Clinical Trial: Folic Acid in Preventing Colorectal Polyps in Patients With Previous Colorectal Polyps

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: The Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) Folic Acid Prevention Trial

Brief Summary:

RATIONALE: Chemoprevention is the use of certain substances to keep cancer from forming. The use of folic acid may prevent colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying how well folic acid works compared with a placebo in preventing colorectal polyps in patients who have had previous colorectal polyps.


Detailed Summary:

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

  • Determine if folic acid supplementation lowers the adenoma recurrence rate.

Secondary

  • Determine the number of adenomas per patient and the size and histology of the adenoma.
  • Assess the interaction between folic acid and alcohol, methionine, and aspirin intake.
  • Assess the interaction between folic acid and pretrial and midtrial folate levels.
  • Assess other complementary biomarkers such as DNA methylation and blood folate level as risk factors for polyp recurrence.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

  • Arm I: Patients receive oral folic acid once daily.
  • Arm II: Patients receive oral placebo once daily. At least 1 year after beginning treatment, patients are sent a blood collection kit in order to measure plasma vitamin B12 levels, to measure folate to assess compliance.

Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital

Current Primary Outcome: Recurrent colorectal adenoma [ Time Frame: May 1996-March 2004 ]

Original Primary Outcome: Diagnosis of a recurrent adenomatous polyp(s) of the colorectum on subsequent colonoscopy

Current Secondary Outcome: recurrent adenoma by location, size, stage, number, [ Time Frame: May1996-March 2004 ]

Original Secondary Outcome:

  • Number of adenomas per patient and the size of these adenomas
  • Interaction between folic acid intake and alcohol, methionine, and aspirin intake


Information By: Brigham and Women's Hospital

Dates:
Date Received: August 6, 2007
Date Started: May 1996
Date Completion:
Last Updated: March 2, 2017
Last Verified: March 2017