Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Background:
Previous research has shown that an immune-system compound called TNF-alpha is elevated in ALS. There is evidence that thalidomide may reduce the synthesis of this substance. The proposed study is designed to determine the response to thalidomide in patients with ALS.
Study Details:
All participants were seen at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Patients are seen every treatment "cycle," and each cycle is 90 days. They will be treated for three cycles, at which time the main outcome measure will be evaluated. Participants will take thalidomide for nine months and all participants will receive the drug.
The main outcome used to evaluate results will be the participant's score on the ALSFRS and pulmonary function test results.
The secondary outcomes measured will be drug toxicity, quality of life, any changes in cytokine levels, and survival time, adjusted for newly diagnosed and later stages of the disease.
Contact Information:
New Hampshire
Linda Kingman
Study Coordinator
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Neurology Department
Lebanon, NH 03756
Phone: (603) 650-8939
Fax: (603) 650-7799
Email: linda.s.kingman@hitchcock.org
Elijah Stommel, M.D., PhD
Principal Investigator
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Neurology Department
One Medical Center Drive
Lebanon, NH 03756
Posted on October 17, 2008
