Gemcitabine and Pemetrexed Disodium in Treating Patients With Advanced Mycosis Fungoides or Sézary Syndrome

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2013-06-04
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Pemetrexed disodium may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving gemcitabine together with pemetrexed disodium may kill more cancer cells.

PURPOSE: This was planned as a phase I/II trial studying the side effects and determining the best dose of gemcitabine hydrochloride when given together with pemetrexed disodium. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, the phase II portion was never conducted.

• Phase: Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Northwestern University
• Collaborators: Eli Lilly and Company; National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Treatments: Gemcitabine; Pemetrexed

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed* mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome

• Stage IB-IVB disease NOTE: *Pathology report must read diagnostic or consistent with mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome

• Failed ≥ 1 prior systemic treatment

• Measurable disease

• At least 1 indicator lesion must be designated prior to study entry

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-2

• Life expectancy ≥ 6 months

• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL

• Creatinine clearance ≥ 45 mL/min

• Bilirubin ≤ 2.2 mg/dL

• AST and ALT ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal

• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³

• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

• No acute infection requiring systemic treatment

• No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to the study drugs or to any other ingredient used in their formulation

• Not pregnant or nursing

• Negative pregnancy test

• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics

• At least 4 weeks since prior topical therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or biological therapy

• No acetylsalicylic acid or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for 2 days before and for 2 days after pemetrexed disodium infusion (5 days before and for 2 days after pemetrexed disodium infusion for patients taking NSAIDs with a long half-life [e.g., naproxen, refocoxib, or celecoxib])

• No concurrent topical agents except emollients

• No other concurrent topical or systemic anticancer therapies

• No other concurrent investigational agents