An interventional study of Avmacol in Head and Neck Cancer, Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) and Head and Neck Carcinoma, sponsored by University of Pittsburgh. Completed at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-04-07.
Sponsored by University of Pittsburgh · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
Avmacol is an over-the-counter dietary supplement containing broccoli seed and sprout extracts in tablet form, hypothesized to activate protective cellular pathways including detoxication. In this study, participants who have been curatively treatment for head and neck cancer, will take Avmacol twice a day for 3 months.
The broccoli seed preparation, Avmacol®, results in acute and/or sustained induction of NRF2 target gene transcripts in the oral mucosa of patients who have been curatively treated for a tobacco-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), including high grade dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or invasive carcinoma. This study is not designed to examine the therapeutic or reparative effects of Avmacol® on premalignant lesions of the oral cavity.
We will systematically assess the clinical chemopreventive potential of Avmacol® administration to patients with tobacco-related HNSCC at high risk for second primary tumor by:
2,018 studies on the registry are indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; 573 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 6 is below the median of 48 across 1,653 interventional studies indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck.
Browse Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck studies →University of Pittsburgh is the lead sponsor of 1,419 studies on the registry; 168 are open to participants now.
Of its 9 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 4 (44%) have results posted.
Compared within Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Head and Neck Neoplasms. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Current and former tobacco users are eligible. The tobacco use assessment form must be completed following consent, to assure eligibility (Appendix B). Patients must have ≥10 pack-year cumulative tobacco exposure or its equivalent to be eligible. This is defined as follows:
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 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.
Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
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.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
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.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
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.
Karnofsky performance status (KPS)
A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ECOG performance status
A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.
Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
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.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
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.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
You will be given a higher dose of Avmacol® each month, taking 2 Avmacol® tablets per day the first month (Cycle 1), 4 Avmacol® tablets per day the second month (Cycle 2), and 8 Avmacol® tablets per day the third month (Cycle 3). Investigators will study how Avmacol® affects your body by collecting three different tissues: 1) your cheek cells (buccal cells); 2) your urine; and 3) your blood. After you have finished three months of Avmacol®, you will return one month later for an end-of-study visit.
Dietary Supplement: Avmacol
Avmacol is a dietary supplement available over the counter
Also known as: broccoli see extract
Change in NRF2 target gene expression
Quantitative changes in NRF2 target gene transcripts expression (i.e. NQO1 and GCLC) in oral mucosa (buccal cytobrush) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) according to a linear mixed model framework.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Change in NRF2 target proteins
Changes in NRF2 target proteins in buccal punch biopsies by immunoblotting.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Change in NRF2 target gene transcripts
Change in NRF2 target gene transcripts, between the two doses of Avmacol® by immunoblotting.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Change in NRF2-independent proteins
Change in NRF2 target gene transcripts, between the two doses of Avmacol® by immunoblotting.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Alterations of Avmacol® activity in PBMCs - NK cells
Changes in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) gene expression and flow cytometry patterns in NK cells.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Alterations of Avmacol® activity in PBMCs - T cells
Changes in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) gene expression and flow cytometry patterns in T cells.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Change in serum cytokine levels
Change in serum cytokine levels, as determined by multiplexed bead-based cytokine assays.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Measurement of serum albumin-bound SF
Measurement of urinary metabolites of SF using isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
Time frame: From baseline throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Safety profile in accordance with NCI CTCAE v.4
Patients will receive a diary for daily logging of adverse events. This will tabulated by Avmacol dose and type and grade of adverse events. The mean frequency and grade of events will be calculated by dose, and between-dose differences compared by means
Time frame: Throughout treatment period, up to 4 months
Proportion of patients primary tumors harboring genomic alteration of NRF2 related genes
Genomic alterations in primary tumors will be characterized and the proportion determined by number of patients with NRF2 related genes per the total number of patients studied.
Time frame: At baseline
Ran from Jul 2018 to primary completion in Jul 2019, 11 months.
Of 115 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, half reached primary completion within 53 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 34 and three quarters within 90. This study's 11 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 126 studies reached it within 59 months; a quarter within 34 and three quarters within 90.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Broccoli Sprout/Broccoli Seed Extract Supplement
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck →