Arsenic Trioxide

Clinical trials are studying Arsenic Trioxide in different blood cancers, including low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and acute promyelocytic leukemia. These studies look at safety, response to treatment, and long-term outcomes in adults, children, and adolescents. They also test different treatment combinations and phases of care.

Table of Contents

Clinical trial overview

These studies are testing Arsenic Trioxide in different blood cancers and treatment settings.[1][2][3] The trials are focused on low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and acute promyelocytic leukemia in children, adolescents, and adults.[1][2][3]

All three trials are interventional studies, which means researchers give a treatment and measure what happens.[1][2][3] The studies are authorised and range from early testing to later confirmatory research.[1][2][3]

Low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes study

NCT06670222 is a Phase 1 study in 24 people with low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes who failed Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents and Luspatercept, or who are not eligible for Luspatercept.[1] This makes it a study for people who still need another treatment option after earlier care did not work well enough.[1]

The study tests oral Arsenic Trioxide in capsule form at different strengths, all given by mouth.[1] The brief summary says the first part is meant to find the dose-limiting toxicity, which is the level of side effects that may stop a dose from being used safely.[1]

The expansion part of the study looks at the erythroid response rate after 12 weeks of treatment.[1] Erythroid response means improvement in red blood cell production, which is important for patients with anemia.[1]

Pediatric acute promyelocytic leukemia study

NCT04793919 is a Phase 2 international study in 99 children and adolescents with acute promyelocytic leukemia.[2] The study looks at a treatment plan that includes Arsenic Trioxide together with other medicines, including ATRA and, in higher-risk disease, GO.[2]

The main outcome is event-free survival, or EFS.[2] EFS counts major events such as not reaching complete remission after induction therapy, not reaching molecular remission after consolidation, relapse, or death.[2]

The study aims for a 3-year EFS probability of 90% in standard-risk patients and 80% in high-risk patients.[2] This shows that the trial is not only checking whether treatment works, but also how well it keeps patients free from relapse or treatment failure over time.[2]

Adult acute promyelocytic leukemia study

2025-524810-28-00 is a Phase 3 study in 123 adult patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia.[3] It is an open-label study, which means both the researchers and the participants know what treatment is being given.[3]

This study compares a treatment plan involving QTX-2101 with Arsenic Trioxide used by intravenous infusion.[3] The brief summary says the study wants to characterize the pharmacokinetics of QTX-2101 and the treatment response at the end of Consolidation Cycle 3.[3]

The main outcomes include PK parameters, such as maximum plasma concentration and area under the curve, for Arsenic Trioxide and its metabolites.[3] PK, short for pharmacokinetics, describes how the body absorbs, moves, and clears a treatment.[3]

The study also measures molecular complete remission, defined as no detectable PML/RARA in the bone marrow by central testing using RTqPCR rules from ELN 2019 criteria.[3] This is a very deep response measure that looks for tiny signs of disease at the molecular level.[3]

Main endpoints and what they mean

The trials use different endpoints, which are the main results researchers want to measure.[1][2][3] In the myelodysplastic syndromes study, the key endpoint is dose-limiting toxicity in the first part and erythroid response after 12 weeks in the second part.[1]

In the pediatric leukemia study, the key endpoint is event-free survival at 2 years from diagnosis, with a target of 3-year EFS probabilities also described in the study summary.[2] In the adult leukemia study, the main endpoints are PK measures and molecular complete remission after treatment.[3]

These endpoints help show different parts of treatment value: safety, how well the treatment works, and whether the disease stays under control.[1][2][3]

Who the trials are for

The patient groups are different in each trial.[1][2][3] One study is for people with low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes who have not done well with earlier treatments or cannot use Luspatercept.[1]

Another study is for children and adolescents with acute promyelocytic leukemia.[2] The third study is for adults with acute promyelocytic leukemia.[3]

Trial phases and study design

The three studies cover a wide range of clinical research stages, from Phase 1 to Phase 3.[1][2][3] Phase 1 mainly looks at safety and dose finding, Phase 2 looks at treatment effect in a defined group, and Phase 3 studies the treatment in a larger adult group.[1][2][3]

The studies also use different treatment routes, including oral use and intravenous use.[1][3] In the pediatric study, Arsenic Trioxide is part of a broader treatment plan with other medicines, showing that the trial is testing combination therapy rather than Arsenic Trioxide alone.[2]

Trial ID Phase Condition studied Status Enrollment
NCT06670222 Phase 1 Low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes failing Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents and Luspatercept, or ineligible for Luspatercept Authorised 24
NCT04793919 Phase 2 Acute promyelocytic leukemia in children and adolescents Authorised 99
2025-524810-28-00 Phase 3 Acute promyelocytic leukemia in adults Authorised 123

Ongoing Clinical Trials on Arsenic Trioxide

  • Treatment Study of Arsenic Trioxide, Tretinoin, and Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin for Children and Adolescents with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

    Recruiting

    1 1 1
    Czechia France Italy The Netherlands Sweden
  • Study on Oral Arsenic Trioxide for Patients with Low-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes Not Responding to Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents and Luspatercept

    Recruiting

    1 1
    Investigated drugs:
    France
  • QTX-2101 and Arsenic Trioxide in Adult Patients With Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

    Not yet recruiting

    1 1 1 1
    Investigated drugs:
    France Germany Italy Poland Romania Spain

Glossary

  • Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS): A group of blood disorders where the bone marrow does not make healthy blood cells properly.
  • Low-risk: A group with a lower chance of fast disease progression compared with higher-risk groups.
  • Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL): A type of leukemia, which is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
  • Children and adolescents: Younger patients, usually people who have not yet reached adulthood.
  • Interventional study: A clinical trial where researchers give a treatment and watch what happens.
  • Phase 1: An early trial phase that mainly checks safety and finds the right dose range.
  • Phase 2: A trial phase that looks more closely at whether the treatment works and how safe it is.
  • Phase 3: A later trial phase that studies the treatment in more people and compares results more broadly.
  • Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT): A side effect serious enough to limit how much of a treatment can be given.
  • Erythroid response (HI-E): An improvement in red blood cell production, which can help with anemia.
  • Event-free survival (EFS): The length of time a person stays free from certain bad events, such as relapse, treatment failure, or death.
  • Molecular complete remission (mCR): A very deep response where signs of the leukemia marker are no longer found in the bone marrow.

References