An International Clinical Program for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Children With Ependymoma

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

16 weeks of VEC + CDDP: Days 1-36-71-106: Vincristine: 1.5 mg/m² (maximal dose 2 mg) i.v.; Days 1-3-36-38-71-73-106-108: Etoposide: 100 mg/m² infused over 60 minutes; Days 1-36-71-106: Cyclophosphamide: 3000 mg/m² in 3 divided infusions (1000 mg/m²/infusion) infused over 60 minutes; Days 22-57-92: Cisplatin: 80 mg/m² over 4 hours + Vincristine:1.5 mg/m² (maximal dose 2 mg) i.v.

VEC + HD-MTX: Days 1-22-43: Vincristine: 1.5 mg/m² (maximal dose 2 mg) i.v.; Days 1-3-22-24-43-45: Etoposide: 100 mg/m² infused over 60 minutes; Days 1-22-43: Cyclophosphamide: 3000 mg/m² in 3 divided infusions (1000 mg/m²/infusion) infused over 60 minutes; Days 15-36-57: Administer methotrexate at 8000 mg/m² as a 24 hour IV infusion on days 15-36-57. 10% of the dose should be given over the first hour and 90% over the remaining 23 hours. The infusion must finish at 24 hours even if it has not been completed.

Chemotherapy + Valproate: Days 1-57-113-169-225-281-337: Vincristine and Carboplatin; Days 15-71-127-183-239-295-351: Vincristine and Methotrexate; Days 29-85-141-197-253-309-365: Vincristine and Cyclophosphamide; Days 43-44-99-100-154-155-211-212-267-268-323-324-379-380: Cisplatin 2-day continuous infusion. Valproate: initial dose 30 mg/kg/day for two weeks in 2 divided doses (BID 15 mg/kg). Increasing weekly up to 40 - 50 - 60 mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses.

Conformal radiotherapy: Conformal radiotherapy: 59.4Gy (children \<18 months or with risk factors: 54Gy). Daily fraction 1.8 Gy, 5 fractions / week.

VEC: D1: Vincristine: 1.5 mg/m² (maximal dose 2 mg) i.v.; D1-D3: Etoposide: 100 mg/m² infused over 60 minutes; D1: Cyclophosphamide: 3000 mg/m² in 3 divided infusions (1000 mg/m²/infusion) infused over 60 minutes; D22: Vincristine: 1.5 mg/m² (maximal dose 2 mg) i.v.; D22-D24: Etoposide: 100 mg/m² infused over 60 minutes; D22: Cyclophosphamide: 3000 mg/m² in 3 divided infusions (1000 mg/m²/infusion) infused over 60 minutes; D43: Vincristine: 1.5 mg/m² (maximal dose 2 mg) i.v.; D43-D45: Etoposide: 100 mg/m² infused over 60 minutes; D43: Cyclophosphamide: 3000 mg/m² in 3 divided infusions (1000 mg/m²/infusion) infused over 60 minutes

Chemotherapy: Days 1-57-113-169-225-281-337: Vincristine and Carboplatin; Days 15-71-127-183-239-295-351: Vincristine and Methotrexate; Days 29-85-141-197-253-309-365: Vincristine and Cyclophosphamide; Days 43-44-99-100-154-155-211-212-267-268-323-324-379-380: Cisplatin 2-day continuous infusion.

conformal radiotherapy +/- boost: Conformal radiotherapy: 59.4Gy (children \<18 months or with risk factors: 54Gy). Daily fraction 1.8 Gy, 5 fractions / week. In case of persistent residue : Boost of radiation 8 Gy in 2 equivalent fractions

Study summary

The overall aim of this project is to improve the outcome of patients diagnosed with ependymoma by improving and harmonising the staging and the standard of care of this patient population and to improve the investigators understanding of the underlying biology thereby informing future treatment.

The program will evaluate new strategies for diagnosis (centralized reviews of pathology and imaging) and new therapeutic strategies in order to develop treatment recommendations.

Patients will be stratified into different treatment subgroups according to their age, the tumour location and the outcome of the initial surgery. Each subgroup will be studied in a specific randomised study to evaluate the proposed therapeutic strategies.

Stratum 1:

The aim of the stratum 1 is to evaluate the clinical impact of 16-week chemotherapy regimen with VEC-CDDP following surgical resection and conformal radiotherapy in terms of progression free survival in patients who are \> 12 months and \< 22 years at diagnosis, with completely removed intra cranial Ependymoma.

Stratum 2:

This stratum is designed as a phase II trial for patients who are \> 12 months and \< 22 years at diagnosis, with residual disease to investigate the possible activity of HD-MTX by giving to all patients the benefit of VEC chemotherapy whilst randomising half of patients to receive additional HD-MTX.

Patients will receive conformal radiotherapy (cRT). For patients who remain with a residual inoperable disease after induction chemotherapy and cRT, an 8 Gy boost of radiotherapy to the residual tumour will be delivered immediately after the end of the cRT.

Stratum 3 This stratum is designed as a phase II trial to evaluate the benefit of postoperative dose intense chemotherapy administered alone or in combination with valproate in children \<12 months of age or those not eligible to receive radiotherapy .

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Gross Total Resection rate — 3 years
  Overall program, depends on the stratum (from 0.5 years to 3 years)
• Progression-Free Survival — from date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, up to 4.5 years
• Number of treatment responders — 15 months after final patient inclusion
  Objective response to chemotherapy is measured based on SIOP-E Neuro Imaging guidelines.

Trial sites (40)