Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer worldwide. The
overall newly diagnosed ALL cure rate is approaching 90% however children with relapsed ALL
often do not survive. The frequency of ALL in adults is significantly lower however more
challenging to treat compared to childhood ALL. Adult ALL is more resistant to chemotherapy
and patient have reduced treatment tolerance (particularly the elderly population) therefore
overall survival rates are low. Therefore there is a need to develop more effective treatment
which improves survival rates for this patient population.
Those eligible in the paediatric setting are in their second or further relapse, often after
a previous allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT), and usually in a palliative situation.
Adult patients who are not suitable for more intensive therapy can enter the trial in first
relapse. The trial offers an out-patient based treatment approach of this heavily pre-treated
patient group. The trial includes patients with B-cell precursor and T-ALL irrespective of
Central Nervous System (CNS) disease status.CNS positive patients and patients with T-ALL are
usually excluded from other early phase clinical trials. If treatment is successful, patients
could continue with other therapies/trials once complete remission achieved (e.g. Chimeric
Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy).
Selumetinib is a small molecule inhibitor of MEK, a protein in the RAS-pathway. Mutations in
genes in the RAS pathway have been found in a large proportion of patients with ALL.
Selumetinib targets this over-activated pathway to arrest cancer cell growth. Dexamethasone
is a steroid important in the treatment of leukaemia to stimulate the death of cancer cells.
The SeluDex trial is for patients with relapsed or refractory RAS-pathway mutated ALL.
The primary objective of this trial in Phase I is to see what dose of selumetinib can safely
be given in combination with dexamethasone in participants. During Phase II, the primary
objective is to assess the preliminary information regarding the effectiveness of this
combined treatment.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Morphologically proven relapsed/refractory (M2 or M3 marrow; ≥1st relapse for adults,
≥2nd relapse in paediatric group - see Protocol Appendix 5) or progressive B cell
precursor or T-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) with demonstrated RAS pathway
activating mutations (NRAS, KRAS, FLT3, PTPN11, cCBL) identified during the trial
screening process
- Group P (paediatric): <18 years of age; Group A (adult): ≥18 years of age
- Adequate renal function:
- Group A: Serum creatinine <1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Group P as follows:
- 5 years: Serum creatinine <0.8 mg/dL or 70 μmol/L, > 5 years but ≤ 10 years:
Serum creatinine <1 mg/dL or 88 μmol/L, > 10 years but ≤ 15 years: Serum
creatinine <1.2 mg/dL or 106 μmol/L, > 15 years: Serum creatinine <1.5 mg/dL
or 132 μmol/L
- Patient is able to swallow selumetinib capsules whole
- Performance status (PS): Group A - Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) ≤2
(Protocol Appendix 6); Group P - Lansky play scale ≥60% (Protocol Appendix 7) or
Karnofsky scale ≥60% (Appendix 8)
- Women of childbearing potential (see protocol section 7.9.3 for definition) must have
a negative pregnancy test
- Patients who are women of childbearing potential and male patients with partners who
are women of childbearing potential must agree to use appropriate contraception (see
protocol section 7.9.3 for definition) whilst on trial
- Written informed consent
- Absence of any psychological, familial, sociological or geographical factors
potentially hampering compliance with the trial protocol and follow-up schedule; those
conditions should be discussed with the patient before registration in the trial
- Patients who relapse or progress after Haematopoetic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) need
to be at least at day +100, with no signs of Graft versus Host Disease and off
immunosuppressive therapy for at least one week.
- Patients who relapse or progress after CAR T cell therapy should be at least 4 weeks
after infusion of CAR T cells.
- Patients must have a body surface area (BSA) ≥ 0.55 m2.
Exclusion Criteria:
- ALL without presence of RAS-pathway activating mutations
- Mature B-cell leukaemia and Philadelphia positive ALL
- Prior exposure to MEK, RAS or RAF inhibitors
- Any unresolved toxicity ≥ CTCAE Grade 2 from previous anti-cancer therapy, except for
alopecia
- Cardiac conditions as follows:
Group A and P
- Prior or current cardiomyopathy including but not limited to the following:
- Known hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Known arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
- Even if full recovery has occurred, previous moderate or severe impairment of left
ventricular systolic function (LVEF <45% on Echocardiogram (ECHO) in Group A; SF <29%
in Group P but excluding transient impairments due to e.g. anaemia/sepsis or results
not thought to represent a true reflection of cardiac function)
- Severe valvular heart disease
- Severe congenital heart disease
- Uncontrolled hypertension:
- Group A: BP ≥150/95 mmHg despite medical therapy
- Group P: BP ≥95th percentile for age, height and gender (please refer to Blood
Pressure by Age and Height Percentiles tables in Protocol Appendices 8 and 9)
Group A
- Baseline (LVEF) below the lower limit of normal (LLN) or <55% measured by ECHO
- Acute coronary syndrome within 6 months prior to trial registration
- Uncontrolled Angina - Canadian Cardiovascular Society grade II-IV despite medical
therapy (Protocol Appendix 11)
- Symptomatic heart failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-IV, prior or
current cardiomyopathy, or severe valvular heart disease (Protocol Appendix 12)
- Atrial fibrillation with a ventricular rate >100 bpm on Electrocardiogram (ECG) at
rest
- QTcF >450ms in male patients or ≥460ms in female patients, or other factors that
increase the risk of QT prolongation Group P
- Baseline SF <29%
- Atrial fibrillation with a ventricular rate >130 bpm on Electrocardiogram (ECG) at
rest
- QTcF >450ms in patients <12 years or ≥460ms in patients ≥12 but <18 years
- Ophthalmological conditions as follows:
- Current or past history of retinal pigment epithelial detachment (RPED)/central
serous retinopathy (CSR) or retinal vein occlusion
- Intraocular pressure (IOP) > 21 mmHg or uncontrolled glaucoma (irrespective of
IOP)
- Pregnant and breast feeding females
- Known severe hypersensitivity to selumetinib, dexamethasone or combination medications
or any excipient of these medicinal products, or history of allergic reactions
attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to selumetinib
- Have received or are receiving an Investigational Medicinal Product (IMP) or other
systemic anti-cancer treatment (not including dexamethasone, prednisolone or
hydroxycarbamide) within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas, mitomycin, and suramin)
prior to trial registration, or within a period during which the IMP or systemic
anticancer treatment has not been cleared from the body (e.g. a period of 5
'half-lives'), whichever is the most appropriate and as judged by the investigator
- Have had recent major surgery within a minimum 4 weeks prior to trial registration,
with the exception of surgical placement of vascular access
- Have received radiation therapy within 4 weeks prior to trial registration, or limited
field of radiation for palliation within 7 days of the first dose of trial treatment
- Laboratory values as listed below (SI units):
- Serum bilirubin >1.5 x ULN (unless due to Gilbert's syndrome)
- Have evidence of any other significant clinical disorder or laboratory finding that,
as judged by the investigator, makes it undesirable for the patient to participate in
the trial
- Have any evidence of a severe or uncontrolled systemic disease (e.g. unstable or
uncompensated respiratory, cardiac, hepatic, or renal disease, active infection
(including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV), active bleeding diatheses, or renal
transplant)
- Have refractory nausea and vomiting, chronic gastrointestinal diseases (e.g.,
inflammatory bowel disease), or significant bowel resection that would adversely
affect the absorption/bioavailability of the orally administered trial medication
- Any other active malignancy which, in the opinion of the investigator would limit the
ability of the patient to complete the study