We're building a better ClinicalTrials.gov. Check it out and tell us what you think!
Working…
ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov Menu
Trial record 1 of 8 for:    germanium
Previous Study | Return to List | Next Study

Use of Organic Germanium or Placebo for the Prevention of Radiation Induced Fatigue

The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
 
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00651417
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified June 2011 by Arizona Oncology Services.
Recruitment status was:  Recruiting
First Posted : April 2, 2008
Last Update Posted : June 23, 2011
Sponsor:
Information provided by:
Arizona Oncology Services

Study Description
Go to 
Top of Page Study Description Study Design Arms and Interventions Outcome Measures Eligibility Criteria Contacts and Locations More Information
Brief Summary:
Participants will be diagnosed with localized prostate or breast cancer and be scheduled to undergo external beam radiation therapy. Participants will either receive a placebo or organic germanium to be taken 5 times a day starting the day of their first radiation and continuing through the 1 month follow-up visit. Weekly Quality of life forms will be completed through the one month follow up visit and then at the 3 month follow up visit. Labs will be done prior to the start of treatment, at the end of treatment and at the one and three month follow-up visits.

Condition or disease Intervention/treatment Phase
Localized Breast Cancer Localized Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving External Beam Radiotherapy Dietary Supplement: Organic Germanium Dietary Supplement: Placebo Phase 2

Detailed Description:

With the increasing public use of complementary medicines, most researchers agree that there is a compelling need to study the safety and efficacy of these agents in humans by means of appropriately designed double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trials. With fatigue affecting 96% of the cancer patient population and little more than life style alterations offered as an intervention, the need to evaluate putative and innovative approaches for fatigue is a high priority. The NIH released a "State of the Science" statement in 2002 which concluded that fatigue is a serious cause of morbidity, being the most prevalent symptom experienced by cancer patients. This expert panel also concluded that the major barrier to effective management of fatigue includes a lack of awareness of this fact, the lack of knowledge of the causes of fatigue, and the lack of proven methods to treat fatigue. Presently, clinical trials evaluating intervention for cancer fatigue are lacking.

Organic germanium literature states that it may be an effective agent for combating fatigue with virtually no toxicities. Since virtually all cancer patients receiving radiation therapy experience fatigue, the use of this drug should be evaluated as an intervention for non-anemic fatigue in breast and prostate cancer patients undergoing a definitive course of radiation therapy. We intend to test whether organic germanium is able to reduce the fatigue experienced by patients undergoing radiation therapy and if this reduction in fatigue correlates to an improvement in quality of life for these patients. Changes in the patients' mood will also be evaluated. We will also collect information on the toxicity profile of Organic germanium and try to determine when the peak fatigue time occurs and possibly when they recover. This information will be utilized to see if a larger study is warranted.

2.0 OBJECTIVES 2.1 Primary: To determine if Organic germanium is effective in decreasing severity of fatigue in patients undergoing definitive radiation therapy for prostate or breast cancer at the one month follow-up visit.

2.2 Secondary 2.2.1 To compare changes in patients' moods between Organic germanium versus placebo at the one month follow-up visit 2.2.2 To compare the duration of fatigue between organic germanium and placebo 2.2.3 To further evaluate the toxicity profile of organic germanium using the CTCAE version 3 scale.

2.2.4 To determine the Peak time of fatigue in patients receiving external beam radiotherapy or high dose rate brachytherapy for breast or prostate cancer.

2.2.5 To determine the tolerability of 5 tablets per day as the dosing schema. 2.2.6 To determine when the patients recover from their radiation induced fatigue

Study Design
Go to 
Top of Page Study Description Study Design Arms and Interventions Outcome Measures Eligibility Criteria Contacts and Locations More Information

Layout table for study information
Study Type : Interventional  (Clinical Trial)
Estimated Enrollment : 101 participants
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Prevention
Official Title: A Phase II, Pilot, Randomized, Double-blind Study Comparing the Effectiveness Organic Germanium to Placebo in Decreasing the Severity of Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Prostae and Bbreast Cancers
Study Start Date : April 2005
Estimated Primary Completion Date : December 2012
Estimated Study Completion Date : December 2012

Resource links provided by the National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus related topics: Fatigue

Arms and Interventions
Go to 
Top of Page Study Description Study Design Arms and Interventions Outcome Measures Eligibility Criteria Contacts and Locations More Information

Arm Intervention/treatment
Active Comparator: 1
Organic Germanium tablets 5 times a day
 Dietary Supplement: Organic Germanium
Oral organic Germaium tablets on the tongue 3 to 5 times per day as tolerated
Other Name: Allergy Research Group supplies the organic Germanium
Placebo Comparator: 2
Placebo tablets 3 -5 times per day
 Dietary Supplement: Placebo
Placebo tablets orally 3 - 5 times per day as tolerated
Other Name: Allergy Research Group is supplying the placebo tablets.


Outcome Measures
Go to 
Top of Page Study Description Study Design Arms and Interventions Outcome Measures Eligibility Criteria Contacts and Locations More Information

Primary Outcome Measures :
  1. To determine if Organic germanium is effective in decreasing severity of fatigue in patients undergoing definitive radiation therapy for prostate or breast cancer at the one month follow-up visit. [ Time Frame: One month pst treatment ]

Secondary Outcome Measures :
  1. To compare changes in patients' moods between Organic germanium versus placebo at the one month follow-up visit [ Time Frame: One month follow up ]
  2. To compare the duration of fatigue between organic germanium and placebo [ Time Frame: One month follow up ]
  3. To further evaluate the toxicity profile of organic germanium using the CTCAE version 3 scale. [ Time Frame: one month follow up ]
  4. To determine the Peak time of fatigue in patients receiving external beam radiotherapy or high dose rate brachytherapy for breast or prostate cancer. [ Time Frame: one month follow up ]
  5. To determine when the patients recover from their radiation induced fatigue [ Time Frame: 3 month follow-up ]

Eligibility Criteria
Go to 
Top of Page Study Description Study Design Arms and Interventions Outcome Measures Eligibility Criteria Contacts and Locations More Information

Information from the National Library of Medicine

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.


Layout table for eligibility information
Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older   (Adult, Older Adult)
Sexes Eligible for Study:   All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Histologically-confirmed diagnosis of breast (females only) or prostate cancer
  2. Zubrod performance status of 0-1.
  3. Patients must be ≥ 18 years of age.
  4. Scheduled to undergo definitive radiation therapy (either brachytherapy or external beam)
  5. Patients may have received or be receiving hormonal therapy. Prior chemotherapy is allowed as long as the patient has recovered from any toxicity. Planned future chemotherapy is also allowed after the one month evaluation.
  6. Hgb ≥ 10 g/dl, BUN < 25 mg and creatinine < 1.5 mg
  7. Patient must be able to comply with treatment regimen.
  8. Patient must complete the pre-treatment quality of life questionnaires.
  9. Women of childbearing potential must have a pre-treatment pregnancy test; women of childbearing potential and men able to father children must use non-hormonal-based birth control while on study.
  10. Patients must sign study-specific informed consent prior to study entry.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Known allergies or reactions to Organic germanium
  2. Prior irradiation other than basal cell cancer of skin
  3. Current or past history of metastasis
  4. Current history of uncontrolled hypertension, insulin dependent or uncontrolled diabetes, cardiovascular disease unless controlled and stable for 6 months or more, bleeding disorders, or autoimmune disorders such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or lupus
  5. Current use of corticosteroids or erythropoietin
  6. Patients currently taking Organic germanium, or who have taken Organic germanium within the past three months
  7. Pregnant or lactating women, as treatment involves unforeseeable risks to the participant and to the embryo or fetus
  8. Patients who are unable to complete quality of life questionnaires
  9. Male breast cancer patients
Contacts and Locations
Go to 
Top of Page Study Description Study Design Arms and Interventions Outcome Measures Eligibility Criteria Contacts and Locations More Information

Information from the National Library of Medicine

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00651417


Contacts
Layout table for location contacts
Contact: Terry Thomas, MS, CCRC 602-240-3383 theresa@azoncology.com

Locations
Layout table for location information
United States, Arizona
Arizona Oncology Services Recruiting
Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85013
Contact: Terry Thomas, MS, CCRC    602-240-3383    theresa@azoncology.com   
Sponsors and Collaborators
Arizona Oncology Services
Investigators
Layout table for investigator information
Principal Investigator: Emily Grade, MD Arizona Oncology Services
More Information
Go to 
Top of Page Study Description Study Design Arms and Interventions Outcome Measures Eligibility Criteria Contacts and Locations More Information
Additional Information:

Layout table for additonal information
Responsible Party: Emily Grade,M.D., Principal Investigator, Arizona Oncology Serivces Foundation
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00651417    
Other Study ID Numbers: Germanium
First Posted: April 2, 2008    Key Record Dates
Last Update Posted: June 23, 2011
Last Verified: June 2011
Keywords provided by Arizona Oncology Services:
Organic germanium
fatigue
radiation therapy
breast cancer
prostate cancer
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Layout table for MeSH terms
Prostatic Neoplasms
Fatigue
Neoplasms by Site
Neoplasms
 Genital Neoplasms, Male
Urogenital Neoplasms
Prostatic Diseases