Trial Outcomes & Findings for Sulfasalazine in Preventing Acute Diarrhea in Patients With Cancer Who Are Undergoing Pelvic Radiation Therapy (NCT NCT01198145)

Sulfasalazine in Preventing Acute Diarrhea in Patients With Cancer Who Are Undergoing Pelvic Radiation Therapy

The primary endpoint for this study is the maximal severity of diarrhea toxicity. Severity of diarrhea was graded using the terminology and grading categories defined in the NCI's Common Toxicity Criteria (CTCAE), Version 4.0. Grade 0 = None; 1=Mild; Grade 2=Moderate, Grade 3=Severe, Grade 4=Life-threatening as measured by the CTCAE version 4.0. Assessments were recorded during the course of RT and for 6 weeks following RT. The table below represents the worst graded diarrhea for each patient. A two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum test will be used to test the equality of the distributions of maximum diarrhea severity grades between the two treatment arms.

The maximal severity of each of 5 different adverse even types (Tenesmus, Abdominal Pain, Constipation, Diarrhea, and Rectal Bleeding) were collected as a secondary endpoint. Severity of the events was graded using the terminology and grading categories defined in the NCI's Common Toxicity Criteria (CTCAE), Version 4.0. Grade 0 = None; 1=Mild; Grade 2=Moderate, Grade 3=Severe, Grade 4=Life-threatening. Adverse events were assessed during the course of RT and for 6 weeks following RT. The table below represents the worst grade for each patient for each type. Two-sided chi-square tests will be used to compare each percentage variable between treatment arms for each event type.

For each patient, an Area Under the Curve (AUC) summary statistic will be calculated taking into account the individual severity of diarrhea toxicity over time. Severity of diarrhea was graded using the terminology and grading categories defined in the NCI's Common Toxicity Criteria (CTCAE), Version 4.0. Grade 0 = None; 1=Mild; Grade 2=Moderate, Grade 3=Severe, Grade 4=Life-threatening. The curve was constructed using weekly assessments during and after RT. A separate analysis was done during the course of RT and every week for 6 weeks following RT.

Tenesmus, Abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea and hemorrhaging were assessed during RT and up to 6 weeks after RT. Severity of these events were graded using the terminology and grading categories defined in the NCI's Common Toxicity Criteria (CTCAE), Version 4.0. Grade 0 = None; 1=Mild; Grade 2=Moderate, Grade 3=Severe, Grade 4=Life-threatening. For each patient, an average score for each outcome variable during and after RT calculated as follows: The sum of all severity scores for that variable divided by the number of severity scores for that variable recorded for the patient during the course of RT and for 6 weeks following RT.

The number of patients that reported any grade 1 or higher adverse event was divided by the total number of patients evaluated. The analysis was done separately for each of the 5 outcomes and separately during RT and after RT.

Questions that were used in this analysis: 2\. Have you had a problem causing you to get up at night to have a bowel movement? 3. Have you had a problem causing you to lose control of your bowel movements? 4. Have you had a problem causing you to have a bowel movement within 30 minutes of a prior bowel movement? 5. Have you had to wear protective clothing or a pad in case you lost control of a bowel movement? 6. Have you had a problem causing you to be unable to tell the difference between stool and gas? 7. Have you had a problem causing you to have stools that are liquid? 1=yes 2=no q08 8. Have you found that once you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, you must do so within 15 minutes to avoid an accident? 9. Have you had cramping with a bowel movement? 10. Have you had blood in your bowel movement?

The number of patients reporting the use of anti-diarrheal medications divided by the number of patients evaluated for this endpoint.

For each arm, the percentage of patients experience clinically significant deficits in overall QOL and fatigue as indicated by a score of 5 or lower on the 0-10 scale. The analysis was done using the questionnaire that was completed during the first week of radiotherapy (RT) and 6 weeks after RT.