Active clinical trials for "Neoplasms"

The present project will follow our previous phaseⅡ study of FOLFOX regimens for the treatment of stage Ⅳ colorectal cancer. We will recruit at least 200 patients for this study. The selection of patients will be based on rigorous eligibility criteria. The patients will be allocated based on the expression of each molecular marker (MSI, TS, DPD, MVD and EGFR) and the implementation of chemotherapy. For example, in the examination for the clinical implications of EGFR, the patients will be classified into four groups: EGFR（＋） chemotherapy（＋）; EGFR（＋） chemotherapy（-）; EGFR（-） chemotherapy（＋）; EGFR（-） chemotherapy（-）. Base on the analysis of this 2×2 table, we will clarify the prognostic significance of a specific molecular marker is due to whether the specific molecular marker predicts biological invasiveness and/or chemosensitivity. We believe the present study will have the following significance: （1）To further clarify the mechanisms for the carcinogenesis and progression of CRC; （2）To facilitate the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents; and （3） To gain the experience for the practice of evidence-based medicine.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of polymorphisms in the IL-1 gene complex on the development of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Gastric carcinoma (GC) remains among the most frequent malignancies in Taiwan as well as in the world and also one of leading causes of cancer-related death. Accumulating evidence shows that chronic inflammation leads to the occurrence of cancers, including GC, via multiple mechanisms. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a crucial enzyme in inflammatory process and is shown to be up-regulated in a variety of cancers. Therefore, COX-2 may play an important role in carcinogenesis. The hallmarks of cancer include continuing proliferation, evading apoptosis, prohibiting immunity, promoting angiogenesis, enhancing invasion and metastasis. We hypothesize that COX-2 induces carcinogenesis through multiple mechanistic strategies and interactions of multiple genes simultaneously. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) for obtaining pure cancer cells and microarray technology and analysis are now generally accepted as powerful tools in genomic research, providing reliable microdissection of cancer cells and simultaneous analysis of whole genome. Aim: Use microarray technology to investigate patterns of genomic change related to differential COX-2 expression and their clinicopathological association in GC. Materials: GC cell lines are transfected with COX-2-expressing vector to establish cell lines with differential levels of COX-2 expression. Clinical specimens are obtained from surgical resection of GC proved by pathology at the Surgical Department of National Taiwan University Hospital, which COX-2 expression is evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. Methods: The present project will use microarray for analysis of genome clustering patterns of surgical tissue (GC cells procured by LCM) and GC cell lines based on differential COX-2 expression levels, to discover significantly positively or negatively associated gene clusterings which contain candidate genes for studies of carcinogenesis mechanisms and establishment of animal experiment models in another component project. Execution: In the first year of this 3-year project, we will establish GC cell lines expressing differential COX-2 levels by transfection of COX-2-expressing vector and focus on analyzing their genomes by microarray. We also start to collect surgical specimens of GC, record clinicopathological characteristics, procure cells by LCM and assess RNA quality, perform microarray experiments. In the second year, we will continue LCM, RNA extraction, and microarray experiments. In the third year, microarray experiment of a total of 60 pairs, including 30 high-COX-2 cases and 30 low-COX-2 cases, of tumor and non-tumoral tissues are completed. Final analysis is carried out to identify clustering, to select candidate genes, and investigate their relationship to clinicopathological characteristics, according to COX-2 expression. These genes are to be subjected to mechanism and animal studies. We expect a better understanding of patterns of gene clustering in differential COX-2 gene expression.

ALL patients aged 55 years or older were treated with steroids during one week and Ph+ve cases were then offered a specific therapy including an induction treatment with steroids, cyclophosphamide, daunorubicin and vincristine, followed, irrespective of response to induction chemotherapy, by imatinib, 600 mg daily, combined with intermittent steroids during 2 months. Patients in complete response (CR) were then given 10 blocks of alternating chemotherapy, including 2 additional two-month blocks of imatinib, for a total treatment duration of 2 years. Therapy of occult central nervous system leukemia included 5 intrathecal injections of methotrexate and cranial irradiation. Duration of therapy : 2 years.

Interferon-free Antiviral Treatment of HCV-Positive Genotype 1b Related Indolent non-Hodgkin Lymphomas Patients Using Daclatasvir and Asunaprevir: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study is to see if certain genes the tumor can help predict how the tumor will respond to Trans-Arterial Embolization (TAE). A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes are made up of DNA; DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the hereditary material in humans. Identifying a gene that can predict how liver tumors will respond to TAE will also help to determine if adjuvant therapy will be needed after TAE.

This is a pilot study to explore and identify changes in molecular processes within the oral mucosa that are associated with the development of oral mucositis (OM) in patients treated with Melphalan who undergo autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

To explore how a clinical sample of patients with thyroid nodules (men and women) with no history of thyroid cancer would make decisions about treatments based on different terminology used to describe papillary thyroid cancer (with and without the cancer term).

The study aim is to investigate factors associated with patient satisfaction during a colonoscopy.

SPECTAmel is a standardized, quality-assured molecular screening platform for tumor characterization and storage of human biological material (HBM) for the purpose of integrating new biomarkers into clinical trials and optimizing access of patients to therapeutic biomarker-driven clinical trials. HBM and clinical/pathological data are collected from consenting patients.