majority of literature reporting medical therapies consists of paediatric case reports, and is complicated by publication bias, inconsistent use of nomenclature and absence of clinical trials. Case reports and series have provided evidence for supporting the need for a clinical trial of sirolimus by reporting successful treatment on several children with complicated vascular anomalies. The choice of sirolimus is rational. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase regulated by phosphoinositide-3-kinase involved in cell mobility, cell growth and angiogenesis. Sirolimus inhibits mTOR, which induces inhibition of angiogenesis, in particular lymphangiogenesis, which has been demonstrated in several models.
Randomized observational-phase design (Feldman et al. J Clin Epidemiol 2001;54:550-557):
As specified by Feldman et al, the randomized placebo-phase design is well adapted in situations where "a placebo controlled study would be perceived as being unacceptable by enrolling physicians and by patient" and "may be especially useful when highly potent therapies for rare diseases"
79 studies on the registry are indexed under Vascular Malformations; 33 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 63 is above the median of 55 across 49 interventional studies indexed under Vascular Malformations.
Browse Vascular Malformations studies →University Hospital, Tours is the lead sponsor of 307 studies on the registry; 79 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
CYP3A is a group of enzymes, mainly CYP3A4, in the liver and gut that break down many medicines. Some medicines, supplements and foods (grapefruit, St John’s wort) slow them down or speed them up, which changes how much of a study drug stays in the body.
Studies list them so they can be avoided or switched; bring a list of everything you take, including supplements.
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
CYP3A (CYP3A4) inhibitors and inducers
CYP3A is a group of enzymes, mainly CYP3A4, in the liver and gut that break down many medicines. Some medicines, supplements and foods (grapefruit, St John’s wort) slow them down or speed them up, which changes how much of a study drug stays in the body.
Studies list them so they can be avoided or switched; bring a list of everything you take, including supplements.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Live vaccines
Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients will first be included in an observational period, then, at a randomized time different from one to another, will all receive the experimental treatment (i.e. sirolimus). This design has been defined a the "randomized placebo-phase design" (Feldman et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2001 Jun;54(6):550-7)
At a randomized date, patients will start treatment with sirolimus (beginning dose: 0.08mg/kg/day)
Drug: Sirolimus
* each patient will be followed during a 12-month-period * each patient will start by an observational period and end being treated by sirolimus * at a random date (between month 4 and month 8), each patient will switch from the observational period to the sirolimus period
Also known as: rapamune
Change of volume of the Vascular Malformation
Primary outcome will be based on the volume of the VMs on MRI. Three MRI will be performed: one at baseline (M0), one at the date of switch from the observational period to the sirolimus period (MS) and one at the end of follow-up (M12). Relative change of volume, standardized by the duration period, will define the outcome. Thus, for the observational period, the primary outcome is defined as {(VMS - V0)/V0}/(MS-M0) where V0 and VMS are the volumes assessed at baseline and month S, respectively, and (MS-M0) corresponds to the duration of the observational period. For the sirolimus period, the outcome is defined in the same way as {(V12 - VMS)/VMS}/(M12-MS), where V12 is the volume assessed at month 12 and (M12-MS) corresponds to the duration of the sirolimus period. Interpretation of the MRI will be centralized and performed by a radiologist blinded from physical assessment and from treatment period.
Time frame: at baseline, at date of switch from the observational period to the sirolimus period (between 4 and 8 month) and at 12 months
Efficacy of study treatment measured on digital photographs
Qualitative assessment of efficacy on digital photographs
Time frame: inclusion, switch from the observational period to the sirolimus period (between 4 and 8 month), switch+1month, 12 month
Self assessment of efficacy of study treatment
Patient self assessment or proxy (parents) self assessments using visual analogic scale (0-10): * Global treatment efficacy on a visual analogic scale (0-10) * Skin complications/symptoms (seepage, bleeding, skin tension, functional impairment) * Pain * Quality of life by the dermatological quality of life scale (DLQI and DLQI adapted to children)
Time frame: Participants will be followed during 12 months
Dermatologist's assessment of efficacy of study treatment
Dermatologist's global assessment of efficacy using a visual analogic scale (0-10)
Time frame: Participants will be followed during 12 months
Efficacy of study treatment
Decrease of vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) and Tissue Factor (TF) plasma levels Platelet count, and fibrinogen, D-dimers, factor V levels supporting the presence and disappearance of an abnormal intravascular coagulation consumption
Time frame: Participants will be followed during 12 months
Adverse events and safe adverse events will be compared
Adverse events and safe adverse events will be compared using the Mc Nemar test, if applicable. Otherwise, descriptive statistics (percentages) will be estimated.
Time frame: Participants will be followed during 12 months
Organic collection of skin and blood samples
From the organic collection (including blood and skin samples), genetic analysis of several genes involved in vasculogenesis (currently TIE2 and PIK3CA) will be performed. A genotype/phenotype study will be carried out.
Time frame: at 5 month or 6 month or 7 month or 8 month or 9 month after inclusion
Ran from Sep 2015 to primary completion in Mar 2019, 42 months.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Sirolimus