Clinical Trials

Nelfinavir plus radiation therapy for the treatment of feline oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the drug nelfinavir (which has not been evaluated in cats) when combined with a standard course of palliative radiation therapy to treat oral SCC in cats. SCC of the mouth is a very common cancer in cats. It is aggressive, grows rapidly, and invades the tissues and bones of the oral cavity, resulting in pain, difficulty eating, and weight loss. Conventional treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are minimally effective in slowing the progression of this cancer. Most cats are euthanized within a few months of diagnosis. Radiation therapy can be effective in temporarily shrinking SCC in selected patients, but the response
lasts for only a few weeks to months at best. This is because the SCC cancer cells are resistant to radiation. It has been shown in laboratory studies that the drug nelfinavir makes SCC cancer cells more sensitive to radiation without making normal cells more sensitive to radiation side effects.

This study is designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of nelfinavir in cats, the toxicity of nelfinavir when combined with radiation therapy to the oral cavity of cats, and the effectiveness of this combination in controlling oral SCC in cats.

Owners of cats that have been diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed oral SCC and that are considered reasonable candidates for palliative radiation therapy are eligible to enroll their pets in this study. The biopsy sample must be available for review, and the cat must be in adequate systemic health based on physical examination, complete blood cell count (CBC), serum chemistry screen (CHEM), urinalysis, and thoracic radiographs.

For more information, please have your veterinarian contact Dr. Lili Duda at 215.898.5448, Amy LaBlanc, CVT at 215-746-2607 or email us at cancertrials@vet.upenn.edu.