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NCT Number: NCT02499458

Prospective Validation of Circulating Tumor Cells & Circulating Endothelial Cells as Biomarkers in Renal Cancer

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have prognostic value in several tumor types, and increasing evidence suggests that molecular characterization of CTCs can serve as a "liquid biopsy" to understand and address treatment resistance. The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate that CTCs can be accurately enumerated and characterized in metastatic clear cell renal cancer (CCRC) and can serve as prognostic/predictive biomarkers to improve treatment. The challenge surrounding CTC analysis in CCRC is that most CTC technologies (including the clinical gold-standard CellSearch®) depend in epithelial markers such as EpCAM that are expressed at low or heterogeneous levels in CCRC. Members of the research team have developed a novel CTC microfluidic technology that can effectively detect CTCs that are completely undetectable by CellSearch® because of very low EpCAM expression, as well as allowing for CTC recovery for downstream molecular characterization. The goal of this proposal is therefore to test the hypotheses that (1) The microfluidics CTC technology will have better sensitivity/specificity relative to the CellSearch in metastatic CCRC; and (2) Enumeration of CTCs in metastatic CCRC patients (n=66) will have prognostic value, while molecular characterization of CTCs for expression of biomarkers (VHL, VEGF, mTOR, HIF1/HIF2, AKT) related to CCRC etiology will be predictive of response/resistance to targeted therapies. Although CCRC is relatively uncommon, the lack of established adjuvant treatments and high cost of targeted therapies in the palliative setting makes the search for new prognostic/predictive biomarkers an important clinical goal.

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Key information

Conditions

Clear Cell Renal Cancer Circulating Endothelial Cells Circulating Tumor Cells Neoplasm Metastasis Neoplasms Neoplastic Cells, Circulating Neoplastic Processes Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Predictive Biomarkers Prognostic Biomarkers

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

London Health Sciences Centre

London, Ontario, N6K 4L6, Canada

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • ECOG performance status 0-2
  • Age over 18 years
  • Diagnosed renal cancer with clear cell histology
  • Metastatic disease
  • Predicted life expectancy over 2 months
  • Targeted treatment with an anti-VEGF or anti-mTOR agent as first or second line therapy
  • Standard imaging evaluation 4 weeks prior to inclusion
  • Planned for standard imaging within 16 weeks after start of therapy

Exclusion criteria

  • Presence of substantial comorbidities (uncontrolled heart or respiratory dysfunction, severe renal or hepatic impairment [Cl Cr below 30ml/h OR Bb>3X ULN])
  • History of a malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancer in the previous 5 years
  • Any other contraindication to targeted treatments.

Treatment and study plan

None- observational study

Other

Primary outcomes

  1. Sensitivity/specificity of CTC enumeration (microfluidics vs CellSearch)

    Time frame: 24 months

    For comparison of the 2 CTC platforms, a Bland-Altman plot will be constructed. This plot is superior to standard correlation statistics in that it assesses agreement rather than association. Initially we will use a Chi-Square test to compare the 2 methods at a cutoff point of ≥5 versus <5 CTCs/7.5mL, with simple comparison of PFS at this level. As the cut-off point may not be the same for each method, we will also compare the methods using simple 2X2 contingency tables.

  2. Progression free survival (PFS).

    Time frame: 24 months

    Survival analysis will be performed by Kaplan Meier and significance analysis will use the log-rank test. Cox multivariate analysis will be performed to look at the number and molecular characteristics of CTCs as independent prognostic parameters of survival.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Overall survival (OS)

    Time frame: 24 months

    Survival analysis will be performed by Kaplan Meier and significance analysis will use the log-rank test. Cox multivariate analysis will be performed to look at the number and molecular characteristics of CTCs as independent prognostic parameters of survival.

  2. Radiological response

    Time frame: within 16 weeks after start of study

    Radiological assessment of disease status will be carried out as standard-of-care and subjected to correlative analysis relative to CTC status, PFS and OS.

  3. Molecular characterization of CTCs

    Time frame: baseline, 4-6 weeks after start of therapy, 10-12 weeks after start of therapy, post-progression (up to 24 months)

    CTCs will be recovered from the microfluidics device and subjected to molecular characterization for expression of markers related to angiogenesis and hypoxia.

  4. Enumeration of CECs

    Time frame: baseline, 4-6 weeks after start of therapy, 10-12 weeks after start of therapy, post-progression (up to 24 months)

    CTCs will be enumerated on both the CellSearch and the novel microfluidic device.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Other

Collaborators

  • Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
  • London Health Sciences Centre

Registry information

Official study title

Prospective Validation of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Circulating Endothelial Cells (CECs) as Prognostic Biomarkers in Clear Cell Renal Cancer

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Jul 16, 2015
Registry last updated
Dec 24, 2019

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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