ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06732388Updated Sep 14, 2026

Itraconazole in Combination With Ablation for the Prevention of Esophageal Cancer in Patients With High-risk Barrett's Esophagus

A Phase 2 interventional study of Biopsy Procedure and Biospecimen Collection in Barrett Esophagus, Clinical Stage I Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8 and Clinical Stage IIA Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8, sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI). Recruiting at 6 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-14.

Sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI) · Phase 2, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jun 2026; still recruiting 4 months later.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
76
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 209 studies in Barrett Esophagus with a site in United States — 38 open to participants now, 48 under way, none of them phase 3. Barrett Esophagus · United States.

Planned enrollment
50th of 122
76 · median 58
Started
2026
with 5 others
Phase 2
11 of 209
2 open now
Primary completion
2030-08
later than 46 of 47 live
Registered
201st of 209
by date
Lead sponsor
8 of 209
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Among the 209 studies in Barrett Esophagus with a site in United States, this one is the 50th largest by planned enrollment of the 122 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 6 that started in 2026, is one of 11 in phase 2, reaches primary completion later than 46 of the 47 other live ones, and was the 201st registered.

Barrett Esophagus

312 studies on the registry are indexed under Barrett Esophagus; 60 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 76 is above the median of 62 across 187 interventional studies indexed under Barrett Esophagus.

Browse Barrett Esophagus studies →

Open to participants now

38 of the 209 studies in Barrett Esophagus with a site in United States are open now, in 2 countries. Each count lists the studies.

All 38 open studies →

Who these studies take

Of the 44 Barrett Esophagus studies recruiting now, 31 (70%) set no upper age limit and 2 (5%) stop at 75 or younger; 4 take children under 18; 10 take healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.

The full table on the hub →
Was this useful?
Watch this landscapeDownload CSVNarrow it in search →With an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 209 studies in Barrett Esophagus with a site in United States, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

This phase II trial tests how well itraconazole works in combination with the usual standard of care endoscopy with ablation for the prevention of esophageal cancer in patients who have high-risk Barrett's esophagus (BE). BE is a condition in which the lining of the esophagus changes and becomes more like the tissue that lines the intestine. People with Barrett's esophagus have a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer. Itraconazole is a drug used to prevent or treat fungal infections. Ablation refers to the removal of abnormal tissue using heat. Endoscopy is a procedure for looking at the esophagus using a long, flexible tube called an endoscope, which has a video camera at the end. Radiofrequency ablation is a type of heat therapy that uses radiofrequency energy (similar to microwave heat) to destroy the abnormal tissue in the esophagus. Giving itraconazole in combination with standard of care endoscopy with ablation may improve the effects of ablation and prevent esophageal cancer in patients with high-risk Barrett's esophagus.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To evaluate if itraconazole in the peri-ablation period in participants with high-risk Barrett's esophagus (BE) can accelerate BE regression i.e., achieve complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CEIM) faster than the control group.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To measure the time to event of complete eradication of dysplasia (CED). II. To measure the rate of BE recurrence during routine follow-up. III. To determine the safety and tolerability of itraconazole in participants with high-risk BE.

IV. To correlate levels of itraconazole and its primary metabolite hydroxyitraconazole in plasma and esophageal tissues with treatment response.

V. To compare biosocial impact on the participants in the itraconazole and control arms.

EXPLANATORY OBJECTIVE:

I. To correlate the degree of inhibition of Hedgehog (Hh), PI3K-AKT, and VEGFR2 signaling pathways with treatment response.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine whether expression (baseline and magnitude of change) of stem cell markers such as LGR5/CD44/DCAMKL1 can predict treatment response.

II. To bank blood samples and tissue biopsies for future analyses to understand the determinants of response.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.

GROUP I: Patients receive itraconazole orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-42 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 6 weeks for up to 2 cycles as long as there is an absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo usual standard of care endoscopy and radiofrequency ablation on study. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout the study as well as tissue biopsy on study.

GROUP II: Patients receive placebo PO BID on days 1-42 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 6 weeks for up to 2 cycles as long as there is an absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo usual standard of care endoscopy and radiofrequency ablation on study. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout the study as well as tissue biopsy on study.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 12 months.

03

Conditions studied

  • Barrett Esophagus
  • Clinical Stage I Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8
  • Clinical Stage IIA Esophageal Adenocarcinoma AJCC v8
  • Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants with history of prior esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with an established diagnosis of BE ≥ 2 cm with either low-grade dysplasia (LGD) or high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or T1a esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), naïve to treatment, and being considered for ablation.

    • Note: An eligible diagnosis from an EGD outside of the enrollment sites is allowed for inclusion as long as the have been reviewed by two pathologists. The two pathologists could include a pathologist from the referring site and an institutional pathologist at the local enrolling site, two pathologists from the referring site, or two pathologists from the local enrolling site. The diagnosis between two pathologists has to be concordant regarding the presence of dysplasia or cancer. Discrepant diagnoses will be resolved by a third pathologist, if needed
  • Participants older than 18 years will be enrolled. Because the incidence of BE and related cancer is very low in participants \< 18 years of age, children are excluded from this study
  • Clinically eligible for EGD and endoscopic treatment of BE
  • ≥ 1,000/microliter
  • ≥ 100,000/microliter
  • Total ≤ 1.5 x institutional (ULN)

    • Note: Higher total bilirubin levels (≤ 3 mg/dL) can be allowed if due to known benign liver condition, i.e. Gilbert's
  • (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase [SGPT]) ≤ 1.5 × institutional upper limit of normal
  • (HIV)-infected patients on effective anti-retroviral therapy with undetectable viral load within 6 months are eligible for this trial
  • For participants with evidence of chronic virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated
  • Participants with a history of virus (HCV) infection must have been treated and cured. For patients with HCV infection who are currently on treatment, they are eligible if they have an undetectable HCV viral load
  • Participants on chronic suppressive antiviral therapy for herpes simplex virus (HSV) are eligible
  • There are no controlled data on the effects of itraconazole on the developing human fetus at the recommended therapeutic dose. For this reason and because azoles are known to be teratogenic, women of must agree to use one or more methods of highly effective that do not contain estrogen (e.g. progestin only oral contraceptive, non-hormonal intrauterine device, bilateral tubal ligation) two months prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation and two months after completing the study drug. Women should not donate eggs or participate in in vitro fertilization for the duration of study participation, and two months after completing the study drug. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her study physician immediately. Male subjects should avoid donating sperm, and if engaged in intercourse with women of child-bearing potential use a method of highly effective contraception.

    • Activities of : In addition to heterosexual intercourse, activities that could lead to pregnancy (e.g. sperm or egg donation, participation in in vitro fertilization) should be considered when evaluating the reproductive potential of clinical trial subjects.
    • Females of Reproductive Potential: A non- female who has not had a bilateral oophorectomy or medically documented ovarian failure. A female who has had a tubal ligation sterilization, or hysterectomy would not be considered to be of reproductive potential unless participating in activities of reproductive potential other than heterosexual intercourse (e.g. egg donation, participation in in vitro fertilization).
    • Menopause:

      • Twelve (12) months of spontaneous amenorrhea or;
      • Spontaneous amenorrhea with serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels > 40 mIU/mL or;
      • Subject is post-bilateral oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written document

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current (NYHA) class III or IV congestive heart failure
  • Prolonged (QTc) (> 450 ms for men and > 470 ms for women)
  • Participants may not be receiving any other agents
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to itraconazole
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness., or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Pregnant women are excluded from this study because itraconazole is a class C agent with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events (AEs) in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with itraconazole, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with itraconazole
  • Critical drug interactions (grades D or higher) with other medications metabolized by cytochrome P450(CYP)3A4 (if the medication cannot be discontinued or switched or dose modified); these decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis by the site investigators in consultation with the treating provider. Drug interactions can be assessed using one of the available on-line resources, for instance, UpToDate or Clinical Formulary and/or in collaboration with a clinical pharmacist.

    • Note: If there are potential drug interactions that do not exclude the participant from the study, a brief research note summarizing the decision-making process about potential drug interactions and their management will be required before the participants are enrolled in the trial
  • History of eosinophilic esophagitis
  • History of strictures not allowing passage of the radiofrequency ablation (RFA) assembly
  • Participants must not have evidence of active/recurrent invasive cancer of a non-esophageal organ
  • Participants with EAC greater than stage T1a
  • Persistent (> 24 hour [h]) systolic blood pressure (BP) greater than or equal to 160 mmHg (to avoid reaching hypertensive crisis defined as systolic BP > 180 mmHg)
  • Patients taking eliglustat. Co-administration of itraconazole and eliglustat is in subjects that are poor or intermediate metabolizers of CYP2D6
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(18)

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.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC)

The number of neutrophils, white blood cells that help fight infection, in a given amount of blood. Too few raises the risk of infection.

It is a count, not a percentage of the white cells. Limits are written in units that mean the same: ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L is ≥ 1,500 per mm³ (µL). Each lab has its own reference range.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

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.

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.

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.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

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.

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.

Reproductive potential

Able to have children. For women this usually means from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery; for men, unless permanently sterile. Read who the line is about — participants, women, men, or their partners.

Criteria about it usually ask for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Postmenopausal

Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).

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.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

QT and QTc

On an ECG, the QT interval is the time the heart’s lower chambers take to activate electrically and recover in each beat. QTc is that time adjusted for heart rate (QTcF by Fridericia’s formula, QTcB by Bazett’s). Some medicines lengthen it, and a long QTc can raise the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm.

The study may name a correction formula and a limit in milliseconds, often around 450–480.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
76 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Group I (itraconazole)

    Patients receive itraconazole PO twice daily (BID) on days 1-42 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 6 weeks for up to 2 cycles as long as there is an absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo usual standard of care endoscopy and radiofrequency ablation on study. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout the study as well as tissue biopsy on study.

    Procedure: Biopsy Procedure · Procedure: Biospecimen Collection · Procedure: Endoscopic Procedure · Drug: Itraconazole · Other: Questionnaire Administration · Procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation

  • Placebo comparator
    Group II (placebo)

    Patients receive placebo PO BID on days 1-42 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 6 weeks for up to 2 cycles as long as there is an absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo usual standard of care endoscopy and radiofrequency ablation on study. Patients also undergo blood sample collection throughout the study as well as tissue biopsy on study.

    Procedure: Biopsy Procedure · Procedure: Biospecimen Collection · Procedure: Endoscopic Procedure · Drug: Placebo Administration · Other: Questionnaire Administration · Procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation

Interventions

  • ProcedureBiopsy Procedure

    Undergo tissue biopsy

    Also known as: Biopsy, BIOPSY_TYPE, Bx

  • ProcedureBiospecimen Collection

    Undergo blood sample collection

    Also known as: Biological Sample Collection, Biospecimen Collected, Sample Collection, Specimen Collection

  • ProcedureEndoscopic Procedure

    Undergo endoscopy

    Also known as: Endoscopic Examination, Endoscopy, ES

  • Given PO

    Also known as: Lozanoc, Oriconazole, R 51,211, Sporanox

  • DrugPlacebo Administration

    Given PO

  • OtherQuestionnaire Administration

    Ancillary studies

  • ProcedureRadiofrequency Ablation

    Undergo radiofrequency ablation

    Also known as: Ablation, Radiofrequency, Radiofrequency Interstitial Ablation, RFA

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Time to complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CEIM) in days

    CEIM will be defined based on the absence of visible Barrett's esophagus (BE) and invisible BE (i.e., no intestinal metaplasia \[IM\] in biopsies of the gastroesophageal junction and the cardia). Will be reported descriptively. Will compare the unadjusted hazard rates between the itraconazole and control groups using log rank test.

    Time frame: Between day 1, cycle 1 (1 cycle = 6 weeks) and the date of endoscopy at which the participant is deemed to reach CEIM

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time to complete eradication of dysplasia

    Will be assessed by surveillance biopsies at the time of the endoscopy that documents CEIM and the biopsies at the time of first surveillance endoscopy will be evaluated for dysplasia.

    Time frame: Between day 1, cycle 1 (1 cycle = 6 weeks) and the date of endoscopy at which surveillance biopsies do not show dysplasia

  2. Rate of BE recurrence over follow-up

    Will be assessed between the study treatment group and the control group. BE recurrence will be defined as histologic presence of IM (with or without dysplasia) in biopsies from the tubular esophagus or in biopsies at the gastroesophageal junction. The results from the standard of care endoscopy closest to the 12-month time point after CEIM will be used to collect information for this endpoint.

    Time frame: At 12 months after CEIM

  3. Incidence of adverse events

    Will be assessed by National Cancer Institutes Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 criteria to document adverse events and measure specific laboratory parameters to monitor for the safety and tolerability of itraconazole and assessed by descriptive statistics.

    Time frame: Up to 30 days after the end of intervention

  4. Correlate levels of itraconazole and its primary metabolite hydroxyitraconazole

    Will be assessed in plasma and esophageal tissues with treatment response. Will measure these metabolites after two weeks of itraconazole therapy by obtaining biopsies of the esophagus. These measurements will be correlated with biomarker and clinical response to understand how tissue levels of the drug change the molecular and primary endpoints. Will also measure the blood levels to test the feasibility of blood levels for prediction of clinical response in the future.

    Time frame: After two weeks of itraconazole

  5. Biosocial impact

    Will be assessed by questionnaires to collect information about the biosocial endpoints. These will include cancer-specific distress questionnaire, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, Health-Related Quality of life short form 12 version 2, and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System anxiety and depression scores as previously used at the beginning and at the end of the study. The summary measures such as mean or median of these distress scores will be compared between arms using t-test (or Wilcoxon rank test in case of non normality). Linear regression models will be used for studying the differences in the average distress scores between arms adjusted for age, sex and prior history of anxiety or depression.

    Time frame: At baseline and at the end of the study

Other outcomes

  1. Correlation of the degree of inhibition of Hh, PI3K-AKT, and VEGFR2 signaling pathways with treatment response

    Measures will be assessed in biopsies of the gastroesophageal junction as well as in biopsy of BE after two weeks of study drug administration by histological techniques.

    Time frame: After two weeks of study drug administration

  2. Expression of cancer stem cell markers such as LGR5/CD44/DCAMKL1

    Measures will be assessed in biopsies of the gastroesophageal junction as well as biopsies of BE after two weeks of study drug administration by histological techniques.

    Time frame: After two weeks of itraconazole

07

Study locations

4 of 6 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — NCI is committed to sharing data in accordance with NIH policy. For more details on how clinical trial data is shared, access the link to the NIH data sharing policy page.

Data sharing details ↗ · grants.nih.gov

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Jun 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2030, 49 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Dec 12, 2024
First posted
Dec 13, 2024
StartActual
Jun 23, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Aug 1, 2030
CompletionEst.
Dec 1, 2030
Last update
Sep 14, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 14, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06732388
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 13, 2024
Start date
Jun 23, 2026
Primary completion
Aug 1, 2030 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 1, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 14, 2026

Study contacts

Ajay Bansal, MD
principal investigator · University of Kansas Medical Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

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.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drug tested here: Itraconazole

Start the discussion