A Study to Give Treatment Inside the Eye to Treat Retinoblastoma

Description

This phase II trial tests the safety and side effects of adding melphalan (by injecting it into the eye) to standard chemotherapy in early treatment of patients with retinoblastoma (RB). RB is a type of cancer that forms in the tissues of the retina (the light-sensitive layers of nerve tissue at the back of the eye). It may be hereditary or nonhereditary (sporadic). RB is considered harder to treat (higher risk) when there are vitreous seeds present. Vitreous seeds are RB tumors in the jelly-like fluid of the eye (called the vitreous humor). The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer not responding to treatment or coming back after treatment. Melphalan is in a class of medications called alkylating agents. It may kill cancer cells by damaging their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and stopping them from dividing. Other chemotherapy drugs given during this trial include carboplatin, vincristine, and etoposide. Carboplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Vincristine is in a class of medications called vinca alkaloids. It works by stopping cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Etoposide is in a class of medications known as podophyllotoxin derivatives. It blocks a certain enzyme needed for cell division and DNA repair and may kill cancer cells. Adding melphalan to standard chemotherapy early in treatment may improve the ability to treat vitreous seeds and may be better than standard chemotherapy alone in treating retinoblastoma.

Conditions

Bilateral Retinoblastoma, Childhood Intraocular Retinoblastoma, Group D Retinoblastoma, Stage I Retinoblastoma, Unilateral Retinoblastoma

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

This phase II trial tests the safety and side effects of adding melphalan (by injecting it into the eye) to standard chemotherapy in early treatment of patients with retinoblastoma (RB). RB is a type of cancer that forms in the tissues of the retina (the light-sensitive layers of nerve tissue at the back of the eye). It may be hereditary or nonhereditary (sporadic). RB is considered harder to treat (higher risk) when there are vitreous seeds present. Vitreous seeds are RB tumors in the jelly-like fluid of the eye (called the vitreous humor). The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer not responding to treatment or coming back after treatment. Melphalan is in a class of medications called alkylating agents. It may kill cancer cells by damaging their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and stopping them from dividing. Other chemotherapy drugs given during this trial include carboplatin, vincristine, and etoposide. Carboplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Vincristine is in a class of medications called vinca alkaloids. It works by stopping cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Etoposide is in a class of medications known as podophyllotoxin derivatives. It blocks a certain enzyme needed for cell division and DNA repair and may kill cancer cells. Adding melphalan to standard chemotherapy early in treatment may improve the ability to treat vitreous seeds and may be better than standard chemotherapy alone in treating retinoblastoma.

Intravitreal Melphalan for Intraocular Retinoblastoma

A Study to Give Treatment Inside the Eye to Treat Retinoblastoma

Condition
Bilateral Retinoblastoma
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Birmingham

Children's Hospital of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233

Los Angeles

Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, 90027

Palo Alto

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304

Aurora

Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045

Atlanta

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Arthur M Blank Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30329

Ann Arbor

C S Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109

Saint Louis

Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110

Durham

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710

Akron

Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States, 44308

Cleveland

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Patient must be \< 18 years of age at enrollment
  • * Patient must have newly diagnosed intraocular (localized) retinoblastoma and meet one of the following criteria:
  • * Unilateral Group D retinoblastoma with vitreous seeding; OR
  • * Bilateral retinoblastoma with worst eye Group D, with vitreous seeding present and the contralateral eye is Group A-C; OR
  • * Bilateral Group D retinoblastoma with at least one eye with vitreous seeding; OR
  • * Bilateral retinoblastoma with one Group D eye with vitreous seeding and one Group E eye where the Group E eye has been enucleated prior to any therapy. Note exclusion for high-risk features
  • * Bilateral retinoblastoma with one Group D eye with vitreous seeding and one Group E eye where the Group E eye has not been enucleated prior to any therapy at the discretion of the treating physician. Note exclusion for patients with evidence of metastatic or extra orbital spread
  • * Patients must have a performance status corresponding to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores of 0, 1 or 2. Use Karnofsky for patients \> 16 years of age and Lansky for patients =\<16 years of age
  • * Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 750/uL (must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated)
  • * Platelet count \>= 75,000/uL (transfusion independent) (must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment)
  • * A serum creatinine based on age/gender as follows (must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment; must be repeated prior to the start of protocol therapy if \> 7 days have elapsed from their most recent prior assessment):
  • * 1 month to \< 6 months = 0.4 (male and female)
  • * 6 months to \< 1 year = 0.5 (male and female)
  • * 1 to \< 2 years = 0.6 (male and female)
  • * 2 to \< 6 years = 0.8 (male and female)
  • * 6 to \< 10 years = 1.0 (male and female)
  • * 10 to \< 13 years = 1.2 (male and female)
  • * 13 to \< 16 years = 1.5 (male) and 1.4 (female)
  • * \>= 16 years = 1.7 (male) and 1.4 (female) OR - a 24-hour urine Creatinine clearance \>= 70 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 OR - a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \>= 70 mL/min/1.73 m\^2. GFR must be performed using direct measurement with a nuclear blood sampling method OR direct small molecule clearance method (iothalamate or other molecule per institutional standard)
  • * Note: Estimated GFR (eGFR) from serum creatinine, cystatin C or other estimates are not acceptable for determining eligibility
  • * For patients \< 1 month of age, serum creatinine levels must be \< 1.5 x the treating institution's creatinine upper limit of normal (ULN) for patients \< 1 month of age or the creatinine clearance or radioisotope GFR must be \>= 70 mL/min/1.73 m\^2
  • * Total bilirubin =\< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) for age (must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment; must be repeated prior to the start of protocol therapy if \> 7 days have elapsed from their most recent prior assessment)
  • * Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (alanine aminotransferase \[ALT\]) =\< 135 U/L (must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment; must be repeated prior to the start of protocol therapy if \> 7 days have elapsed from their most recent prior assessment)
  • * Note: For the purpose of this study, the ULN for SGPT (ALT) has been set to the value of 45 U/L
  • * Patients with evidence of metastatic or extra-orbital spread
  • * Patients must not have an invasive infection at time of protocol entry
  • * Patients must not have had any prior anti-cancer therapy other than cryotherapy and/or laser therapy (green or infrared) to the study eye(s) and non-study eye, including systemic chemotherapy, intra-arterial chemotherapy, radioactive plaque, brachytherapy, or radiation therapy.
  • * Note: A study eye is defined as being Group D with vitreous seeding. Patients may have had enucleation of one eye as long as the remaining eye is Group D with vitreous seeds
  • * Patients with bilateral disease who undergo enucleation of a Group E eye prior to initiation of therapy and show evidence of high-risk histopathology features in the enucleated eye. High-risk histopathology includes choroid involvement \>= 3 mm, post lamina optic nerve involvement, full thickness scleral invasion or optic nerve invasion to the cut end
  • * Female patients who are pregnant since fetal toxicities and teratogenic effects have been noted for several of the study drugs. A pregnancy test is required for female patients of childbearing potential
  • * Lactating females who plan to breastfeed their infants
  • * Sexually active patients of reproductive potential who have not agreed to use an effective contraceptive method for the duration of their study participation
  • * All patients and/or their parents or legal guardians must sign a written informed consent
  • * All institutional, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) requirements for human studies must be met

Ages Eligible for Study

to 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Children's Oncology Group,

Rachana Shah, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Children's Oncology Group

Study Record Dates

2026-12-31