A Phase 2 interventional study of Olanzapine and Placebo Administration in Advanced Malignant Solid Neoplasm, Advanced Biliary Tract Carcinoma and Advanced Esophageal Carcinoma, sponsored by OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-16.
Sponsored by OHSU Knight Cancer Institute · Phase 2, Interventional, and Supportive care
This phase II trial tests how well olanzapine works in managing cancer cachexia in patients experiencing esophagogastric, hepatopancreaticobiliary, colorectal, or lung cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) -associated appetite loss while receiving non-curative cancer therapy. Loss of appetite ("anorexia") in the setting of cancer is a key feature of "cachexia," a syndrome associated with loss of weight and muscle as well as weakness and fatigue. Olanzapine is a drug that targets key neurotransmitters (a type of molecule in the central nervous system that transmits messages to the rest of the body) that may stimulate appetite, restore caloric intake, minimize weight loss, and improve quality of life (QOL).
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
I. To assess the impact of olanzapine 2.5 mg versus (vs) placebo on the proportion of patients with locally advanced or metastatic EG, HPB, or lung cancers receiving first-line systemic standard-of-care (SOC) therapy with >5% weight gain over 12 weeks. (Part A)
SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:
I. To evaluate the impact of olanzapine 2.5 mg and placebo vs olanzapine 5 mg on the proportion of patients with >5% weight gain over 12 weeks. (Part A) II. To evaluate the impact of olanzapine 2.5 mg vs olanzapine 5 mg vs placebo on additional cancer cachexia-associated endpoints over 12 weeks (anorexia, nutritional status, physical function, patient-reported symptoms, QOL, safety and toxicity, and healthcare utilization) over 12 weeks. (Part A)
OUTLINE:
PART A: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 arms. All three arms have an optional baseline computed tomography (CT) scan (timed with standard-of-care imaging) at baseline and optional monthly blood sample collections.
ARM I: Patients receive a lower (2.5 mg) dose of olanzapine orally (PO) nightly for 12 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients may choose to enroll in an additional 12 weeks of treatment (Part B). Patients may choose to participate to undergo CT scan and collection of blood samples on study.
ARM II: Patients receive a higher (5 mg) dose of olanzapine PO nightly for 12 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients may choose to enroll in an additional 12 weeks of treatment. Patients may choose to participate to undergo CT scan and collection of blood samples on study.
ARM III: Patients receive placebo PO nightly for 12 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients may choose to enroll in an additional 12 weeks of treatment. Patients may choose to participate to undergo CT scan and collection of blood samples on study.
PART B: All patients receive a lower (2.5mg) dose of olanzapine PO nightly for 12 additional weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients may choose to participate in additional blood sample collections.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 1 week.
1,873 studies on the registry are indexed under Esophageal Neoplasms; 501 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 66 is above the median of 58 across 1,347 interventional studies indexed under Esophageal Neoplasms.
Browse Esophageal Neoplasms studies →OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the lead sponsor of 243 studies on the registry; 44 are open to participants now.
Of its 27 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 15 (56%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Patients with weight loss as defined by international consensus criteria (documented or patient-reported):
Exclusion Criteria:
Current use of medications or supplements with the goal of enhancing appetite within ≥14 days, including:
Inadequate organ function, which may include, but is not limited to, the following laboratory results within 28 days before signing consent:
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.
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.
The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).
Your pathology report is the document that shows this.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
A line of therapy is one course of treatment, which may combine several drugs. First-line is the first course given; second-line follows when that stops working or is not tolerated.
“Two prior lines” means two courses that count separately under the study’s rules — not simply two drugs. Ask the study team if you are unsure how yours are counted.
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.
Cancer deposits in the brain from a cancer that started elsewhere in the body (CNS metastases include the spinal cord).
Studies differ: some leave out any brain metastases, some accept ones treated and stable for some weeks. Check what this study allows.
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 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.
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.
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 blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
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.
Histologically or cytologically confirmed
The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).
Your pathology report is the document that shows this.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Metastases
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Line of therapy
A line of therapy is one course of treatment, which may combine several drugs. First-line is the first course given; second-line follows when that stops working or is not tolerated.
“Two prior lines” means two courses that count separately under the study’s rules — not simply two drugs. Ask the study team if you are unsure how yours are counted.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adjuvant and neoadjuvant
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Brain metastases
Cancer deposits in the brain from a cancer that started elsewhere in the body (CNS metastases include the spinal cord).
Studies differ: some leave out any brain metastases, some accept ones treated and stable for some weeks. Check what this study allows.
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.
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.
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.
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.
HbA1c
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Bilirubin
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ULN (upper limit of normal)
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ALT and AST (liver enzymes)
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients receive a lower (2.5mg) dose of olanzapine orally (PO) nightly for 12 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients may choose to enroll in an additional 12 weeks of treatment. Patients can choose to undergo computed tomography (CT) scan at baseline and monthly blood sample collections on study.
Drug: Olanzapine · Other: Questionnaire Administration
Patients receive a higher dose (5 mg) of olanzapine PO nightly for 12 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients may choose to enroll in an additional 12 weeks of treatment. Patients undergo an optional baseline CT scan and collections of monthly blood samples on study.
Drug: Olanzapine · Other: Questionnaire Administration
ARM III: Patients receive placebo PO nightly for 12 weeks in the absence of unacceptable toxicity. Patients may choose to enroll in an additional 12 weeks of treatment. Patients undergo CT scan and monthly collection of blood samples on study.
Drug: Placebo Administration · Other: Questionnaire Administration
Given PO
Also known as: LY 170053, Zyprexa, Zyprexa Zydis
Given PO
Ancillary studies
Proportion of patients exhibiting weight gain greater 5%
\>5% weight gain comparing olanzapine 2.5mg (Arm I) vs. placebo (Arm III)
Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks from baseline
Change in Weight
\>5% weight gain comparing olanzapine 2.5 mg (Arm I) vs. olanzapine 5mg (Arm II) \>5% weight gain comparing olanzapine 5 mg (Arm II) vs. placebo (Arm III)
Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks from baseline
Anorexia
Patient reported anorexia comparing olanzapine 2.5 mg (Arm 1) vs. olanzapine 5 mg (Arm 2) vs. placebo (Arm 3) Anorexia will be measured using the Functional Assessment of Anorexia-Cachexia Therapy (FAACT), a 12-item subscale of patients' perceptions of appetite (maximum score of 48, higher scores indicate less anorexia). A FAACT score ≤ 37 indicates anorexia.
Time frame: At 12 weeks from baseline]
Appetite
Change in appetite will be measured using the Visual Analog Scale for appetite (VAS), a 10-point scale with a higher score indicating a better appetite. A ≥3-point improvement in appetite at the end of the 12-week placebo-controlled Part A as compared to baseline in each arm will be considered an improvement in appetite.
Time frame: Baseline up to 12 weeks from baseline
Nutrition
Nutritional Status will be measured using the Patient- Generated Subjective Assessment Short Form (PG-SGA-SF); scored on a scale of 0-36 with a higher score indicating worse malnutrition.
Time frame: At baseline and at 4, 8, 12 weeks from baseline
Physical Function
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status is a clinician's assessment of physical function rated 0 to 5 with a lower score indicating better performance.
Time frame: At baseline and at 4, 8, and12 weeks from baseline
Physical Function
Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) is a clinician assessed score (0-100) to evaluate physical function and ability to carry out daily activities. A higher score indicates better performance. \[Time Frame: At baseline and at 4, 8, 12 weeks from baseline\]
Time frame: At baseline and at 4, 8, and12 weeks from baseline
Physical Function
Tthe Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is a physical function assessment consisting of 3 timed measures and scored 0 to 12 with a higher score indicating better performance.
Time frame: At baseline and at 4, 8, and12 weeks from baseline
Patient Reported Quality of Life
Patient reported quality of life will be measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G,) consisting of four domains (physical, social, emotional, and functional) of well-being with scores ranging from 0 to 108 with higher scores indicating better QOL.
Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks from baseline
Patient-reported impression of change
Patient Global Impression of Change (PGI-C) is a 7-point scale depicting a patient's rating of overall improvement in appetite and fatigue with a higher score indicating more improvement .
Time frame: At 12 weeks from baseline
Patient Reported Symptoms
Patient Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) will be used to capture symptoms associated with cancer cachexia and/or its treatment. Each response is scored from 0-4 with a higher score indicating more severity.
Time frame: At 4, 8, and 12 weeks from baseline
Incidence of adverse events
National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE) version 5.
Time frame: At 4, 8, and 12 weeks from baseline
Proportion of patients with ≥1 unplanned hospitalization
Calculation and analysis of patients who have 1 or more unplanned hospitalization.
Time frame: At baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks from baseline
Proportion of patients with ≥1 emergency department visit
Health care utilization including emergency department visits, hospital admissions.
Time frame: At baseline and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks from baseline
Proportion of patients with ≥1 unplanned hospitalization
Number of unplanned hospitalizations
Time frame: From baseline to 12 weeks
Started Jul 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jun 2027, 35 months after the start.
Of 174 non-industry phase 2 interventional studies under Esophageal Neoplasms, half reached primary completion within 55 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 33 and three quarters within 85. This study's planned 35 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 198 studies reached it within 52 months; a quarter within 33 and three quarters within 78.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Olanzapine
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