Active clinical trials for "Neoplasms"

The results of the International Randomized Study of Interferon and STI571 (IRIS) trial indicate that in patients with chronic phase CML treated with first line imatinib, achievement of a complete or partial cytogenetic response (CCyR or PCyR) at 12 months is associated with a significantly better progression-free survival (PFS). Second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as nilotinib can overcome imatinib resistance because of greater potency to bind to BCR-ABL. Recent results indicate that, in patients with previously untreated chronic phase CML, nilotinib results in a faster and higher rate of CCyR or PCyR than imatinib. However, nilotinib use is associated with diet restriction and much higher financial cost. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of imatinib to maintain a complete cytogenetic response (CcyR) in patients who achieved a CCyR after 12 months of first-line treatment with nilotinib.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and tolerability of intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) administration of XmAb13676 and to determine the maximally tolerated dose (MTD) and/or recommended dose (RD).

Osteoid osteomas are painful, benign bone tumors that occur most frequently in young males between ages 10 and 20 years. The goal of the proposed study is based on the premise that MRgFUS is noninferior to CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (CTgRFA), in terms of pain reduction following treatment of osteoid osteomas, and offers possible improvements with regards to 1) post-procedural pain, 2) clinical resource utilization, 3) patient experience, and/or 4) adverse events. The data from the current study would provide clinicians important information in deciding between treatment options for ablation of osteoid osteomas.

The subject has a type of lymph gland cancer called Lymphoma. The body has different ways of fighting infection and disease. No single way seems perfect for fighting cancer. This research study combines two different ways of fighting disease: antibodies and T cells. T cells, also called T lymphocytes, are special infection-fighting blood cells that can kill other cells, including tumor cells or cells that are infected with germs. Both antibodies and T cells have been used to treat patients with cancers; they both have shown promise, but have not been strong enough to cure most patients. Investigators hope that both will work better together. Investigators have found from previous research that they can put a new gene into T cells that will make them recognize cancer cells and kill them. They now want to test whether these genetically modified T cells given after chemotherapy will be more effective at killing cancer cells. The gene that will be put into the T cells makes an antibody called anti-CD30. This antibody sticks to lymphoma cells because of a substance on the outside of the cells called CD30. Anti-CD30 antibodies have been used to treat people with lymphoma, but have not been strong enough to cure most patients. For this study, the anti-CD30 antibody has been changed so that instead of floating free in the blood it is now joined to the T cells. When an antibody is joined to a T cell in this way it is called a chimeric receptor. These CD30 chimeric receptor-activated T cells (CD30.CAR T cells) seem to kill some of the tumor, but they don't last very long and so their chances of fighting the cancer are unknown. Several studies suggest that the infused T cells need room to be able to multiply and grow to accomplish their functions, and that this may not happen if there are too many other T cells in circulation. Because of that, doctors may use chemotherapy drugs to decrease the level of circulating T cells prior to the CD30.CAR T cells infusion. This is called "lymphodepletion" CD30.CAR T cells have previously been studied in lymphoma patients.

The purpose of this study is to further advance the ability to practice personalized medicine by learning which new drug agents are most effective with which types of breast cancer tumors and by learning more about which early indicators of response (tumor analysis prior to surgery via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images along with tissue and blood samples) are predictors of treatment success.

Patients have a type of cancer called NHL, Multiple Myeloma (MM) or CLL that has come back or has not gone away after treatment. There is no standard treatment for the cancer at this time or the currently used treatments do not work completely in all cases like these. This is a gene transfer research study using special immune cells. The body has different ways of fighting infection and disease. No single way seems perfect for fighting cancers. This research study combines two different ways of fighting disease, antibodies and T cells, that investigators hope will work together. Antibodies are types of proteins that protect the body from bacterial and other diseases. T cells, also called T lymphocytes, are special infection-fighting blood cells that can kill other cells, including tumor cells. Both antibodies and T cells have been used to treat patients with cancers; they have shown promise, but have not been strong enough to cure most patients. The antibody used in this study recognizes a protein on the lymphoma, MM or CLL cells called kappa immunoglobulin. Antibodies can stick to lymphoma, MM or CLL cells when it recognizes the kappa molecules present on the tumor cells. For this study, the kappa antibody has been changed so that instead of floating free in the blood it is now joined to the T cells. When an antibody is joined to a T cell in this way it is called a chimeric receptor. These chimeric receptor-T cells seem to kill some of the tumor, but they don't last very long and so their chances of fighting the cancer are limited. In the laboratory, investigators found that T cells work better if they also add a protein that stimulates T cells to grow called CD28. By joining the anti-kappa antibody to the T cells and adding the CD28, the investigators expect to be able to make cells that will last for a longer time in the body (because of the presence of the CD28). They are hoping this will make the cells work better. Previously, when patients enrolled on this study, they were assigned to one of three different doses of the kappa-CD28 T cells. We found that all three dose levels are safe. Now, the plan is to give patients the highest dose that we tested. These chimeric T cells (kappa-CD28) are an investigational product not approved by the FDA.

The main purpose of this study is to see if using proton beam radiation therapy instead of photon beam radiation therapy can reduce side effects from radiation treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma. Photon beam radiation is the standard type of radiation for treating most rhabdomyosarcoma and many other types of cancer. Photon beam radiation enters the body and passes through healthy tissue, encounters the tumor, then leaves the body through healthy tissue. A beam of proton radiation enters the body and passes through healthy tissue, encounters tumor, but then stops. This means that less healthy tissue is affected by proton beam radiation than by photon beam radiation.

This phase II trial studies the side effects and how well carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan together with antithymocyte globulin before a stem cell transplant works in treating patients with autoimmune neurologic disease that did not respond to previous therapy. In autoimmune neurological diseases, the patient's own immune system 'attacks' the nervous system which might include the brain/spinal cord and/or the peripheral nerves. Giving high-dose chemotherapy, including carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan, and antithymocyte globulin, before a stem cell transplant weakens the immune system and may help stop the immune system from 'attacking' a patient's nervous system. When the patient's own (autologous) stem cells are infused into the patient they help the bone marrow make red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets so the blood counts can improve.

The biological characteristics of the adult LAL, karyotypic and phenotypic particular, are fundamentally different from those of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) children and, consequently, the results of treatment are substantially lower. Additionally, elderly patients tolerate the drugs considered relatively low-key in the management of the LAL and suffer more toxicity. Although the LAL is much more common in patients over 60 years of age than in younger adults, older adults with ALL are clearly underrepresented in prospective controlled studies. A good portion of elderly patients are not able to tolerate the intensity of the standard treatment applied to children or young adults and a significant portion of them receive only palliative or supportive treatment. The data in the literature relating specifically to the elderly population are scarce and most of them have obtained a stratification by age of study designed for young people (CALGB, GMALL, PETHEMA). To date, the group's recommendation was to treat PETHEMA the LAL-96RI protocol for elderly patients because this protocol less aggressive than those used in high-risk ALL. However, the development of inhibitors of tyrosine kinases LAL effective in Bcr / abl positive, a relatively common type of LAL in the older patient, requires a differentiated treat these patients. Moreover, analysis of data from patients treated so far with the LAL-96RI protocol has shown mediocre results even for LAL Bcr / abl negative. This analysis also showed a significant benefit in survival related to the reduction of treatment (removal of the L-asparaginase during induction and cyclophosphamide at the end of induction) attributed to a reduction in toxicity

Patients with relapsed medulloblastoma, ependymoma and ATRT have a very poor prognosis whether treated with conventional chemotherapy, high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue, irradiation or combinations of these modalities. Antiangiogenetic therapy has emerged as new treatment option in solid malignancies. The frequent, metronomic schedule targets both proliferating tumor cells and endothelial cells, and minimizes toxicity. In this study the investigators will evaluate the use of biweekly intravenous bevacizumab in combination with five oral drugs (thalidomide, celecoxib, fenofibrate, and alternating cycles of daily low-dose oral etoposide and cyclophosphamide), augmented with alternating courses of intrathecal etoposide and cytarabine. The aim of the study is to extend therapy options for children with recurrent or progressive medulloblastoma, ependymoma and ATRT, for whom no known curative therapy exists, by prolonging survival while maintaining good quality of life. The primary objective of the MEMMAT trial is to evaluate the activity of this multidrug antiangiogenic approach in these heavily pretreated children and young adults. Additionally, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), as well as feasibility and toxicity will be examined.