Axelopran for Advanced Cancer in Patients Receiving Opioids
A Phase II Trial of Cancer Response Using Axelopran in Patients With Advanced Cancers on Opioids (AxeCan)
Who can join
As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.
- Age
- 18 Years and older
- Sex
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Compensation
- Not stated
Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.
What to expect
No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.
What participation involves
Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.
- Compensation
- Not stated
- Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
- Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
- Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
- Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.
About this study
In plain language
This study tests whether daily axelopran pills can slow advanced lung, breast, pancreatic, or prostate cancer in adults taking opioid pain medicines. It also checks safety, bowel function, and quality of life. It is for people whose cancer has returned or grown after standard treatment that included chemotherapy.
The primary objective of this single arm, open label, phase II trial is to determine if axelopran use impacts cancer control in patients with advanced cancers of the lung, breast, pancreas, and prostate. The primary study period for assessing the primary aim is through day 43 (6 weeks). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does axelopran show a signal for efficacy in slowing tumor progression? * Is axelopran safe and tolerable for long-term use in this patient population? * Does axelopran show a signal for efficacy in improving bowel function and quality of life? * Does axelopran show a signal for efficacy in reducing systemic inflammation, cachexia, and prognostic serum biomarkers of inflammation? Patients will take axelopran as monotherapy after relapse or progression on or after standard systemic therapy. Clinician and patient must be willing to attempt a delay in next line of systemic cancer therapy (if available) until day 43 to assess change in cancer status on repeat imaging. Clinician can move to the next line of therapy whenever deemed clinically necessary. Participants will: * take oral axelopran capsules daily for up to 1 year, or longer if deriving benefit * attend 10 in-person study visits, each lasting approximately 1-2 hours * complete study procedures including but not limited to imaging exams, blood draws, electronic health surveys, and physical assessments
Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.
Eligibility
Who can join
- Age 18 or older, with advanced cancer and no plans for treatment aimed at a cure. You must be expected to live at least 2 months.
- Have prostate, breast, pancreatic, or non-small cell lung cancer confirmed by a tissue or cell test, with at least one tumor that can be measured on scans.
- Take opioid pain medicine averaging at least the strength of 5 mg of oral morphine per day over the past 3 days.
- Have had required chemotherapy and been off cancer treatment for at least 2 weeks. Breast cancer must no longer respond to hormone treatment or lack hormone receptors. Prostate cancer must have spread and grown despite hormone-lowering treatment, an androgen-blocking drug, and docetaxel; testosterone must stay low.
- Standard treatments have failed, cannot be tolerated, offer no major benefit, or are declined; or you and your cancer doctor agree that watching the cancer without treatment is reasonable.
- You and your doctor agree to try waiting until day 43 before starting another cancer medicine. Treatment can start sooner if needed. Planned radiation for symptom relief must be finished before enrollment.
- Be willing to complete required health surveys and record daily bowel movements.
- If you could become pregnant, have negative pregnancy tests. Sexually active participants must use highly effective birth control during treatment and for 90 days afterward. Men must not donate sperm during that time.
Who can't join
- Past surgery on the digestive tract, except uncomplicated removal of the appendix or gallbladder; or cancer growing into the digestive tract.
- Active cancer that has spread to the brain and has not been treated.
- A history of stool leakage, stuck stool, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, bowel blockage, or other bowel or pelvic problems that affect bowel movements.
- Unable to eat, drink, swallow medicines, or keep medicines down.
- Recent use of certain opioid or bowel medicines that you cannot or will not stop, or recent use of medicines, herbs, or grapefruit juice that affect how the study drug is handled by the body.
- Anti-VEGF cancer treatment, such as bevacizumab, within 30 days before starting the study drug.
- A serious abnormal heart tracing, unstable illness, or another condition that could affect safety, study results, or your ability to follow study instructions.
- Pregnant, breastfeeding, or able to become pregnant but not using birth control.
Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.
Official eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Adults (aged 18 or more at enrollment). 2. Histologically or cytologically proven cancer of the prostate (carcinoma), breast (carcinoma), pancreas (carcinoma), and lung (non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC)) that has relapsed or progressed on or after a standard systemic treatment that has included cytotoxic chemotherapy. 3. Advanced stage (locally advanced or metastatic) with no definitive plans for curative-intent therapy. 4. A minimum life expectancy of at least 2 months at the time of the screening visit. 5. Current use of an opioid medication with an average of 5mg OME/day over the past 3 days. 6. At least one measurable lesion meeting RECIST v1.1 criteria. 7. At least 2 weeks since last cancer-directed therapy: 1. NSCLC and pancreatic cancer must have received at least one line of systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy (+/- immune checkpoint inhibitor) in the locally advanced/metastatic setting. 2. Breast cancer must be considered refractory to hormone therapy (i.e., progressed on standard estrogen blocking therapy) or hormone negative (i.e., estrogen and progesterone-receptor negative) and have received at least one line of systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy in the locally advanced/metastatic setting. 3. Prostate cancer must be considered metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and have progressed on at least one androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) and docetaxel. Docetaxel could be given in the metastatic castrate-sensitive setting, and/or later in the mCRPC setting. Baseline testosterone level must be \<50 ng/dL and surgical or ongoing medical castration must be maintained throughout the duration of the study. 8. Patients must a) have relapsed or progressed on or after all standard therapy, b) be intolerant to standard therapy, c) not have standard therapy available that confers a significant clinical benefit, d) decline other standard therapy or agree with treating oncologist that a period of active surveillance off therapy is reasonable. 9. Clinician and patient are willing to attempt a delay in next line of systemic cancer therapy (if available) until day 43 to assess change in cancer status on repeat imaging. Clinician can move to next line of therapy at any time if a patient's clinical course changes and urgent new treatment is required. Patients will be allowed to remain on axelopran if that occurs. a) Planned palliative radiation therapy should be completed prior to study enrollment. Palliative radiation done during the primary study period would be considered next line of cancer therapy. 10. Must be willing to report baseline and required patient-reported outcomes and report daily bowel movement frequency for monitoring stool changes. 11. For a female subject of childbearing potential, must have documentation of a negative serum pregnancy test at Screening and a negative urine pregnancy test on Day 1. All women are considered to be of childbearing potential unless they are postmenopausal (amenorrheic for at least 2 years) or documented to be surgically sterile (bilateral tubal ligation or hysterectomy). 12. Sexually active subjects must use a highly effective method of contraception during the study and for at least 90 days after completion of study drug dosing. 1. A highly effective method of birth control is defined as one that results in a low failure rate (i.e., \< 1% per year) when used consistently and correctly, such as condom + diaphragm, condom + spermicide, diaphragm + spermicide, or intrauterine device (IUD) with documented failure rate of \< 1% per year, or oral/injectable/implanted hormonal contraceptives used in combination with an additional barrier method. 2. Males should refrain from donating sperm during the study and for 90 days after completion of study drug. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any previous gastrointestinal surgery, except uncomplicated appendectomy or cholecystectomy. 2. Any of the included cancer cohorts where active malignancy causes direct extension/invasion of the GI tract from local spread or distant metastasis. 3. Current, active, untreated brain metastases. 4. History of fecal incontinence/impaction; irritable bowel syndrome; inflammatory bowel disease; intestinal obstruction; GI or pelvic disorders known to affect bowel transit, produce GI obstruction, or contribute to bowel dysfunction; fecal impaction requiring medical intervention within 1 month of enrollment. 5. Subject is unable to eat, drink, take, or hold down oral medications. 6. Use of buprenorphine, alvimopan, naltrexone, methylnaltrexone, naloxone, lubiprostone, linaclotide, or tapentadol therapy within 14 days before enrollment and inability or unwillingness to discontinue use until the end of the study. 7. Receipt of strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 (e.g., antifungal azoles, grapefruit juice) or strong inducers of CYP3A4 (e.g., rifampin or carbamazepine), including any herbal medications such as St. John's Wort, within the last 14 days or 5 half-lives, whichever is longer, prior to study drug administration. 8. Receipt of inhibitors of p-glycoprotein (P-gp) within the last 14 days prior to study drug administration. 9. Receipt of anti-VEGF therapies (i.e. bevacizumab) within the last 30 days prior to study drug administration. 10. Subjects with clinically significant abnormal ECG at screening or before randomization in the opinion of the Investigator, or a QTc \> 470 msec (per Fridericia's correction). 11. Presence of unstable diseases, in the opinion of the Investigator, such as cardiovascular (e.g., acute myocardial infarction or acute coronary syndrome \< 3 month history), respiratory (e.g., requires oxygen), gastrointestinal (e.g., symptomatic diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome \[IBS\], etc.), endocrine (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes or A1c \> 10%), hematologic, neurologic, psychiatric (e.g., schizophrenia, unstable anxiety disorder, acute psychosis, depression with suicidal ideation, etc.), or any other significant conditions that may affect subject assessment. 12. Any other condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, could confound or interfere with evaluation of safety, efficacy, or tolerability of the investigational drug, or prevent compliance with the study protocol. 13. Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or of childbearing potential without the use of birth control.
Study sites (2)
MN
- HealthPartners Frauenshuh Cancer Research Center · Saint Louis Park, MN 55426Alissa Gavenda, RN · Study contact · 952-993-6705 · alissa.gavenda@parknicollet.comMore trials in Saint Louis Park
- HealthPartners Cancer Center at Regions Hospital · Saint Paul, MN 55101Lisa Wahowske, RN · Study contact · 651-254-1517 · lisa.wahowske@parknicollet.comMore trials in Saint Paul