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NCT Number: NCT07040280

Testing the Effect of Sulforaphane, a Compound Naturally Found in Cruciferous Vegetables, on Preventing Melanoma in Patients With a Prior History of Melanoma

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the safety and effects of sulforaphane with the safety and effects of placebo on people's risk of developing melanoma. The main question it aims to answer is:

Will giving sulforaphane (a broccoli sprout extract) have a meaningful effect on how your atypical moles change over time? If there is an effect, will this lower your risk of developing melanoma?

Participants will:

Take sulforaphane or a placebo for 12 months Visit the clinic once every 3 months for checkups and tests You will keep a calendar which will help you keep track of when you take your tablets

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

Location contact

John Kirkwood, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

412-623-7707

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient must have ≥ 3 clinically atypical nevi, assessed within 30 days prior to randomization, that are consistent with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) definition as follows.27
  • Must have a diameter of ≥ 5mm in one dimension
  • Must include a macular component in at least one area
  • Must have at least two of the following features: ill-defined borders, color variegation, uneven contour, and erythema
  • Patient must have a prior diagnosis of early-stage melanoma, defined as either melanoma in situ, localized resected stage I-II node negative melanoma, or resected node positive stage III melanoma who in the assessment of their physician have a low risk of relapse of their prior melanoma within one year of randomization.
  • Patient must not be currently on targeted or checkpoint immunotherapy or treated within 365 days prior to randomization.
  • Patient must be ≥ 18 years of age.
  • Patient must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Patients with impaired decision-making capacity (IDMC) who have a legally authorized representative (LAR) or caregiver and/or family member available will also be considered eligible.
  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients on effective anti-retroviral therapy with undetectable viral load within 6 months of randomization are eligible for this trial.
  • For patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated.
  • Patients with a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection must have been treated and cured. For patients with HCV infection who are currently on treatment, they are eligible if they have an undetectable HCV viral load.
  • Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy (other than the melanoma for which they are on this study), whose natural history or treatment does not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen, are eligible for this trial.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patient must not be pregnant.
  • Patient must not have a known allergy to cruciferous vegetables.
  • Patients must not use any other sulforaphane-containing dietary supplement during the study period.
  • Patient must not be on any current systemic treatment for melanoma.

Treatment and study plan

Sulforaphane (broccoli sprout extract)

Drug

Sulforaphane - Three tablets of Avmacol® Extra Strength [Nutramax] by mouth, once daily, for 12 months.

Other names: (Avmacol® Extra Strength)

Placebo

Drug

Three tablets by mouth, once daily, for 12 months

Derma-AI

Device

Photographs of lesions as part of the clinical exam at baseline, three (3) months, and twelve (12) months. These photographs will be submitted for assessment by a software called Derma-AI, which tracks moles over time for changes in size, number, and appearance

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in the total area of nevi after 12 months of treatment from the baseline between sulforaphane and placebo arms

    Time frame: 12 months of treatment

    The change in the total area of atypical and common pigmented nevocellular nevi measured at baseline and after 12 months of treatment, will be assessed in each patient who completed the full 12 months of treatment (with compliance assessed by dosing logs). The difference in the change of total area of nevi between the two arms will be compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in number of atypical nevi at baseline and after the last treatment be assessed via automated image analysis

    Time frame: After 12 months of treatment

    The number of changed atypical nevi at baseline and after the last treatment (12 months) will be assessed via automated image analysis. The difference in baseline and post-treatment measures will be compared between the two arms using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

  2. Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability]

    Time frame: Over 12 months

    Toxicity rate for individual AEs, categorized AEs and worst degree AEs will be compared between the two arms using the Fisher's exact test

Other outcomes

  1. Effects of Sulforaphane on Inflammation and Immunity

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 months and also baseline and 12 month

    Analysis of circulating cytokines, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test will be used to compare the level of each value between timepoints. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test will be used to compare changes in levels between patients receiving sulforaphane and placebo between baseline and 3 months and also baseline and 12 month timepoints.

  2. Effects of Sulforaphane on Inflammation and Immunity

    Time frame: After 12 months

    Pre-post treatment comparisons of mRNA levels normalized to housekeeping genes will be performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Kruskal-Wallis test will be used to assess differential affects genes grouped into broad pathways as was previously described for sulforaphane

  3. Effects of Sulforaphane on Inflammation and Immunity

    Time frame: After 12 months

    Dermoscopy and dermoscopic photographs will be performed on the index nevi at each timepoint, and morphologic features will be reported descriptively

  4. Effects of Sulforaphane on Inflammation and Immunity

    Time frame: Baseline and 3 months and also baseline and 12 month

    Analysis of the semi-quantitative scoring of immune cell infiltration, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test will be used to compare the level of each value between timepoints. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test will be used to compare changes in levels between patients receiving sulforaphane and placebo between baseline and 3 months and also baseline and 12 month timepoints.

Study contacts

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

John M Kirkwood, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

412-623-7707

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group

Network

Collaborators

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase II Double-Blind Trial of Sulforaphane for Therapeutic Prevention of Melanoma in Patients With Multiple Atypical Nevi and a Prior History of Melanoma

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Jun 27, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 27, 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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