A Phase II Study of Imiquimod 5 % Cream for the Treatment of Hemangioma in Infancy - Full Text View

Purpose

Hemangiomas of infancy, the most common benign tumors of infancy, are congenital or early infancy lesions characterized by a rapid postnatal growth, with high expression of angiogenic stimulators for 9-18 months, followed by slow regression for 5-9 years. Current therapies for the hemangiomas are usually restricted to more severe forms due to the risks of adverse effects, inconvenience and cost. Nevertheless, a substantial amount of the psychological discomfort and morbidity can be caused by untreated hemangiomas, especially those in the face.

Recently, Imiquimod 5% cream has emerged as a safe an effective drug for several skin conditions that benefit from modulation of the activity of the immune system, such as common warts and various forms of the skin pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions. Small case reports series have suggest that it could also be useful in hemangiomas, possibly through the inhibition of the angiogenesis by local IFN production.This is a small, open label study of 16 patients to document the efficacy of the Imiquimod 5% cream in the treatment of hemangioma of infancy (primary outcome). IFN and plasma drug levels, as well as clinical examinations and blood studies, will be carried out to evaluate safety of the treatment (secondary outcome). bFGF and VEGF will be measured in blood and urine in order to study the diagnostic and predictive value of these pro-angiogenic factors in the response of hemangiomas to the treatment with Imiquimod (secondary outcome).

The study is a phase II clinical trial of a once a day application of Imiquimod 5% cream, 3 to 7 times per week for a maximum of four months. The study held at the Dermatology Clinic of Sainte-Justine Hospital, and was completed within a 20 months timeframe after IRB approval.

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Hemangioma, Capillary	Drug: Imiquimod 5% cream	Phase II

MedlinePlus related topics:

Cancer

Drug Information available for:

S 26308

U.S. FDA Resources

Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Treatment, Open Label, Uncontrolled, Single Group Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study

Official Title:	A Phase II Study of Imiquimod 5 % Cream for the Treatment of Hemangioma in Infancy

Further study details as provided by St. Justine's Hospital:

Primary Outcome Measures:

To document the efficacy of Imiquimod 5% cream in the treatment of hemangioma of infancy. [ Time Frame: Cream is applied for 4 months. Visits occured at month 1, 2, 4, and 8. ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:

IFN and plasma drug levels, as well as clinical examinations and blood studies, will be carried out to evaluate safety of the treatment. [ Time Frame: 4 months of treatment. Doage done at each study visits (Month 1, 2 .4 and 8). ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
bFGF and VEGF will be measured in blood and urine in order to study the diagnostic and predictive value of these pro-angiogenic factors in the response of hemangiomas to the treatment with Imiquimod. [ Time Frame: 4 months of treament with a follow-up at 8 months. ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Enrollment:	18
Study Start Date:	March 2005
Study Completion Date:	September 2006
Primary Completion Date:	September 2006 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Intervention Details:

Imiquimod 5% cream applied topical on hemangioma once a day , 3 to 7 times a week for a maximum of 4 months.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	2 Months to 12 Months
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Healthy infants aged 2-12 months.
Superficial or mixed hemangiomas in proliferative phase (growing in size in the last 1-2 months).
Hemangiomas must be less than 10X10 cm and must not be ulcerated.

Exclusion Criteria:

Preterm infant (less than 36 weeks of gestation).
Ulceration of hemangioma prior to treatment.
Immunosuppression.
Hemangioma located on the eyelid or perianal region.
Prior treatment of the hemangioma.
Concomitant diseases.
Presence of multiple hemangiomas and/or hemangiomas that would require systemic drug treatment.
Potential difficulties with follow-up (patient from another town,difficult access to the hospital , etc.).
History of allergy to any of the components of the drug preparation.
Hemangiomas more than 10X 10 cm or ulcerated before the start of the treatment.

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00601016

Locations


Canada, Quebec
	Sainte-Justine Hospital University Center (CHU)
	Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1C5

Sponsors and Collaborators

St. Justine's Hospital

Graceway Pharmaceuticals, LLC

Investigators


Principal Investigator:	Catherine McCuaig, M.D.	CHU Sainte-Justine

More Information

Responsible Party:	CHU Sainte-Justine ( Catherine McCuaig, Pricipal Investigator, CHU Siante-Justine )
Study ID Numbers:	1-Mccuaig, 1
First Received:	January 14, 2008
Last Updated:	January 24, 2008
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00601016
Health Authority:	Canada: Health Canada

Keywords provided by St. Justine's Hospital:

Infantile hemangioma

Hemangioma

Hemangioma of Infancy

benign tumors of infancy

Congenital hemangioma

Capillary

Study placed in the following topic categories:

Hemangioma, Capillary

Interferons

Hemangioma

Imiquimod

Interferon Alfa-2b

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Interferon Inducers

Neoplasms

Neoplasms by Histologic Type

Immunologic Factors

Antineoplastic Agents

Therapeutic Uses

Physiological Effects of Drugs

Adjuvants, Immunologic

Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue

Pharmacologic Actions

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on October 28, 2008

Sponsors and Collaborators:	St. Justine's Hospital Graceway Pharmaceuticals, LLC
Information provided by:	St. Justine's Hospital
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00601016