Rapamycin drug tested for rare castleman disease
NCT ID NCT03933904
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This phase 2 study tests the drug sirolimus (rapamycin) in 7 people with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease who have not improved with standard therapy. The goal is to see if sirolimus can improve symptoms like fatigue, fever, and night sweats, and shrink enlarged lymph nodes. It is a small, early-stage trial with no comparison group.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- sirolimus (also known as rapamycin)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment option for people with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease who have not responded to standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early-phase trial with only 7 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drug may not work or could cause side effects.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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7 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2019
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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2 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female, age 2-80 * Documented disease history consistent with the diagnostic criteria for iMCD * Failed/refractory (patient did not achieve sufficient disease control with anti-IL-6 therapy, as determined by the site investigator), relapsed (return of symptoms while on therapy), or inability to tolerate anti-IL-6 or anti-IL-6 receptor therapy * Evidence of active disease, defined as at least two abnormalities in the criteria comprising the CBR criteria, including at least one objective measurement (hemoglobin, weight loss, or lymph node size) * Ability to consume oral medication in the form of a tablet * Ability to provide, or for a legally authorized representative to provide on their behalf, informed consent prior to any study-specific activities Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects cannot be pregnant or nursing females * Except for anti-IL6 blockade therapy (siltuximab or tocilizumab), the last dose of which must be ≥ 14 days prior to enrollment (unless subjects cannot or are unwilling to undergo a 14 day washout period), subjects cannot have received any systemic therapy(ies) intended to treat iMCD other than corticosteroids within 28 days of enrollment * Subjects cannot have previously received sirolimus monotherapy to treat iMCD * Subjects cannot have any of the following: ECOG \>3 (or Karnofsky/Lansky score ≤ 60 in children); Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \< 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 or creatinine \> 3.0 mg/dL; Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \< 1000 x 109/L ((\< 500 x 109/L in children); Hemoglobin ≤ 6.5 g/dL (transfusion independent, defined as not receiving a red blood cell transfusion for ≥ 7 days prior); Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) laboratory values greater than three times the upper limit of normal; Albumin \< 2 g/dL (transfusion independent, defined as not receiving intravenous albumin for ≥ 7 days prior); Platelet count ≤ 40 x 109/L (transfusion independent, defined as not receiving platelet transfusion for ≥ 7 days prior); Pulmonary involvement or interstitial pneumonitis with dyspnea (adequate pulmonary function is defined as pulse oximetry \> 94% on room air if there is clinical indication for determination (e.g. dyspnea at rest, history of interstitial pneumonitis, etc.)); Fasting cholesterol \> 300 mg/dL or fasting triglyceride \> 400 mg/dL * Subjects cannot have uncontrolled infection or infectious disease(s) that is/are exclusionary for / mimickers of iMCD * Subjects cannot have rheumatologic disease(s) that is/are exclusionary for / mimickers of iMCD * Subjects cannot have a prior malignancy except for: (1) adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, (2) in situ cervical cancer, or (3) other cancer for which the subject has not received treatment within one year prior to enrollment * Subjects cannot have a documented history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or HHV-8 infection, or severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome * Subjects cannot have a history of liver or lung transplantation * Subjects cannot have ongoing or planned participation in another clinical trial involving iMCD directed treatment or that involves immunomodulatory or anti-neoplastic treatment * Subjects cannot have prior sensitivity / allergy to any formulation of sirolimus, its components or its analogues * Subjects cannot have serious medical illness, or psychiatric illness or disorders that could potentially interfere with the completion of treatment according to this protocol or participation in the trial * Subjects cannot have psychiatric disorders that compromises the ability to provide informed consent * Subjects cannot have any other condition or finding that in the opinion of the investigator would make participation in this trial inappropriate
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas, 72205, United States
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University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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