Active clinical trials for "Brain Neoplasms"

This Phase I clinical trial is studying the side effects and best dose of ABT-888 when given together with Whole Brain Radiation Therapy (WBRT) in treating patients with brain metastases.

This study will assess the efficacy and safety of Avastin combined with first li ne paclitaxel-carboplatin (cohort 1) or second line Tarceva (cohort 2) in patien ts with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer with asymptomatic untreated brai n metastasis. Two cohorts of patients will be studied; the first will receive Av astin 15mg/kg iv every 3 weeks combined with first line paclitaxel 200mg/m2 iv p lus carboplatin AUC6 iv every 3 weeks for a maximum of 6 cycles, and the second cohort will receive Avastin 15mg/kg iv every 3 weeks combined with second line T arceva 150mg/kg po.The anticipated time on study treatment is until disease prog ression, and the target sample size is 100-500 individuals.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if lapatinib when given in combination with temozolomide can help to control ependymoma that has come back after treatment. The safety of this combination will also be studied.

This phase II trial studies how well everolimus works in treating patients with recurrent low-grade glioma. Everolimus may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth or by blocking blood flow to the tumor.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if the combination of Avastin (bevacizumab) and Tykerb (lapatinib) can help to control ependymoma in pediatric patients. The safety of this drug combination will also be studied.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Brain metastases manifest as the first site of disease failure in between 15-30% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The standard treatment for patients with multiple brain metastases is whole brain radiotherapy but this results in only a modest survival of 3-6 months. Drugs that can enhance the effect of cranial irradiation (radiosensitizers) may improve the the response rates. Erlotinib (Tarceva) is an oral agent that has been registered for treatment in patients with metastatic NSCLC. Erlotinib has shown tumor activity in patients presenting with brain metastases, and preclinical studies show that it may be a radiosensitizer. As a prelude to studies investigating the combination of Erlotinib and cranial radiotherapy, the present study will be performed to evaluate the safety of combining both these treatments.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if the combination of 6-Thioguanine, Xeloda (capecitabine), and Celebrex (celecoxib) with Temodar (temozolomide) or Lomustine (CCNU) is effective in the treatment of recurrent or progressive anaplastic glioma or glioblastoma multiforme in patients who have failed previous treatments. The safety of these combination treatment will also be studied. Objectives: 1.1 To determine the efficacy, as measured by 12 month progression-free survival, of TEMOZOLOMIDE or CCNU with 6-THIOGUANINE followed by CAPECITABINE and CELECOXIB in the treatment of patients with recurrent and/or progressive anaplastic gliomas or glioblastoma multiforme. 1.2 To determine the long-term toxicity of TEMOZOLOMIDE or CCNU with 6-THIOGUANINE followed by CAPECITABINE and CELECOXIB in recurrent anaplastic glioma or glioblastoma multiforme patients treated in this manner. 1.3 To determine the clinical relevance of genetic subtyping tumors as a predictor of response to this chemotherapy and long term survival

This randomized phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving bevacizumab together with irinotecan or temozolomide works in treating patients with recurrent or refractory glioblastoma multiforme or gliosarcoma. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as irinotecan and temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving bevacizumab together with irinotecan or temozolomide may kill more tumor cells.

Subjects are asked to take part in a clinical research study that tests Eribulin, a new drug. Eribulin is an investigational (experimental) anti-cancer agent that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in patients with brain metastases. Eribulin is FDA approved for use in patients with metastatic breast cancer but the effect it may or may not have on brain metastases has not been studied.

Regulation of tissue oxygen homeostasis is critical for cell function, proliferation and survival. Evidence for this continues to accumulate along with our understanding of the complex oxygen-sensing pathways present within cells. Several pathophysiological disorders are associated with a loss in oxygen homeostasis, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The microenvironment of tumors in particular is very oxygen heterogeneous, with hypoxic areas which may explain our difficulty treating cancer effectively. Prostate carcinomas are known to be hypoxic. Increasing levels of hypoxia within prostatic tissue is related to increasing clinical stage, patient age and a more aggressive prostate cancer. Several researches indicated that hypoxia might also play a role in esophageal cancer. In glial brain tumors, hypoxia is correlated with more rapid tumor recurrence and the hypoxic burden in newly diagnosed glioblastomas is linked to the biological aggressiveness. In brain metastases CA-IX expression (a marker for hypoxia) is correlated to the primary non-small cell lung carcinomas. Hypoxia enhances proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, chemoresistance and radioresistance of hepatocellular carcinoma. The hypoxic markers HIF-1α, VEGF, CA-IX and GLUT-1 were all over expressed in colorectal cancer and its liver metastases. Based on literature, hypoxia in tumors originating or disseminated to prostate, esophagus, brain and rectum cancer will be studied in this trial.