Naltrexone and Propranolol Combined With Immunotherapy

Study Purpose

Various forms of stress can promote cancer development and growth and negatively impact the immune system's response to tumors. Beta-adrenergic and opioid receptors co-exist in many cells including immune cells and are integral components of the body's response to stress. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that dual blockade of these receptors can decrease tumor growth and modulate the anti-tumor immune response. This clinical trial investigates the safety and potential therapeutic benefits of combining a beta-adrenergic blocker (propranolol) and an opioid receptor antagonist (naltrexone) with immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced melanoma.

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

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

No
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.

Interventional
Eligible Ages 18 Years and Over
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • - Age of 18 years or older and able to understand and sign the informed consent form.
  • - Histologically confirmed diagnosis of unresectable stage III or stage IV melanoma.
  • - Candidate for standard of care therapy with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg + nivolumab 1 mg/kg.
  • - Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1.
  • - Treatment-naïve or has received any number of prior lines of therapy.
Prior targeted therapy is allowed, but small molecule inhibitors must be discontinued within two weeks before starting the study.
  • - Life expectancy of at least 6 months.
  • - Presence of at least one accessible site of disease to provide an on-study biopsy for tumor tissue.
The biopsy may be waived after discussion with the Principal Investigator (PI) if it is deemed unfeasible. The site may be a target lesion as long as it will not be rendered unmeasurable by the biopsy procedure.
  • - Willingness to undergo tumor biopsy (if archival tumor is not available) prior to initiation of therapy and while on the study.
  • - Willingness to provide an archival specimen block, if available, for research purposes.
  • - Normal organ function, defined as: 1.
Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >1500/mcL. 2. Platelets >100,000/mcL. 3. Hemoglobin (Hb) >9 g/dL. 4. Albumin >2.5 mg/dL. 5. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) <2.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) 6. Serum total bilirubin <1.5 times ULN or direct bilirubin < ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels >1.5 times ULN.
  • - Female participants of childbearing potential should have a negative serum pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication.
  • - Female participants of childbearing potential should be willing to use a highly effective form of contraception (hormonal or intrauterine device) along with a condom in their male partner, or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for a period of at least six months after the last dose of study medication.
  • - Male participants should agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through at least six months after the last dose of study drug.
  • - Participants must have at least one measurable lesion at baseline by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1 criteria.
Tumor sites situated in a previously irradiated area or in an area subjected to other loco-regional therapy are not considered measurable unless there has been demonstrated progression in the lesion.
  • - Prior focal radiotherapy is allowed.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • - Presence of untreated brain metastases, unless discussed with the Principal Investigator (PI) and meet specific criteria for inclusion (treatment-naïve patients with brain metastases <10 mm, asymptomatic, without significant edema, hemorrhage, shift, or requirement for steroids or anti-seizure medications, and not in eloquent areas).
These patients may potentially forego initial local treatment of the brain metastases and have them reassessed after consultation with the Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology teams.
  • - Use of corticosteroids to control immune-related adverse events at enrollment.
Participants who previously required corticosteroids for symptom control must be off steroids for at least two weeks. Low-dose steroid use (=10 mg of prednisone or equivalent) as corticosteroid replacement therapy for primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency is allowed.
  • - Failure to recover (i.e., Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to prior treatment.
  • - History of grade 3-4 neurologic or cardiac toxicity or life-threatening liver toxicity poorly responsive to steroids with prior anti-PD-1 therapy.
  • - Presence of leptomeningeal disease.
  • - Active autoimmune disease unrelated to the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors that has required systemic treatment in the past year (e.g., use of disease-modifying agents, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressive drugs).
Replacement therapy (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) is not considered a form of systemic treatment.
  • - Contraindications to the use of propranolol, including: 1.
Cardiogenic shock. 2. Sinus bradycardia greater than first-degree block. 3. Severe bronchial asthma. 4. Known hypersensitivity to propranolol. 5. Requirement for current use of an alternative beta-blocker. 6. Uncontrolled diabetes. 7. Uncontrolled depression. 8. Unstable angina or myocardial infarction within 3 months of Day 1 Cycle 1.
  • - For enrollment into Cohort 2-4 ONLY: Contraindications to the use of naltrexone, including: 1.
Participants currently receiving opioid analgesics or anticipated to require opioid analgesics in the near future. 2. Participants currently dependent on opioids, including those currently maintained on opiate agonists (e.g., methadone) or partial agonists (e.g., buprenorphine). 3. Participants in acute opioid withdrawal. 4. Individuals with a history of sensitivity to naltrexone.
  • - Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
If a woman becomes pregnant or suspects she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. Breastfeeding must be discontinued if the mother is enrolled in this trial due to the potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants.
  • - Receipt of any other investigational agents or participation in a study of an investigational agent or use of an investigational device within four weeks of the first dose of treatment.
  • - Concurrent condition (including medical illness, active infection requiring treatment with intravenous antibiotics, or presence of laboratory abnormalities) or history of a prior condition that places the patient at unacceptable risk if treated with the study drug or confounds the ability to interpret data from the study.
  • - Concurrent, active malignancies in addition to those being studied, except for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma.
  • - Active (non-infectious) pneumonitis.
  • - Hepatitis B (HBV) or Hepatitis C (HCV) acute or chronic infection.
- Receipt of a live vaccine

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.

NCT05968690
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.

Phase 1
Lead Sponsor

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

Ryan Stephenson
Principal Investigator

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

Sarah Weiss, MD
Principal Investigator Affiliation Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Agency Class

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

Other
Overall Status Recruiting
Countries United States
Conditions

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

Advanced Melanoma
Additional Details

This is an open-label, single institution, phase I clinical trial to investigate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of dose-escalated naltrexone (NTX) in combination with propranolol (PRO), ipilimumab (IPI), and nivolumab (NIVO) in patients with advanced melanoma.

Arms & Interventions

Arms

Experimental: Cohort 1 - Propranolol

Patients will receive intravenous ipilimumab 3 mg/kg + nivolumab 1 mg/kg every 21 days for up to 4 cycles followed by intravenous nivolumab monotherapy 480 mg every 28 days. Propranolol will be administered as 30 mg orally twice a day, continuously.

Experimental: Cohort 2 - Propranolol + Naltrexone 4.5 mg

Patients will receive intravenous ipilimumab 3 mg/kg + nivolumab 1 mg/kg every 21 days for up to 4 cycles followed by intravenous nivolumab monotherapy 480 mg every 28 days. Propranolol will be administered as 30 mg orally twice a day, continuously. Naltrexone will be administered as 4.5 mg orally once a day, continuously.

Experimental: Cohort 3 - Propranolol + Naltrexone 9 mg

Patients will receive intravenous ipilimumab 3 mg/kg + nivolumab 1 mg/kg every 21 days for up to 4 cycles followed by intravenous nivolumab monotherapy 480 mg every 28 days. Propranolol will be administered as 30 mg orally twice a day, continuously. Naltrexone will be administered as 9 mg orally once a day, continuously.

Experimental: Cohort 4 - Propranolol + Naltrexone 25 mg

Patients will receive intravenous ipilimumab 3 mg/kg + nivolumab 1 mg/kg every 21 days for up to 4 cycles followed by intravenous nivolumab monotherapy 480 mg every 28 days. Propranolol will be administered as 30 mg orally twice a day, continuously. Naltrexone will be administered as 25 mg orally once a day, continuously.

Interventions

Drug: - Propranolol

Propranolol will be administered to patients in all cohorts.

Drug: - Naltrexone

Naltrexone will be administered to patients in cohorts 2, 3, and 4.

Contact a Trial Team

If you are interested in learning more about this trial, find the trial site nearest to your location and contact the site coordinator via email or phone. We also strongly recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider about the trials that may interest you and refer to our terms of service below.

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Status

Recruiting

Address

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08903

Site Contact

Sarah Weiss, MD

[email protected]

732-235-2465

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