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NCT Number: NCT04993859

Impact of Chemotherapy on Urinary Biomarkers and Non-Invasive Urodynamics in Children

The over-arching aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of two specific anti-cancer chemotherapies, vincristine and doxorubicin, on bladder function and urine composition.

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Key information

Age range

5 year–13 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Children's Hospital Colorado

Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Gemma Beltran

CONTACT

[email protected]

(720) 777-4418

Nicholas Cost, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

The over-arching aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of two specific anti-cancer chemotherapies, vincristine and doxorubicin, on bladder function and urine composition. The global hypothesis is that childhood cancer survivors with prior exposure to systemic vincristine (VCR) and/or doxorubicin (DOX) report an increased incidence of bladder dysfunction (BD) symptoms on the Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score (DVSS) survey. We expect to observe differences in non-invasive urodynamic (niUDS) testing between childhood cancer survivors with BD symptoms on the DVSS versus those without BD symptoms on DVSS. We also expect to observe statistically significant differences in the urinary levels of known urinary biomarkers of BD (NGF, ATP and BDNF) of patients with evidence of BD compared to those without BD on the DVSS. We also expect to observe rational differences in the urinary proteome of patients between those with and without BD.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Children aged 5-13 years old
  • A history of cancer
  • Treatment with a chemotherapy regimen including VCR and/or DOX
  • Completion of chemotherapy at least one year prior to study enrollment and survey completion.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients with a:
  • Primary pelvic tumor
  • Pelvic irradiation
  • Pre-existing bladder/bowel dysfunction
  • Spinal defects
  • Neurologic disorder
  • Neuro-oncologic tumor or brain metastasis
  • Cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide therapy

Treatment and study plan

Non-invasive Urodynamic Test (niUDS)

Diagnostic Test

A noninvasive urodynamics is a simple test used to evaluate urinary flow.

Urinary proteomic screen

Diagnostic Test

Urine proteomics is a powerful platform to identify urinary excreted proteins and peptides in different stages of disease or therapy and to determine their quantity, functions, and interaction.

Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score Survey (DVSS)

Other

The Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score provides accurate and objective grading of voiding behaviors of children.

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of non-normal niUDS patterns between groups

    Time frame: Immediately after niUDS done at the first visit

    a. Patterns will be scored by blinded reviewers b. Will calculate an Inter-rater Kappa correlation co-efficient i. Utilize consensus review for discrepancies between reviewers and between the patient's 1st/2nd niUDS for the final assignment ii. Will calculate an intra-test reliability (compare correlation between 1st and 2nd patter) c. Chi-square test to compare proportions of non-normal vs. normal pattern type i. Group 1a vs. 2a ii. Group 1b vs. 2b d. Sample Size Calculation: Based on published data of niUDS patterns in children with normal bladder function, we expect 15% of those children in Group 2 to have non-normal niUDS patterns. We hypothesize that 40% of children in Group 1 to have non-normal niUDS patterns. 38 subjects in each gender sub-group provide 80% power to detect this 25% difference with an one-sided chi-square test with an alpha of 0.05.

  2. Proportion of Elevated Post-Void Residual (PVR) between groups

    Time frame: 13 months

    a. Will use an "average PVR" between the 1st/2nd niUDS for the analysis b. Chi-square test to compare proportions of elevated PVR i. Group 1a vs. 2a ii. Group 1b vs. 2b c. Sample Size Calculation: Based on published data of PVR in children with normal bladder function, we expect 1.5% of those children in Group 2 to have elevated PVR. We hypothesize that 25% of children in Group 1 to have an elevated PVR. 21 subjects in each gender sub-group provide 80% power to detect this 23.5% difference with an one-sided chi-square test with an alpha of 0.05.

  3. Compare Peak Flow Rates (Qmax) between groups

    Time frame: 13 momths

    a. Will use the average of the two Qmax between the 1st/2nd flow rate for the analysis b. Two group t-test for comparing continuous variables (Qmax) i. Group 1a vs. 2a ii. Group 1b vs. 2b c. Sample Size Calculation: 38 subjects in Group 1a and 2a provide 80% power to detect an effect size of 0.7 (mean difference divided by the common standard deviation) using a 2-sided two-group test with an alpha of 0.05. if the outcome is not normally distributed, transformation will be carried out so the distribution will be approximately normal. This power calculation also applies to the comparison between Group 1b vs 2b

  4. Compare Average Flow Rates (Qavg) for age/gender

    Time frame: 13 months

    a. Will use the average of the two Qavg between the 1st/2nd flow rate for the analysis b. Two group ttest for comparing continuous variables (Qavg) i. Group 1a vs. 2a ii. Group 1b vs. 2b c. See the power calculation in 3c.

  5. Compare Urinary Biomarker Levels between groups

    Time frame: 13 months

    • Compare urinary biomarker levels between groups i. ATP, BDNF, NGF ii. Two-group t-test for comparing continuous variables
    • Group 1 vs. 2
    • Sub-analysis
    • Group 1a vs. 2a
    • Group 1b vs. 2b The sample size calculation in 1d can apply to each biomarker. Based on published data in other populations with BD, for NGF, ATP and BDNF, we hypothesize to detect a difference of these urinary biomarkers 2x higher in Group 2 (Elevated DVSS scores) vs. Group 1 (Normal DVSS scores).

    A mixed effects model will be used to estimate and compare a biomarker expression between the two groups by incorporating the individual measurements on each subject into the model, where gender and group assignment will be the predictor. Interaction term between group and gender will be considered to study the effect modification by gender on a biomarker if possible.

Study contacts

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

Gemma Beltran

CONTACT

[email protected]

(720) 777-4418

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Colorado, Denver

Other

Collaborators

  • Children's Hospital Colorado
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Aug 6, 2021
Registry last updated
Oct 15, 2025

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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