Topical MTS-01 for Dermatitis During Radiation and Chemotherapy for Anal Cancer

Background:

- Radiation and chemotherapy treatments for anal cancer can cause irritation of the skin that can lead to redness and tenderness, and in some cases can be so severe that it results in blistering or peeling of the skin during treatment. These conditions cause discomfort and may require breaks from radiation treatment. Researchers are interested in determining whether MTS-01, a drug that protects cells and tissues from the effects of radiation, can be given before radiation treatment to prevent these side effects and reduce the irritation of the skin during chemotherapy and radiation for anal cancer.

Objectives:

- To determine the safety and effectiveness of topical MTS-01 given before radiation in the groin and gluteal cleft of patients receiving combined radiation and chemotherapy for anal cancer.

Eligibility:

- Individuals at least 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with cancer of the anal canal and are eligible to receive radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

Design:

* Participants will be screened with a physical examination, medical history, blood tests, imaging studies and physical examination of the anal canal, and biopsies as needed to evaluate eligibility for treatment.
* Participants will be scheduled for radiation and chemotherapy treatments on the following schedule:
* Radiation given 5 days per week for 6 weeks, with topical MTS-01 treatment on the skin in the groin areas and between the buttocks before each treatment
* Mitomycin C given intravenously on days 1 and 29 of treatment
* 5-Fluorouracil given intravenously over 4 days (first week and fifth week) during radiation treatment
* Participants will be monitored throughout the treatment for side effects, with photographs of the treatment area and frequent blood tests.
* Following the end of radiation, participants will have followup visits for 1 year with blood tests and imaging studies to evaluate the response to treatment.

Background:

* Patients with non-metastatic carcinoma of the anal canal are treated with concurrent mitomycin C (MMC), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and radiotherapy (RT) in the curative setting in an attempt to preserve the anal sphincter.
* Radiation dermatitis is a uniform complication of this therapy which frequently results in treatment delay due to pain and discomfort. High grade dermatitis may also become superinfected in the setting of decreased blood counts from chemotherapy and diarrhea from radiation proctitis, further delaying therapy. Approaches that decrease toxicity may be particularly important in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
* MTS-01 (tempol, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) is a piperidine nitroxide known to act as a chemical radioprotector with selective protection of normal versus tumor tissue.
* Tempol gel (tempol 70 mg/mL plus water, ethanol, and hydroxypropyl cellulose) has been evaluated as a topical radioprotector in pilot trials that included a variety of sites.

Objectives:

* Primary Objective: To determine the safety and tolerability of topical MTS-01 on a daily basis prior to irradiation in the groin and gluteal cleft of patients receiving combined therapy with MMC, 5-FU, and RT for carcinoma of the anal canal.
* Secondary Objectives will include evaluation of the following endpoints in a preliminary fashion:

  * To describe the rates and severity of skin toxicity in patients treated with this regimen
  * To describe the need for toxicity related treatment breaks with this regimen
  * To describe the opiate requirements in patients treated with this regimen
  * To describe 12-month progression-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival in patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and MTS-01
  * Evaluate the effects of antiretroviral therapy, 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C, and radiation on low level persistent HIV viremia and HIV genetic diversity during therapy and recovery
  * To evaluate the feasibility of collecting HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) and mononuclear cells from rectal associated lymphoid tissue for correlative studies
  * Collect and store anal cytology and core needle biopsies of tumor for future human papillomavirus infection (HPV) and tumor based analyses

Eligibility:

* Age greater than or equal to 18 years.
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status less than or equal to 2.
* Histologically confirmed carcinoma of the anal canal without evidence of distant metastases
* No contraindications to definitive chemoradiotherapy for carcinoma of the anal canal

Design:

This is a pilot trial of topical MTS-01 in patients receiving MMC, 5-FU, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for definitive management of carcinoma of the anal canal. Fifteen patients will be enrolled. MMC will be delivered at a dose of 10mg/m(2) on days 1 and 29. 5-FU will be delivered as 1000mg/m(2)/day as 96 hour continuous infusion beginning on day 1 and 29. RT will be delivered to a total dose of 50-54 Gy based on tumor characteristics. Tempol gel will be applied to the bilateral groins and the gluteal cleft, avoiding a 3 cm radius from the anal verge, immediately prior to each fraction of RT. Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grading will be used to evaluate skin toxicity in both the groin and gluteal cleft weekly during treatment and at 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after completion of treatment. The duration of treatment, number of treatment breaks, opiate requirements, and level of pain will be evaluated weekly during treatment and at 4 weeks and 3 months after the completion of treatment. Disease control will be assessed at 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months of follow-up.

Eligibility Criteria:
* INCLUSION CRITERIA:
* Histologically proven, invasive primary squamous, basaloid, or cloacogenic carcinoma of the anal canal, stage T1-4, N0-3
* No previous therapy for anal cancer.
* Age greater than or equal to 18 years
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status less than or equal to 2
* Adequate bone marrow, renal, and hepatic function defined as

  * Absolute neutrophil count greater than or equal to 1,000 cells/mm(3)
  * Platelet count greater than or equal to 100,000/mm(3)
  * Hemoglobin greater than or equal to 8mg/dL
  * Creatinine clearance \> 60 mL/min using Cockcroft-Gault formula
  * Bilirubin less than or equal to 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) unless, during screening, the patient is receiving protease inhibitor therapy (i.e. indinavir, ritonavir, nelfinavir, and atazanavir) known to be associated with increased bilirubin: in this case total bilirubin less than or equal to 7.5 mg/dl and the direct fraction is less than or equal to 0.7 mg/dl.
  * White blood cell (WBC) greater than or equal to 3,000/microL
  * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) less than or equal to 3 times the upper limit of normal
  * International normalized ratio (INR) less than or equal to 1.5
* Patients of childbearing potential must be willing to use a medically effective means of birth control for the duration of treatment and six weeks after treatment.
* Patients must be willing and able to provide informed consent

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

* Contraindications to radiotherapy such as a history of prior radiotherapy to the pelvis or a history of inflammatory bowel disease
* Prior malignancy except:

  * non-melanoma skin cancer
  * controlled Kaposi's Sarcoma (no chemotherapy for KS for 3 months, and no expected need for chemotherapy for the 12-month period of the study)
  * other malignancies with disease free period of at least 3 years
* Presence of metastatic disease (M1)
* Co-morbidity that in the estimation of the principal investigator would make the patient unable to tolerate treatment
* Pregnant or lactating females
* Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients with cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) \< 100 cells/mL AND ECOG performance status (PS) greater than 2.
* Dermatitis in the anticipated radiation treatment portal.