Clinical Trials

Inclusion Criteria:

• All clinical and laboratory studies to determine eligibility must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated.
• Laboratory values used to assess eligibility must be no older than 7 days at the start of therapy.
• Laboratory tests need not be repeated if therapy starts within 7 days of obtaining labs to assess eligibility.
• If a post-enrollment lab value is outside the limits of eligibility, or laboratory values are > 7 days old, then laboratory evaluations must be re-checked within 48 hours prior to initiating therapy. If the recheck is outside the limits of eligibility, the patient may not receive protocol therapy and will be considered off protocol therapy.
• A pre- and post-operative brain MRI with and without contrast, and a baseline spine MRI with contrast, must be obtained prior to enrollment. The requirement for post-operative MRI is waived for patients who undergo biopsy only.
• Patients must be ≥ 3 years and ≤ 21 years of age at the time of enrollment.
• Patients must have eligibility confirmed by Rapid Central Pathology and Molecular Screening Reviews performed on APEC14B1:
  • Newly diagnosed high-grade glioma with BRAFV600-mutation;
  • Positive or negative results for H3 K27M by immunohistochemistry (IHC)
  • Histologically confirmed high-grade glioma (WHO Grade III or IV) including but not limited to: anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (aPXA), anaplastic gangliogliomas (aGG), glioblastoma (GB), and high-grade astrocytoma, NOS.
• Patients must have had histologic verification of a high-grade glioma diagnosis. CSF cytology by lumbar puncture must be done if clinically indicated and determined to be safe prior to study enrollment. If cytology proves positive, the patient would be considered to have metastatic disease and would, therefore, be ineligible.
• A pre- and post-operative brain MRI with and without contrast and a baseline spine MRI with contrast must be obtained prior to enrollment. The requirement for a post-operative MRI is waived for patients who undergo biopsy only. If the spine MRI is positive, the patient would be considered to have metastatic disease and would be ineligible.
• Patients must have a performance status corresponding to ECOG scores of 0, 1, or 2. Use Karnofsky for patients > 16 years of age and Lansky for patients ≤ 16 years of age. See https://www.cogmembers.org/site/pages/default.aspx?page=Prot_reference_materials under Standard Sections for Protocols.
• Adequate Bone Marrow Function defined as:
  • Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1000/µL;
  • Platelet count ≥ 100,000/µL (transfusion independent);
  • Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL (may receive RBC transfusions).
• Adequate Renal Function defined as:
  • Creatinine clearance or radioisotope GFR ≥ 70 mL/min/1.73 m^2; or
  • A serum creatinine based on age/gender as follows:
  • 3 to < 6 years | Male 0.8 | Female 0.8;
  • 6 to < 10 years | Male 1.0 | Female 1.0;
  • 10 to < 13 years | Male 1.2 | Female 1.2;
  • 13 to < 16 years | Male 1.5 | Female 1.4;
  • ≥ 16 years | Male 1.7 | Female 1.4.
  • The threshold creatinine values in this Table were derived from the Schwartz formula for estimating GFR32 utilizing child length and stature data published by the CDC.
  • Adequate Liver Function defined as:
    • Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) for age; and
    • SGPT (ALT) ≤ 135 U/L. For the purpose of this study, the ULN for SGPT is 45 U/L.
• Central Nervous System Function defined as:
  • Patients with a seizure disorder may be enrolled if their seizures are well controlled while on non-enzyme inducing anticonvulsants permitted on this study.
• Patients must be enrolled and protocol therapy must be projected to begin no later than 31 days after definitive surgery (Day 0). If a biopsy only was performed, the biopsy date will be considered the date of definitive surgery. For patients who have a biopsy or incomplete resection at diagnosis followed by additional surgery, the date of the last resection will be considered the date of definitive surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with intrinsic brainstem or primary spinal cord tumors will be excluded.
• Patients with metastatic disease (defined as neuraxis dissemination either by imaging or by cytology) will be excluded.
• Patients must not have received any prior tumor-directed therapy including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or bone marrow transplant for the treatment of HGG other than surgical intervention and/or corticosteroids.
• Previous treatment with dabrafenib or another RAF inhibitor, trametinib or another MEK inhibitor, or an ERK inhibitor.
• Patients with a history of a malignancy with confirmed activating RAS mutation.
• History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to dabrafenib, trametinib, and their excipients.
• Uncontrolled medical conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus, hypertension, liver disease, or uncontrolled infection), psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical conditions that do not permit compliance with the protocol; or unwillingness or inability to follow the procedures required in the protocol.
• Presence of active gastrointestinal (GI) disease or other condition (e.g., small bowel or large bowel resection) that will interfere significantly with the absorption of drugs.
• History of Hepatitis B Virus, or Hepatitis C Virus infection (patients with laboratory evidence of cleared Hepatitis B Virus and/or Hepatitis C Virus may be enrolled).
• History or current diagnosis of cardiac disease indicating significant risk of safety for patients participating in the study such as uncontrolled or significant cardiac disease, including any of the following:
  • Recent myocardial infarction (within the last 6 months);
  • Uncontrolled congestive heart failure;
  • Unstable angina (within last 6 months);
  • Clinically significant (symptomatic) or known, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmias (e.g., sustained ventricular tachycardia, and clinically significant second or third degree AV block without a pacemaker) except sinus arrhythmia within the past 24 weeks prior to the first dose of study treatment;
  • Coronary angioplasty or stenting (within last 6 months);
  • Intra-cardiac defibrillators;
  • Abnormal cardiac valve morphology (≥ Grade 2) documented by echocardiogram.
• Patients with a history or current evidence of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) or central serous retinopathy (CSR), or predisposing factors to RVO or CSR (e.g., uncontrolled glaucoma or ocular hypertension).
• Patients with presence of interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis.
• Female patients who are pregnant are ineligible since there is yet no available information regarding human fetal or teratogenic toxicities.
• Lactating females are not eligible unless they have agreed not to breastfeed their infants for the duration of the study and for 4 months following discontinuation of study therapy.
• Female patients of childbearing potential are not eligible unless a negative pregnancy test result has been obtained.
• Sexually active patients of reproductive potential (male or female) are not eligible unless they have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method for the duration of their study participation and for 4 months following discontinuation of study therapy. Male patients (including those who have had a vasectomy) taking dabrafenib and trametinib combination therapy must use a condom during intercourse while on study and for 16 weeks after stopping treatment, and should not father a child during these periods. Women of childbearing potential should use. effective non-hormonal contraception during therapy and for 4 weeks following discontinuation of dabrafenib and at least 4 months following the last dose of trametinib in patients taking combination therapy.  Women should be advised that dabrafenib may decrease the efficacy of hormonal contraceptives and an alternate method of contraception, such as barrier methods, should be used.
• All patients and/or their parents or legal guardians must sign a written informed consent.
• All institutional, FDA, and NCI requirements for human studies must be met.

Eligibility last updated 9/28/21. Questions regarding updates should be directed to the study team contact.