Active clinical trials for "Brain Neoplasms"

The neurosurgical standard of care for treating a patient with a tumor invading hand primary motor cortex (M1) includes performing a craniotomy with intraoperative direct electrical stimulation (DES) mapping and to resect as much tumor as possible without a resultant permanent neurological deficit. However, the subjective nature of current intraoperative hand motor assessments do not offer a comprehensive understanding of how hand strength and function may be impacted by resection. Additionally, there is a paucity of data to inform how altering DES parameters may effect motor mapping. Here, the investigators seek to demonstrate a feasible, standardized protocol to quantitatively assess hand strength and function and systematically assess several stimulation parameters to improve intraoperative measurements and better understand how cortical stimulation interacts with underlying neural function.

Gliomas are the most frequent type of primary brain tumors in adults; among them glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant, being associated with the worst prognosis. Glutamate (Glu) is an aminoacid, responsible for essential functions in the Central Nervous System (CNS), acting both as metabolite and neurotransmitter. It is essential for regulating cellular metabolism and developmental synaptogenesis, cellular migration, differentiation and death. Recent scientific evidences have demonstrated alteration in Glu synthesis and signaling being directly involved in GBM growth and invasion

This will be the first in-depth study to evaluate pretreatment and 12 months post-treatment, neurocognitive and psychological outcomes of children with brain tumor and blood cancer in Pakistan. The investigators will also determine the socioeconomic burden of pediatric brain tumors in low middle-income region and the association of micro RNA and protein markers with neurocognitive outcomes in PBT and blood cancer children. A prospective cohort study with a follow-up of 12 months at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan and Jinnah postgraduate Medical Centre , Karachi, Pakistan will be conducted. After taking consent/ assent the investigators will recruit 80, 5-21 years old children with newly diagnosed brain tumors presenting with any stage, who have not undergone any treatment. Trained psychologist will assess the neurocognitive outcomes by the Slosson scale, Raven's progressive matrices and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children (WISC V) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) tools. The Quality of life and depression of the children will be determined by PedQL and Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADs) respectively . The financial burden of the disease on the family will be measured on a visual analog scale ranging from no burden (0) to very large burden (100) and the parents QoL and disrupted schedule, financial problems, lack of family support, health problems and the impact of caregiving on caregiver's self-esteem will be assessed by Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory PedQl (family module) and Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA) tools respectively. The serum micro RNA (mi-21, mi-10b and mi-210) and protein markers (GFAP, NSE and S100β) will be assessed by qRT-PCR and ELISA.

This clinical trial keeps track of and collects follow-up information from patients who are currently enrolled on or have participated in a Children's Oncology Group study. Developing a way to keep track of patients who have participated in Children's Oncology Group studies may allow doctors learn more about the long-term effects of cancer treatment and help them reduce problems related to treatment and improve patient quality of life.

This phase I trial studies how well [18F]DASA-23 and positron emission tomography (PET) scan work in evaluating pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) expression in patients with intracranial tumors or recurrent glioblastoma and healthy volunteers. PKM2 regulates brain tumor metabolism, a key factor in glioblastoma growth. [18F]DASA-23 is a radioactive substance with the ability to monitor PKM2 activity. A PET scan is a procedure in which a small amount of a radioactive substance, such as [18F]DASA-23, is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the substance is used. Tumor cells usually pick up more of these radioactive substances, allowing them to be found. Giving [18F]DASA-23 with a PET scan may help doctors evaluate PKM2 expression in healthy volunteers and in participants with intracranial tumors or recurrent glioblastoma.

The purpose of this research study is to learn about the safety and feasibility of giving a personalized DNA vaccine to people with brain tumors that have returned or have been resistant to treatment.

The purpose of this study is to test whether an additional magnetic resonance image (MRI) sequence can improve the ability to distinguish radiation damage from tumor recurrence in participants with brain metastasis who have previously been treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

During a brain surgery targeted to remove a brain tumor, the neurosurgeon wakes up the patient to delimit the tumor area exactly, and identify the surrounding areas, to limit the surgery damages. The present project aims at testing the patient in this awake phase to determine the brain areas implied in time to contact (TTC) perception, a function that allows determining the arrival time of moving objects and used in many tasks of our daily life.

Brain metastases are a source of much morbidity and mortality in adults with primary solid malignant tumors. With improvements in systemic therapy that prolong survival but have limited central nervous system penetration, patients with brain metastases are at increasing risk of developing and experiencing long-term side effects from treatment of brain metastases. The overarching goal of this study is to better understand the determinants of RT-associated changes in white and gray matter function and associated neurocognitive decline.

The purpose of the study is to determine if family caregivers of neuro-oncology patients feel less burdened by utilizing the Electronic Social Network Assessment Program (eSNAP) + the Caregiver Navigator.