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NCT Number: NCT05210374

Disulfiram With Copper Gluconate and Liposomal Doxorubicin in Treatment-Refractory Sarcomas

The purpose of this study is to test the safety of combining the disulfiram (DSF) and copper gluconate (Cu) to liposomal doxorubicin to treat patients with sarcomas that recurred or did not respond to initial treatment.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Cleveland Clinic, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Cleveland, Ohio, 44122, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Matteo Trucco, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

216-444-8950

Matteo Trucco, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

DSF blocks an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). ALDH breaks down substances in the body that can be toxic. ALDH also appears to be important for making many cancers resistant to chemotherapy drugs like liposomal doxorubicin. The study team believes giving DSF with liposomal doxorubicin will help make the cancers sensitive to the liposomal doxorubicin, making it work better. Cu is an FDA approved dietary food supplement and has been shown in laboratory research to improve how DSF works, which is the rational for giving DSF with Cu. It is currently unknown if and at what dose DSF is safe to be given in this combination. Though DSF has been used for over 60 years for the treatment of alcoholism, this is the first time DSF/Cu is being tested in combination with liposomal doxorubicin in humans.

The primary objectives of this study are to:

Measure the feasibility, safety and tolerability of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin

Secondary objectives of this study are to:

Measure tumor response, survival, and pharmacokinetics of the combination.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Must have histologically confirmed relapsed or refractory sarcoma.
  • Must have measurable disease by RECIST criteria at study enrollment
  • Performance status of Karnofsky/Lansky ≥50%
  • Must have normal organ and marrow function as defined below:
  • Absolute neutrophil count ≥1,000/mcL
  • Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mcL
  • Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits
  • AST (SGOT) ≤ 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
  • ALT (SGPT) ≤ 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
  • Serum Creatinine ≤1.5X institutional limit of normal
  • Must be able to swallow pills or consume the contents of the DSF and Capsules sprinkled on food.
  • Participants, or parent/guardians for participants <18 years old (yo), must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  • Must abstain from alcohol during study.
  • Prior treatment toxicities must have stabilized or resolved to ≤ Grade 1 according to NCI CTCAE Version 5.0 except alopecia, neuropathy and hematologic criteria (must meet normal organ and marrow function criteria above).
  • Participants ≥18yo must agree to pre-and post-treatment core needle tumor biopsies. For participants <18yo biopsies are optional. Biopsies will not be performed if deemed unsafe by interventional radiologists that will be performing the procedure and is not part of the study team to avoid bias.
  • Must abstain from sexual intercourse or used appropriate, highly-effective birth control measures.

Exclusion criteria

  • Has active, uncontrolled bacterial, viral, or fungal infection(s) requiring systemic therapy
  • Has a history of allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs, their pharmaceutical class or any of their excipients. The participant exhibits any of the events outlined in the Contraindications or Special Warnings and Precautions sections of Liposomal Doxorubicin Prescribing Information package inserts or on the Investigator's Brochure for DSF/Cu.
  • Has a concomitant serious medical or psychiatric illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, could compromise the participant's safety or the study data integrity.
  • Is currently enrolled in any other clinical protocol or investigational trial involving administration of antineoplastic compounds for the treatment of their sarcoma.
  • Is unwilling or unable to comply with study procedures.
  • Know condition preventing safe administration of copper such as a copper allergy or Wilson's Disease.
  • Investigator feels participation in this study would be harmful or of no benefit to the potential participant

Treatment and study plan

Disulfiram

Drug

To be taken orally (PO) daily in the AM, rounded for pill size (max 480mg/day).

To be administered day 1-7 of lead-in week and day 1-28 cycles

Cycle length: 28 days,

maximum 12 cycles Level -1 (150mg/m^2/day) Level

0 (225mg/m^2/day) Level 1 (300mg/m^2/day), max

480mg/day

Copper Gluconate

Drug

To be taken orally (PO), 5.2mg/m2/day daily in the PM, rounded

for pill size (max 9mg/day) To be administered day 1-7

Lead-in week and day 1-28 cycles Cycle length: 28

days, maximum 12 cycles

Liposomal Doxorubicin (Doxil)

Drug

To be given IV, 30mg/m2/dose

To be administered day 1 of cycles

Cycle length: 28 days, maximum 12 cycles

Other names: Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin (PLD), Doxorubicin HCl Liposome Injection, Dox-SL

Primary outcomes

  1. Safety as measured by percent of participants experiencing grade 3+ with at least possible attribution to study drug using CTCAE 5.0 guidelines

    Time frame: up to 30 days after last treatment

    Safety as measured by percent of participants experiencing grade 3+ with at least possible attribution to study drug using CTCAE 5.0 guidelines

  2. Recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin

    Time frame: at end of cycle 1 (day 28)

    RP2D of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin

  3. Number of participants able to take at least 80% of the drug doses during the first cycle of treatment

    Time frame: up to 30 days after last treatment

    Feasibility: Number of participants able to take at least 80% of the drug doses during the first cycle of treatment, assessed by the medication diary patients will be asked to keep

  4. Number of dose-limiting toxicities (DLT)

    Time frame: up to 30 days after last treatment

    Tolerability, as total number of defined as number of DLTs

  5. Number of participants who experienced drug-attributed grade 3+ Adverse events per CTCAE5.0

    Time frame: up to 30 days after last treatment

    Number of participants who experienced drug-attributed grade 3+ Adverse events per CTCAE5.0

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percent of participants with tumor response evaluated using RECIST v1.1

    Time frame: At 2 months

    Tumor response will be evaluated per RECIST v1.1 criteria - percent of participants with complete response, partial response, stable disease and progressive disease reported

  2. Median Overall Survival (OS)

    Time frame: up to 30 days after last treatment

    Median OS defined as the time from participant enrollment on study to time of death

  3. Median Event free survival

    Time frame: up to 30 days after last treatment

    Median Event free survival defined as the time from participant enrollment on study to time of disease progression (PD) per RECIST v1.1,.

    PD defined as at least a 20% increase in the sum of the diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm.

  4. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [Peak concentration (Cmax)]

    Time frame: At hour 0 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - Peak concentration (Cmax)

  5. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [Peak concentration (Cmax)]

    Time frame: At hour 2 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - Peak concentration (Cmax)

  6. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [Peak concentration (Cmax)]

    Time frame: At hour 4 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - Peak concentration (Cmax)

  7. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [Peak concentration (Cmax)]

    Time frame: At hour 24 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - Peak concentration (Cmax)

  8. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [Peak concentration (Cmax)]

    Time frame: Day 1 of cycle 1 (day 8)

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - Peak concentration (Cmax)

  9. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)]

    Time frame: At hour 0 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)

  10. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)]

    Time frame: At hour 2 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)

  11. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)]

    Time frame: At hour 4 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)

  12. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)]

    Time frame: At hour 24 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)

  13. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)]

    Time frame: Day 1 of cycle 1 (day 8)

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - area under the concentration-vs-time curve (AUC)

  14. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites]

    Time frame: At hour 0 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites, S-methyl N,N-dietylthiolcarbamate (DETC-ME) and bis-diethyldithiocarbamate-copper complex (CuET)

  15. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites]

    Time frame: At hour 2 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites, S-methyl N,N-dietylthiolcarbamate (DETC-ME) and bis-diethyldithiocarbamate-copper complex (CuET)

  16. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites]

    Time frame: At hour 4 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites, S-methyl N,N-dietylthiolcarbamate (DETC-ME) and bis-diethyldithiocarbamate-copper complex (CuET)

  17. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites]

    Time frame: At hour 24 of Day 1 of lead-in week

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites, S-methyl N,N-dietylthiolcarbamate (DETC-ME) and bis-diethyldithiocarbamate-copper complex (CuET)

  18. Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicin [clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites]

    Time frame: Day 1 of cycle 1 (day 8)

    Pharmacokinetics of DSF/Cu in combination with liposomal doxorubicinbased on samples collected - clearance and average steady state concentrations for disulfiram and its active metabolites, S-methyl N,N-dietylthiolcarbamate (DETC-ME) and bis-diethyldithiocarbamate-copper complex (CuET)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Matteo Trucco, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+1 216-444-8950

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Disulfiram With Copper Gluconate and Liposomal Doxorubicin in Patients With Treatment-Refractory Sarcomas

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jan 27, 2022
Registry last updated
Jun 5, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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