Clinical trial NCT00847912: CSP #562 - The VA Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention Trial
Official title: CSP #562 - The VA Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Carcinoma, Basal Cell
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
Skin Neoplasms
Skin Diseases
Neoplasms, Basal Cell
Neoplasms, Squamous Cell
Carcinoma
Keywords: NMSC
nonmelanoma skin cancer
topical 5-FU 5% cream
Neoplasms
Antineoplastic Agents
Therapeutic Uses
Dermatologic Agents
Neoplasms by Site
carcinoma, basal cell
carcinoma, squamous cell
Lead sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Sponsor class: FED
First posted: 2009-02-19
Enrollment: 954
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The main purpose of this study is to see if 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) skin cream can prevent the growth of new skin cancers on the face and ears. The cost of trying to prevent skin cancer will be compared to the usual cost of treating skin cancer. Participants are being asked to be a part of this study because the participants have been treated for two or more skin cancers within the past five (5) years. At least one of these cancers occurred on the face or ears. Having had two or more skins cancers in the past 5 years makes it likely that participants will develop additional skin cancers in the future.

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or artificial sources such as tanning beds is a major cause of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Using lotions, creams, or gels that contain sunscreens can help protect the skin from premature aging and damage that may lead to skin cancer.

The 5-FU skin cream used in this study is FDA-approved to treat some types of skin cancers and spots that might become skin cancer. However, 5-FU skin cream has never been studied to see if it can prevent skin cancer. This drug is not approved by the FDA for how it will be used in this study.

In this study, one half of the patients will use the 5-FU cream and the other half will use a skin cream that looks identical to the 5-FU cream but does not have 5-FU or any other active drug in it.

Approximately twelve VA medical centers will work together in this study. About one thousand (1000) patients will be in this study. The study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program.

Detailed description: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin, both of which are keratinocyte carcinomas (KCs), account for a half of all cancers in the United States, and over 100,000 diagnoses per year in the VA. The standard treatment for these KCs is excision of the lesion, and they cost the US health care system some $2.5 billion annually and about $100 million annually in the VA. There is no proven means to prevent KCs (except perhaps for a modest benefit of intensive daily sunscreen use). An effective prevention strategy would dramatically change the way high-risk patients are managed and could substantially reduce the costs of care. The investigators' preliminary analysis indicates that the savings will be $116 per high-risk patient and will account for a total national savings of over $11 million. These findings imply that the study would pay for itself by the end of 4 years. The investigators hypothesize that topical 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemoprevention will prevent skin cancer surgeries and will be cost-saving. To test this the investigators propose a randomized controlled trial of 5-FU compared to a vehicle control to the face and ears in a high-risk population.

In the study, 1000 Veterans at high-risk of skin cancer defined as at least 2 KCs in the prior 5 years, at least one of which was on the face or ears, will be randomized to 5-FU or a vehicle control cream, and followed for 2 to 4 years. The primary endpoint will be surgery for any KC on the face and ears. The investigators will also assess the cost of care, quality of life, the side effects associated with treatment, and the prevalence and number of actinic keratoses, a skin cancer precursor and itself a cause of morbidity and cost. By targeting patients at high-risk, the study focuses on high-cost patients for whom this treatment could both improve outcomes (cancers and quality of life) and reduce costs.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Veteran who is at high risk for developing skin cancer defined as 2 keratinocyte carcinomas in the past 5 years, at least one of which was located on the face or ears

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participants who are unable to speak English
* Participants with KC at randomization
* Participants currently using or having used field therapy for AKs on the face or ears in the past 3 years. The vast majority of these field treatments would have been with 5-FU cream. The investigators will allow recent use of therapies that are applied to individual AK lesions (e.g. cryotherapy), but not those that were used on an entire area (field) in the study treatment area Participants currently using or having used systemic 5-fluorouracil or oral capecitabine (Xeloda) within the past 3 years Participants with known allergy to sunscreen, triamcinolone and/or 5-fluorouracil.

Exclusions 6-l0: The investigators will exclude the small proportion who get their KCs for special reasons other than ultraviolet radiation exposure (see list below), since that etiologic difference, which is associated with a prognostic difference, could be associated with a biologic difference in response to chemoprevention efforts. These will include:

* Solid organ transplant recipients, such as renal, hepatic, or cardiac transplant patients
* Individuals with genetic disorders associated with very high cancer risk such as:
* basal cell nevus syndrome
* erythrodysplasia verruciformis
* xeroderma pigmentosum
* Arsenic exposure
* PUVA (Psoralen plus UVA) treatment
* Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
* Prior or current radiation therapy to the face and/or ears.

Additional exclusions (12-15) are:

* Those who, in the opinion of the recruiting investigator, have very high mortality risk at randomization (less than 50% chance of surviving 4 years) due to co morbid illness such as metastatic cancer or COPD.
* For women of childbearing potential an initial pregnancy test and ongoing birth control will be required for participation.
* Patients with known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) enzyme deficiency by self report or noted in the medical record (they have increased toxicity from systemic 5-FU, although screening for this is not part of dermatologic practice and will not be part of this study).
* Patients on methotrexate (these will constitute about 1% of potentially eligible individuals) because they may have more severe reactions to topical 5-FU.

Primary outcomes:
measure: The Time to Diagnosis of the First Keratinocyte Carcinoma (KC) on the Face or Ears for Which Surgery is Performed
timeFrame: From randomization to last visit prior to end of study date (6/30/2013), assessed up to four years
measure: Hazard Ratio for Surgically Treated KC
timeFrame: date of randomization to last visit before end of study follow up (6/30/2013), assessed up to four years
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Palo Alto
country: United States
facility: VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
state: California
city: San Diego
country: United States
facility: VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
state: California
city: Denver
country: United States
facility: VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO
state: Colorado
city: Bay Pines
country: United States
facility: Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, Pay Pines, FL
state: Florida
city: Miami
country: United States
facility: Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL
state: Florida
city: Decatur
country: United States
facility: Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA
state: Georgia
city: Hines
country: United States
facility: Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL
state: Illinois
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
state: Massachusetts
city: Minneapolis
country: United States
facility: Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN
state: Minnesota
city: Durham
country: United States
facility: Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC
state: North Carolina
city: Philadelphia
country: United States
facility: Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
state: Pennsylvania
city: Providence
country: United States
facility: Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI
state: Rhode Island
city: Nashville
country: United States
facility: Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Nashville Campus, Nashville, TN
state: Tennessee
Study officials:
affiliation: Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI
name: Martin A. Weinstock, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Lee KC, Lew R, Weinstock MA. Improvement in precision of counting actinic keratoses. Br J Dermatol. 2014 Jan;170(1):188-91. doi: 10.1111/bjd.12629.
citation: Korgavkar K, Firoz EF, Xiong M, Lew R, Marcolivio K, Burnside N, Dyer R, Weinstock MA; VAKCC Trial Group. Measuring the severity of topical 5-fluorouracil toxicity. J Cutan Med Surg. 2014 Jul-Aug;18(4):229-35. doi: 10.2310/7750.2013.13143.
citation: Pomerantz H, Hogan D, Eilers D, Swetter SM, Chen SC, Jacob SE, Warshaw EM, Stricklin G, Dellavalle RP, Sidhu-Malik N, Konnikov N, Werth VP, Keri J, Lew R, Weinstock MA; Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention (VAKCC) Trial Group. Long-term Efficacy of Topical Fluorouracil Cream, 5%, for Treating Actinic Keratosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Dermatol. 2015 Sep;151(9):952-60. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.0502.
citation: Chen SC, Hill ND, Veledar E, Swetter SM, Weinstock MA. Reliability of quantification measures of actinic keratosis. Br J Dermatol. 2013 Dec;169(6):1219-22. doi: 10.1111/bjd.12591.
citation: Pomerantz H, Korgavkar K, Lee KC, Lew R, Weinstock MA; VAKCC Trial Group. Validation of Photograph-Based Toxicity Score for Topical 5-Fluorouracil Cream Application. J Cutan Med Surg. 2016 Sep;20(5):458-66. doi: 10.1177/1203475416643952. Epub 2016 Apr 18.
citation: Siegel JA, Luber AJ, Weinstock MA; Department of Veterans Affairs Topical Tretinoin Chemoprevention Trial and Department of Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention Trial Groups. Predictors of actinic keratosis count in patients with multiple keratinocyte carcinomas: A cross-sectional study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Feb;76(2):346-349. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2016.09.020. No abstract available.
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citation: Leader NF, Means AD, Robinson-Bostom L, Telang GH, Wilkel CS, Weinstock MA; Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention Trial group. Interrater reliability for histopathologic diagnosis of keratinocyte carcinomas. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018 Jan;78(1):185-187. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.07.024. No abstract available.
citation: Korgavkar K, Lee KC, Weinstock MA; Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention (VAKCC) Trial Group. Effect of Topical Fluorouracil Cream on Photodamage: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Dermatol. 2017 Nov 1;153(11):1142-1146. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.2578.
citation: Means AD, Lee KC, Korgavkar K, Swetter SM, Dellavalle RP, Chen S, Stricklin G, Weinstock MA; Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention (VAKCC) Trial Group. Development of a Pigmented Facial Lesion Scale Based on Darkness and Extent of Lesions in Older Veterans. J Invest Dermatol. 2019 May;139(5):1185-1187. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.11.017. Epub 2018 Nov 30. No abstract available.
citation: Beatson M, Means AD, Leader NF, Robinson-Bostom L, Weinstock MA. Characteristics of Keratinocyte Carcinomas and Patients with Keratinocyte Carcinomas Following a Single 2-4 Week Course of Topical 5-fluorouracil on the Face and Ears. Acta Derm Venereol. 2019 Jun 1;99(7):707-708. doi: 10.2340/00015555-3176. No abstract available.
citation: Beatson M, Siegel JA, Chren MM, Weinstock MA. Effects of increased actinic keratosis count on skin-related quality of life: results from the Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention (VAKCC) Trial. Eur J Dermatol. 2019 Oct 1;29(5):507-510. doi: 10.1684/ejd.2019.3637.
citation: Beatson M, Misitzis A, Landow S, Yoon J, Higgins HW 2nd, Phibbs C, Weinstock MA. Predictors of Basal Cell Carcinoma and Implications for Follow-Up in High-Risk Patients in the Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention (VAKCC) Trial. J Cutan Med Surg. 2021 Jan-Feb;25(1):102-103. doi: 10.1177/1203475420945230. Epub 2020 Sep 3. No abstract available.
citation: Misitzis A, Stratigos AJ, Beatson M, Mastorakos G, Dellavalle RP, Weinstock MA; Veterans Affairs Keratinocyte Carcinoma Chemoprevention Trial Group. The association of metformin use with keratinocyte carcinoma development in high-risk patients. Dermatol Ther. 2020 Nov;33(6):e14402. doi: 10.1111/dth.14402. Epub 2020 Oct 20.
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