Active clinical trials for "Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at blood samples in young patients with cytopenia after undergoing a donor stem cell transplant.

The most reliable prognostic marker of acute myeloid leukemia(AML) is cytogenetics by karyotyping. According to cytogenetic results, the patients with AML are classified as better, intermediate and poor prognosis groups. The normal karyotype AML was reported in about 50% of all AML and classified as intermediate risk group. However, the patients with normal karyotype AML showed various prognosis. Therefore, the further studies about subgroup analysis of normal karyotype AML are needed. Recently, the understandings of human genome polypmorphism using SNP array have been accumulated. However, the advanced researches for clinical application are not enough. The study design is a retrospective and single-center study. The patients with normal karyotyping AML who were diagnosed from 1994 to 2008 at Samsung Medical Center (South Korea) will be enrolled. The stored bone marrow samples of enrolled patients are used for genome wide scanning by SNP array. The purpose of present study is to develop predictive pharmacogenemic biomarkers model associated wit clinical outcomes including efficacy and toxicity in patients with AML with normal karyotype treated with chemotherapy using pharmacogenetic SNP array. And secondly, to develop enrichment clinical trial based on predictive pharmacogenomic model.

Efficacy and safety of a supportive treatment with European mistletoe extract Iscador® Qu ("quercus", i.e. from oak tree) in patients with pancreatic cancer (Union for International Cancer Control, UICC stages II-IV), in addition to conventional oncological therapy (radio-, chemo-, targeted therapy) as compared to a parallel group with conventional therapy only. Primary Endpoints: Reduction of adverse effects of conventional therapy; reduction of therapy or disease induced symptoms (both are quality of life parameters and evaluated after 1 year); prolongation of disease free and/or overall survival (DFS, OS) after 3 years. Prospective observational confirmation study of previous retrospective cohort study. As this is a non-interventional cohort study, all therapies and measurements are performed on directive by the treating physician and/or request by the patient only.

RATIONALE: Studying quality-of-life in patients undergoing cancer treatment may help identify the intermediate and long-term effects of treatment on patients with cancer. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying quality of life in patients who are receiving either vinorelbine, gemcitabine, and docetaxel or paclitaxel and carboplatin for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

The objective of this pharmacoeconomics (PE) study is to evaluate the cost- effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis of IRESSA® as first line treatment of NSCLC from the society perspective, based on resources and outcomes from patients who met the inclusion criteria for this naturalistic study comparing to existing first line platinum-based regimen chemotherapy.

Investigate the role of SDF-1/CXCR4 in the metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between SDF-1/CXCR4 and metastasis of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas.

Clarify the relation of microtubule-associated protein 2 and cell migration

More and more colorectal surgeons believe that surgical resections of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer is the only chance for cure of patients. The five-year survival for patients with hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer after surgical resection is approximately 30 %. However, most hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer were inoperable. With the progress of chemotherapy, for example, the combination of the 5-Fu, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin, some surgeons advocated that approximately 20% of inoperable liver metastases will be converted to operable case, thus providing the long-term survival for patients. In this study, we made a phase Ⅱ clinical trial regarding the use of the Folfox-4 regimens in the neo-adjuvant treatment of inoperable hepatic metastases. Our aims is to evaluate the tumor response rate for this regimen, the rate of resectability of liver metastases, progression free survival and overall survival of patients. In addition, the difference between the reports from Western and Oriental countries will be analyzed. We believe this study will provide new perspectives regarding the most beneficial treatment modalities for the patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer.

Evidence is rapidly accumulating that chronic inflammation may contribute to carcinogenesis through multiple mechanisms in a number of malignancies, including gastric carcinoma (GC). Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an inducible enzyme pivotal in the inflammatory response, converts arachidonic acid to the prostaglandins (PGs) required in initiating and maintaining reactions during the inflammatory process. Over-expression of COX-2 has been reported in a wide variety of cancers and is therefore implicated to play an important role in carcinogenesis. COX-2 can be blocked by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSIADs) and is currently the most studied therapeutic target of NSAIDs. Clinically, NSAIDs have long been used to treat various inflammatory or rheumatologic disorders. Earlier clinical studies have confirmed an association between COX-2 over-expression and GC occurrence. The known mechanisms by which COX-2 promotes carcinogenesis include evasion from apoptosis, suppression of immunity, promotion of angiogenesis, and facilitation of invasiveness. However, inflammation-associated factors mediating the effects of COX-2 on carcinogenesis remain largely unknown. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine associated with gastritis and GC. Our earlier works has disclosed that IL-6 can promote angiogenic and anti-apoptotic ability of GC. However, the relationship between COX-2 and IL-6 in GC remains unknown. The present study aims to investigate the clinical association between COX-2 and IL-6 in GC, to use a GC cell model for experimental study on causation and mechanism, and to verify the in vivo effect of COX-2 on IL-6 by an animal model. We will collect 100 consecutive surgical samples of GC from the pathology archive of National Taiwan University Hospital and use immunohistochemical stain to compare protein expression in GC. The clinical study is to define certain subgroups of GC exhibiting an association between COX-2 and IL-6. In experimental study, we will clarify the causal relationship by the dose- and time-dependent experiments of COX-2 transient transfection in a GC cell line. COX-2 acts mainly via PGs, like PGE2. Therefore, we also stimulate GC cells with exogenous stimulation of PGE2 and EP receptor 1-4 agonists to determine the possible way(s) by which COX-2 induces IL-6 expression. A selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 and various inhibitors of PGE2 receptors are used as well to block COX-2 for determining the signaling pathway of COX-2 on IL-6. Finally, we will establish a stable COX-2 over-expressing transfectant of GC cells and its control vector transfectant for xenograft implantation study on mice. A COX-2 selective agent, celecoxib, will be administered orally to mice and tumor blocks will be harvested for determination of IL-6 expression. The present study will provide clearer understanding of the role of COX-2 on the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in GC in both clinical and basic aspects. It might also stand for a model capable of systemically investigating the role of COX-2 on various cytokines implicated in GC.