Bortezomib and Temozolomide in Recurrent Glioblastoma With Unmethylated MGMT Promoter (BORTEM-17) (BORTEM-17)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03643549 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : August 22, 2018
Last Update Posted : August 27, 2021
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Glioblastoma | Drug: Bortezomib and Temozolomide Phase IB Drug: Bortezomib and Temozolomide Phase II | Phase 1 Phase 2 |
Patients harbouring tumours with functional O6 methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) DNA repair enzyme efficiently repair the DNA damage inflicted by Temozolomide and gain limited benefit from this chemotherapy. Bortezomib depletes the MGMT enzyme, restoring the tumour´s susceptibility to Temozolomide, if the chemotherapy is administered in the precise schedule when the MGMT enzyme is depleted. Additionally, Bortezomib inhibits the growth of tumour cells by blocking autophagy flux. Temozolomide causes genotoxic stress in cancer cells that in turn respond by inducing protective processes such as autophagy. If both autophagy and MGMT DNA repair enzyme are blocked a priori, the efficacy of Temozolomide will be enhanced. Thus, pre-treating the tumour with Bortezomib prior to administration of Temozolomide leads to DNA repair enzyme depletion and blockade of autophagy-induced survival signals. The combined effect will sensitize the tumour to therapy, improve chemotherapy efficacy and prolong patient survival outcomes.
Hypothesis: Pretreatment with Bortezomib administered prior to Temozolomide will sensitize recurrent GBM with unmethylated MGMT promoter to standard TMZ in palliative setting.
Objective:
- Assessment of safety and tolerability of Bortezomib administered with Temozolomide.
- Determining the optimal dose of TMZ, when administered as combination therapy
- Estimate the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with recurrent or progressed glioblastoma after pre-treatment with Bortezomib prior to combination with Temozolomide.
Key secondary objectives
- Tumour response to the therapy assessed by RANO and NANO criteria
- Determine physiological, molecular and biochemical changes in blood and tumour tissue that correlate with treatment responses.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 63 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Sequential Assignment |
Intervention Model Description: | Botezomib 1.3mg/m2 administered IV on days 1, 4, 7, during each 4-week chemotherapy cycle with per oral Temozolomide at three dose levels: 150 mg/m2, 175 mg/m2 and 200mg/m2 5 days/week every 4 weeks starting on day 3 until disease progression and/or unacceptable toxicity. Study group will be compared to historical controls on conventional management |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Bortezomib Sensitization of Recurrent Glioblastoma With Unmethylated MGMT Promoter to Temozolomide Phase 1B/II Study |
Actual Study Start Date : | August 30, 2018 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | December 31, 2022 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | August 30, 2023 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Bortezomib and Temozolomide
Botezomib 1.3 mg/m2 administered IV on days 1, 4, 7, during each 4-week chemotherapy cycle with per oral Temozolomide at three dose levels: 150 mg/m2, 175 mg/m2 and 200mg/m2 5 days/week every 4 weeks starting on day 3.
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Drug: Bortezomib and Temozolomide Phase IB
In the Phase IB of the study the following dose escalation of TMZ will be performed: The first cohort of 3 patients will receive 150 mg/m2 of IMP (TMZ) for 5 days q4w. If one patient in this cohort develops a dose limiting toxicity, another cohort of 3 patients will be treated at the same dose level until 2 or more patients in the group of 3-6 develop DLT. Drug: Bortezomib and Temozolomide Phase II The patientes will be treated with the maximum recommended starting dose of Temozolomide and Bortezomib established in the IB phase of the study |
- Bortezomib-Temozolomide Maximum tolerated dose [ Time Frame: 6 months ]En intra- and inter-patient dose escalation period of TMZ administered after Bortezomib
- Overall survival [ Time Frame: 1 year ]Overall survival at 1 year
- Progression free survival [ Time Frame: 6 months ]Progression free survival at 6 months
- Time to progression [ Time Frame: 4 years ]Median time
- Biomarkers of treatment response [ Time Frame: 4 years ]Identification of novel tumor biomarkers by determining physiological, molecular and biochemical changes in blood and tumor tissue that correlate with treatment responses
- Tumour responses [ Time Frame: 4 years ]Assessed by contrast enhanced MRI according to RANO criteria
- Clinical response [ Time Frame: 4 years ]Assessment of the neurologic status according to NANO criteria
- Toxicity assessment [ Time Frame: 4 years ]SAE, all grades hematologic and non hematologic toxicity

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Life expectancy > 8 weeks
- Histologically confirmed intracranial glioblastoma (GBM), with MGMT unmethylated promoter
- Must submit an unstained paraffin block and/ or cryopreserved tumour tissue from surgical procedure
- Radiologically (MRI) confirmed tumour relapse/progression ≥ 12 weeks since completed radiotherapy
- Measurable recurrent tumor
- Tumor not available for radio-surgery
- If previously treated with gammaknife, at least one evaluable lesion outside the irradiated area is required, unless the time after the radiosurgery is 12 weeks or more
- Written informed consent for study participation and tumour, blood sample collection obtained before performance of any study related procedure.
- Karnofsky performance status ≥ 70
- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3
- ANC ≥ 1,500/mm^3
- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
- Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
- Bilirubin < 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
- serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) < 2.5 times ULN
- Estimated GFR ≥ 60 mL/minute
- Serum sodium > 130 mmol/L
- Serum potassium level within normal limit
- Stable or reduced doses of corticosteroids for at least 1 week prior to enrolment
- Negative pregnancy test no longer than 14 days prior to enrollment
- Fertile patients and female partners with child bearing potential of male patients must use adequate contraception
- Patients on EIAED must be transitioned to non-EAIED for ≥ 2 weeks
- Unfractionated and/or low molecular weight heparin allowed
- Patients previously treated with neurosurgery er eligible for the study
Exclusion Criteria:
- Hypersensitivity to Bortezomib, boron, or mannitol
- Any contraindications for use of temozolomide
- Peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
- Previous treatment with bevacizumab or lomustine alone or as a combination therapy for ralapsed glioblastoma (PCV as primary treatment of low grade glioma, before development of glioblastoma, is allowed)
- Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
- NYHA class III or IV heart failure
- Uncontrolled angina
- Severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias
- Electrocardiographic evidence of acute ischemia or active conduction system abnormalities
- Known heart failure
- Serious medical or psychiatric illness that would interfere with the study participation including, but not limited to, any of the following:
- Ongoing or active infection requiring IV antibiotics
- Psychiatric illness and/or social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
- Disorders associated with a significant immunocompromised state (e.g., HIV, systemic lupus erythematosus)
- History of stroke within the past 6 months
- Other malignancy within the past 3 years except completely resected basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, an in situ malignancy (i.e., cervical cancer), or low-risk prostate cancer after curative therapy
- Significant medical illness that, in the investigator's opinion, cannot be adequately controlled with appropriate therapy or would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate this therapy
- Disease that will obscure toxicity or dangerously alter the drug metabolism
- Viral hepatitis (HBV surface antigen positive) or active hepatitis C infection
- Other investigational drugs must be stopped at least 12 weeks prior to therapy or treatment failure under other experimental therapy must be confirmed before study entry. If progression during other experimental therapy is confirmed, the time interval between previous treatment and BORTEM-17 may be reduced to 4 weeks
- Concurrent inducers of CYP450 3A4 (e.g., enzyme-inducing anti-epileptic drugs [EIAED])

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): NCT03643549
Contact: Dorota Goplen, MD, PhD | +47 55974019 | dgop@helse-bergen.no | |
Contact: Martha E Chekenya, PhD, Dr. Philos | +47 55586380 | martha.enger@uib.no |
Norway | |
Haukeland University Hospital | Recruiting |
Bergen, Norway, 5021 | |
Contact: Dorota Goplen, MD, PhD +4755974019 dgop@helse-bergen.no | |
Contact: Jorunn Brekke, MD +4755970986 joub@helse-bergen.no | |
Oslo University Hospital | Recruiting |
Oslo, Norway, 0424 | |
Contact: Petter Brandal, MD pebra@ous-hf.no |
Principal Investigator: | Dorota Goplen, MD, PhD | Haukeland University Hospital |
Responsible Party: | Haukeland University Hospital |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03643549 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
2017/2084 |
First Posted: | August 22, 2018 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | August 27, 2021 |
Last Verified: | August 2021 |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Product Manufactured in and Exported from the U.S.: | No |
Temozolomide Bortezomib Recurrent disease |
Glioblastoma Astrocytoma Glioma Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial Neuroectodermal Tumors Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms |
Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue Temozolomide Bortezomib Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating Alkylating Agents Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antineoplastic Agents |