Methotrexate and Etoposide Infusions Into the Fourth Ventricle in Children With Recurrent Posterior Fossa Brain Tumors
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02905110 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : September 19, 2016
Last Update Posted : October 29, 2021
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Brain Tumor Recurrent | Drug: Methotrexate Drug: Etoposide Procedure: Ommaya Reservoir | Early Phase 1 |

Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 10 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Combination Intraventricular Chemotherapy Pilot Study: Methotrexate and Etoposide Infusions Into the Fourth Ventricle or Resection Cavity in Children With Recurrent Posterior Fossa Brain Tumors |
Study Start Date : | October 2016 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | November 2022 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | November 2022 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Methotrexate / Etoposide Infusion
12 infusions of intraventricular Methotrexate and 15 infusions of intraventricular Etoposide into implanted fourth ventricle catheter/Ommaya reservoir following surgical catheter placement into fourth ventricle. Methotrexate will be infused twice weekly for 6 weeks and etoposide will be infused 5 times a week on weeks 1, 3 , and 5.
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Drug: Methotrexate
Methotrexate 4 mg into fourth ventricle of the brain via the Ommaya Reservoir 2 days a week for 6 weeks. Each patient will have 12 infusions.
Other Name: Trexall, Rasuvo Drug: Etoposide Etoposide 1 mg into fourth ventricle of the brain via the Ommaya Reservoir 5 days a week for weeks 1, 3, and 5. Each patient will have 15 infusions.
Other Name: VePesid, Toposar, Etopophos Procedure: Ommaya Reservoir Surgical catheter placement into the fourth ventricle of the brain |
- Number of patients with grade 3 through grade 5 new neurological adverse events that are related to study drug, graded according to NCI CTCAE Version 4.0 [ Time Frame: 4 months ]New neurological deficit defined as new cranial neuropathy, nystagmus, change in mental status, motor deficit or cerebellar finding (ataxia, dysmetria, dysdiadochokinesis) that is attributed by treating physicians to intraventricular methotrexate and etoposide infusions. Primary endpoint for basis of safety monitoring is acute toxicity occurring at any time within 30 days of receiving the intraventricular methotrexate and etoposide infusion. Rate of acute toxicity monitored using Bayesian method of Thall and Sung. Method of Kaplan and Meier used to estimate unadjusted distributions of time to a neurological deficit and progression free survival time and summary statistic of all variable computed and tabulated

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 1 Year to 80 Years (Child, Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 1 - 80 years at time of recurrence or progression
- Diagnosis: Patients with histologically verified medulloblastoma, ependymoma, or atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor or other malignant brain tumor with recurrence or progression involving anywhere in the brain and/or spine. To be eligible, patients' disease must have originated in the posterior fossa of the brain
- Patient must have either measurable or evaluable tumor as assessed by MRI of the brain and total spine
- An implanted catheter in the fourth ventricle or posterior fossa tumor cavity attached to an Ommaya reservoir or agreement to have one placed.
- A minimum of 7 days between last dose of systemic chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy and first infusion of chemotherapy into fourth ventricle
- Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks in the opinion of the PI
- Lansky score of 50 or greater if ≤16 years of age or Karnofsky score of 50 or greater if > 16 years of age
- Existing neurological deficits must have been stable for a minimum of 1 week prior to study enrollment
- Patients must have recovered from the acute toxic effects of all prior anticancer chemotherapy
- Adequate bone marrow function defined by peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 500/µL, platelet count ≥ 50,000/µL (transfusion independent), and hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 gm/dL (may receive Red Blood Cell transfusions)
- Patient or patient's legal representative, parent(s), or guardian able to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Enrolled in another treatment protocol
- Has received another investigational or chemotherapy agent or radiation therapy within 7 days prior to intraventricular chemotherapy infusions
- Evidence of untreated infection
- Pregnant or lactating women

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02905110
Contact: Bangning L Yu, RN, PhD | 713 500-7363 | Bangning.Yu@uth.tmc.edu | |
Contact: David Sandberg, MD | 713 500-7410 | David.I.Sandberg@uth.tmc.edu |
United States, Texas | |
UTHealth & Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital | Recruiting |
Houston, Texas, United States, 77030 | |
Contact: David Sandberg, M.D. 713-500-7410 David.I.Sandberg@uth.tmc.edu | |
Contact: Bangning Yu, R.N., PhD 713 500-7363 Bangning.Yu@uth.tmc.edu |
Principal Investigator: | David Sandberg, MD | UTHealth |
Responsible Party: | David Ilan Sandberg, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Associate Professor Pediatric Surgery and Neurosurgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02905110 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
HSC-MS-16-0639 |
First Posted: | September 19, 2016 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | October 29, 2021 |
Last Verified: | October 2021 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Malignant Neoplasms, Brain medulloblastoma ependymoma Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT) |
Brain Neoplasms Recurrence Neoplasms Disease Attributes Pathologic Processes Central Nervous System Neoplasms Nervous System Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases Methotrexate Etoposide Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal Abortifacient Agents |
Reproductive Control Agents Physiological Effects of Drugs Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic Antimetabolites Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antineoplastic Agents Dermatologic Agents Enzyme Inhibitors Folic Acid Antagonists Immunosuppressive Agents Immunologic Factors Antirheumatic Agents Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic Topoisomerase II Inhibitors |