Eflornithine and/or Diclofenac in Treating Patients With Sun-Damaged Skin

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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RATIONALE: Chemoprevention is the use of certain drugs to keep cancer from forming. The use of eflornithine and diclofenac may stop cancer from growing in patients with sun-damaged skin. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well eflornithine works compared with diclofenac, given alone or together, in treating patients with sun-damaged skin.

Detailed Description
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OBJECTIVES: Primary To determine if combination therapy with topical eflornithine hydrochloride ointment and topical diclofenac sodium gel over 3-months increases the efficacy versus either agent used alone in the treatment of moderately sun-damaged skin. Secondary To evaluate the safety of sequential administration of topical eflornithine hydrochloride ointment and topical diclofenac sodium gel. To determine the correlation of karyometric changes with histopathologic, immunohistochemical, clinical, and genetic polymorphism data. To obtain materials for microarray analysis. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 treatment arms. Eflornithine hydrochloride : Patients apply topical eflornithine hydrochloride ointment to their left forearm twice daily on days 1-90. Diclofenac sodium : Patients apply topical diclofenac sodium gel to their left forearm once daily on days 1-90. Eflornithine hydrochloride/Diclofenac sodium : Patients apply topical eflornithine hydrochloride ointment as in arm I twice daily and topical diclofenac sodium gel as in arm II once daily on days 1-90. Prior to treatment, three 4-mm punch biopsies are taken from the skin of the left lateral forearm for assessment of histopathology, the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme and p53 expression, apoptosis, and nuclear chromatin karyometry. Tissue is also obtained for future use in microarray analysis. Blood is drawn for assessment of ornithine decarboxylase polymorphisms and for banking for subsequent studies. Biopsies are repeated 2-3 weeks after completion of treatment. Digital photographs are taken at baseline and 1-2 weeks after completion of study therapy to document improvement of sun damage, appearance of new skin lesions, and toxicity.

Official Title
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Phase IIB Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Topical Difluoromethylornithine and Topical Diclofenac in the Treatment of Sun-Damaged Skin on the Forearm

Conditions
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Other Benign Neoplasm of Skin, Unspecified

Intervention / Treatment
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* Drug: Diclofenac Na gel
* Drug: Eflornithine HCL ointment


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Visible sun-induced damage to the skin as assessed by the study dermatologists No inflammation of the skin on the lateral forearms No more than 10 actinic keratoses on the left forearm, and no actinic keratoses in the treatment area Resident of Pima or an adjoining Southern Arizona county History of treated basal cell carcinoma and/or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin at any site other than the left forearm allowed if excision or topical treatment was completed more than 30 days ago (60 days for radiotherapy) History of treated basal cell carcinoma and/or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin on the left forearm allowed 6 months after treatment is completed Must agree to avoid sun exposure to the left forearm as much as possible Not pregnant or nursing Not moderately to highly immunosuppressed by virtue of medication or disease, except for mildly suppressive disorders (e.g., diabetes mellitus or on mildly immunosuppressive therapy such as inhaled steroids for asthma) No serious concurrent illness that could interfere with study participation No active peptic ulcer disease, bleeding disorder, renal failure (creatinine > 2.0 mg/dL), or porphyria No known hypersensitivity to diclofenac sodium, eflornithine, acetylsalicylic acid, or NSAIDS No evidence of serious underlying medical conditions as demonstrated by abnormal values on baseline laboratory assessment More than 6 months since prior chemotherapy and in complete remission More than 60 days since prior and no concurrent oral diclofenac sodium (Cataflam®, Voltaren®, Voltaren-XR®) or combination of diclofenac and misoprostol (Arthrotec®) More than 60 days since prior and no concurrent IV eflornithine hydrochloride More than 30 days since prior and no concurrent topical retinoids, steroids, imiquimod (Aldara®), aminolevulinic acid HCl (Levulan®), eflornithine (Vaniqa®), diclofenac sodium gel (Solaraze®), or fluorouracil at any site More than 30 days since prior and no concurrent topical medication, other than emollients or sunscreens, on the left forearm Not undergoing concurrent bone marrow or solid organ transplant No concurrent immunosuppressive therapy (e.g., systemic chemotherapy or rheumatologic agents such as infliximab [Remicade®]) No concurrent sunscreen use to the left forearm No concurrent active therapy for any invasive cancer No concurrent NSAIDs for more than 14 days per month for arthritic and other pain conditions Concurrent prednisone or other steroids with doses up to 20 mg/day (or the equivalent dose) allowed At least 30 days since prior and no concurrent enrollment on other investigational drug or device trial Exclusion Criteria: Individuals receiving concurrent topical therapy with retinoids, steroids, 5-fluorouracil, Levulan, Vaniqa (eflornithine), Solaraze, or Imiquimod (Aldara®) within 30 days prior to study enrollment will be excluded. Subjects may be reconsidered for eligibility 30 days after the last topical treatment. Individuals who have had treatment for basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin of the left forearm within six months prior to evaluation for the study will not be eligible. If interested, these subjects will be encouraged to return for re-evaluation once the six-month period is over. Individuals who are moderately to highly immunosuppressed by virtue of medication or disease will not be allowed to participate. This category includes individuals undergoing bone marrow or solid organ transplant, or receiving immunosuppressive therapy such as systemic chemotherapy or rheumatologic agents such as infliximab (Remicade®). However, individuals with mildly suppressive disorders such as diabetes mellitus or on mildly immunosuppressive therapy such as inhaled steroids for asthma will be eligible for participation. Doses up to 20 mg of prednisone per day or the equivalent dose of other steroids will be allowed.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 40 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Eflornithine HCL<br>Patients apply Eflornithine HCL ointment to their left forearm twice daily on days 1-90. | Drug: Eflornithine HCL ointment<br>* Given topically twice daily on days 1-90<br>* Other names: Vaniqa;|
| Active Comparator: Diclofenac Na<br>Patients apply topical Diclofenac Na gel to their left forearm once daily on days 1-90. | Drug: Diclofenac Na gel<br>* Given topically twice daily on days 1-90<br>* Other names: Solaraze;|
| Experimental: Eflornithine HCL and Diclofenac Na<br>Eflornithine HCl ointment and Diclofenac Na gel applied twice and once daily, respectively on days 1-90. | Drug: Diclofenac Na gel<br>* Given topically twice daily on days 1-90<br>* Other names: Solaraze;Drug: Eflornithine HCL ointment<br>* Given topically twice daily on days 1-90<br>* Other names: Vaniqa;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in Putrescine Over 3 Months | Putrescine is measured in nmole/g skin per biopsy. Baseline and End of Study biopsies were measured and the change was produced by subtracting baseline levels from End of Study levels. There was one baseline biopsy and one End of Study biopsy per participant. | 3 months | 
| Safety of Combination Therapy With Topical Eflornithine Hydrochloride Ointment and Topical Diclofenac Sodium Gel Over 3-months | Adverse events were compared across three treatment groups by severity determined by the clinician. All adverse events were resolved by the end of follow up. | 3 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Histologic Score Diagnosis and Treatment Group | Change scores were computed by subtracting baseline histologic score from End of Study histologic score. Slides were formalin fixed. Histologic Score has been developed by this research group over the course of Grant (reference below). A standardized form captures data on the following criteria: basal or suprabasilar pleomorphism (atypia); inflammation; hyperkeratosis; parakeratosis. The atypia and inflammation were rated as: none (0), mild to moderate(1), and severe (2). The remaining criteria were rated as present (1) or absent (0). Histologic Scores were computed by adding together the codes for the histologic criteria. Higher scores reflected higher level of epidermal /dermal damage. | 3 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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skin cancer