Evaluating the Effects of Cannabis Use and Circulating Cannabinoids on Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Malignant Melanoma

Study Purpose

The goal of this proposal is to determine how cannabinoid use affects the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) of melanoma by correlating TILs with reported cannabinoid use and circulating plasma cannabinoids. The central hypothesis is that cannabinoid use decreases TILs in melanoma in a dose-dependent fashion. This is important because cannabinoid-driven TME changes in melanoma may alter patient outcomes mediated by TILs and response to standard of care ICI treatments.

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms

Unknown
Study Type

An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes.


An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.


Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.

Observational
Eligible Ages 21 Years and Over
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • - Biopsy proven melanoma, any stage.
  • - Biopsy obtained within 4 weeks of anticipated enrollment.
  • - Patients >21 years old.
- Report no cannabis use in the last year or chronic cannabis use (at least weekly use for 3 months or more)

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients unwilling or unable to provide informed consent

Trial Details

Trial ID:

This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.

NCT05520294
Phase

Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans.

Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data.

Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.

Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.

Lead Sponsor

The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.

University of Colorado, Denver
Principal Investigator

The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.

Camille Stewart, MD
Principal Investigator Affiliation University of Colorado, Denver
Agency Class

Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.

Other
Overall Status Active, not recruiting
Countries United States
Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.

Melanoma
Additional Details

Specific Aim 1.Assess how systemic cannabinoids remodel tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) within the melanoma tumor microenvironment. We hypothesize that decreased grade of TILs and exhaustive differentiation of T cells in melanoma are associated with lower cannabinoid receptor (CB1/CB2) expression and higher levels of systemic exogenous cannabinoids. Aim 1a.) Correlate plasma levels of cannabinoids with TIL grade. Aim 1b.) Correlate plasma levels of cannabinoids with TIL T cell immunohistochemical markers of exhaustion. Aim 1c.) Correlate plasma levels of cannabinoids to TIL CB1/CB2 expression. Specific Aim 2. Determine the relationship between peripheral T cell activation and circulating cannabinoid levels in patients with melanoma. We hypothesize that the phenotypic activation of peripheral T cells is inversely associated with increased plasma levels of systemic exogenous cannabinoids. Aim 2a.) Immunophenotype peripheral T cells from patients with melanoma. Aim 2b.) Correlate plasma levels of cannabinoids with peripheral T cell phenotypic activation.

Arms & Interventions

Arms

: Chronic Cannabinoid Users

Ib or II Melanoma patients who are chronic cannabinoid users

: Non-users

Ib or II Melanoma patients non cannabinoid users

Interventions

Other: - High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assays

Paraffin blocks will be requested for slide creation, and at least 12 mL of whole blood will be collected in 2 green top tubes, centrifuged, and plasma transferred for storage at -80 C until further processing

Contact a Trial Team

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University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado

Status

Address

University of Colorado Denver

Aurora, Colorado, 80045

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