Chemoprevention of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) With Valproic Acid

Summary

This study evaluates the addition of valproic acid as a chemopreventive drug in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients that do not have signs of recurrence or residual disease. The participants will be randomized 1:1 (valproic acid : placebo). The primary outcome is to document histone acetylation and DNA methyltransferase expression (DNMT) in saliva collected from participants when comparing valproic acid arm with placebo arm.

Timeline

Start

2015-12

Primary completion

2016-12

Completion

2017-07

Publications

• Background Brodie SA, Li G, El-Kommos A, Kang H, Ramalingam SS, Behera M, Gandhi K, Kowalski J, Sica GL, Khuri FR, Vertino PM, Brandes JC. Class I HDACs are mediators of smoke carcinogen-induced stabilization of DNMT1 and serve as promising targets for chemoprevention of lung cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014 Mar;7(3):351-61. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-13-0254. Epub 2014 Jan 17.
• Background Gottlicher M, Minucci S, Zhu P, Kramer OH, Schimpf A, Giavara S, Sleeman JP, Lo Coco F, Nervi C, Pelicci PG, Heinzel T. Valproic acid defines a novel class of HDAC inhibitors inducing differentiation of transformed cells. EMBO J. 2001 Dec 17;20(24):6969-78. doi: 10.1093/emboj/20.24.6969.
• Background Gan CP, Hamid S, Hor SY, Zain RB, Ismail SM, Wan Mustafa WM, Teo SH, Saunders N, Cheong SC. Valproic acid: growth inhibition of head and neck cancer by induction of terminal differentiation and senescence. Head Neck. 2012 Mar;34(3):344-53. doi: 10.1002/hed.21734. Epub 2011 Mar 24.
• Background Chavez-Blanco A, Segura-Pacheco B, Perez-Cardenas E, Taja-Chayeb L, Cetina L, Candelaria M, Cantu D, Gonzalez-Fierro A, Garcia-Lopez P, Zambrano P, Perez-Plasencia C, Cabrera G, Trejo-Becerril C, Angeles E, Duenas-Gonzalez A. Histone acetylation and histone deacetylase activity of magnesium valproate in tumor and peripheral blood of patients with cervical cancer. A phase I study. Mol Cancer. 2005 Jul 7;4(1):22. doi: 10.1186/1476-4598-4-22.
• Background Kang H, Gillespie TW, Goodman M, Brodie SA, Brandes M, Ribeiro M, Ramalingam SS, Shin DM, Khuri FR, Brandes JC. Long-term use of valproic acid in US veterans is associated with a reduced risk of smoking-related cases of head and neck cancer. Cancer. 2014 May 1;120(9):1394-400. doi: 10.1002/cncr.28479. Epub 2014 Mar 24.
• Background Kuendgen A, Knipp S, Fox F, Strupp C, Hildebrandt B, Steidl C, Germing U, Haas R, Gattermann N. Results of a phase 2 study of valproic acid alone or in combination with all-trans retinoic acid in 75 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Ann Hematol. 2005 Dec;84 Suppl 1:61-6. doi: 10.1007/s00277-005-0026-8.
• Background Balbi A, Sottofattori E, Mazzei M, Sannita WG. Study of bioequivalence of magnesium and sodium valproates. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 1991;9(4):317-21. doi: 10.1016/0731-7085(91)80200-s.
• Background Erlich RB, Rickwood D, Coman WB, Saunders NA, Guminski A. Valproic acid as a therapeutic agent for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2009 Feb;63(3):381-9. doi: 10.1007/s00280-008-0747-1. Epub 2008 Apr 9.
• Background Cameron EE, Bachman KE, Myohanen S, Herman JG, Baylin SB. Synergy of demethylation and histone deacetylase inhibition in the re-expression of genes silenced in cancer. Nat Genet. 1999 Jan;21(1):103-7. doi: 10.1038/5047.
• Background Raffoux E, Cras A, Recher C, Boelle PY, de Labarthe A, Turlure P, Marolleau JP, Reman O, Gardin C, Victor M, Maury S, Rousselot P, Malfuson JV, Maarek O, Daniel MT, Fenaux P, Degos L, Chomienne C, Chevret S, Dombret H. Phase 2 clinical trial of 5-azacitidine, valproic acid, and all-trans retinoic acid in patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. Oncotarget. 2010 May;1(1):34-42. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.106.
• Background Kuendgen A, Bug G, Ottmann OG, Haase D, Schanz J, Hildebrandt B, Nachtkamp K, Neukirchen J, Dienst A, Haas R, Germing U, Gattermann N. Treatment of poor-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia with a combination of 5-azacytidine and valproic acid. Clin Epigenetics. 2011 Aug;2(2):389-99. doi: 10.1007/s13148-011-0031-9. Epub 2011 Apr 8.
• Background Issa JP, Garcia-Manero G, Huang X, Cortes J, Ravandi F, Jabbour E, Borthakur G, Brandt M, Pierce S, Kantarjian HM. Results of phase 2 randomized study of low-dose decitabine with or without valproic acid in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia. Cancer. 2015 Feb 15;121(4):556-61. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29085. Epub 2014 Oct 21.
• Background Soriano AO, Yang H, Faderl S, Estrov Z, Giles F, Ravandi F, Cortes J, Wierda WG, Ouzounian S, Quezada A, Pierce S, Estey EH, Issa JP, Kantarjian HM, Garcia-Manero G. Safety and clinical activity of the combination of 5-azacytidine, valproic acid, and all-trans retinoic acid in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. Blood. 2007 Oct 1;110(7):2302-8. doi: 10.1182/blood-2007-03-078576. Epub 2007 Jun 27.
• Background Sharma S, Kelly TK, Jones PA. Epigenetics in cancer. Carcinogenesis. 2010 Jan;31(1):27-36. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgp220. Epub 2009 Sep 13.
• Background Duenas-Gonzalez A, Candelaria M, Perez-Plascencia C, Perez-Cardenas E, de la Cruz-Hernandez E, Herrera LA. Valproic acid as epigenetic cancer drug: preclinical, clinical and transcriptional effects on solid tumors. Cancer Treat Rev. 2008 May;34(3):206-22. doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2007.11.003. Epub 2008 Jan 15.

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Indications