Active clinical trials for "Brain Neoplasms"

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if the combination of bevacizumab and lomustine can help to control glioblastoma. The safety of this combination will also be studied.

The purpose of this study is to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of vorinostat given concurrently with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLCA) brain metastases in patient with 1-4 lesions.

Brain tumors account for only 2% of all cancers but result in a disproportionate share of cancer morbidity and mortality. The five-year survival rates for the most common histologic subtypes, anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma (glioblastoma multiforme, GBM), are 30% and 10%, respectively. Drugs affecting transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) might be of great interest for malignant glioma treatment. TGF-β is an oncogenic factor in advanced tumors where it induces proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis as well as suppresses the antitumoral immune response. In addition TGF-β and its TGF-β receptors, TβRI and TβRII, are overexpressed in GBMs. TGF-β signaling is involved in multiple steps of GBM development. GC1008 is an antibody that is capable of neutralizing TGF-β and may therefore offer a new treatment option for patients with malignant glioma. For therapeutic success, it may be essential for GC1008 to reach the target site, in this case located in the brain. We will be able to prove this with 89Zr-GC1008 PET imaging. This imaging method also allows quantification of the amount of GC1008 reaching the tumor. This study consists of 2 parts. In part 1, patients with a suspicion of a malignant glioma undergo an 89Zr-GC1008 PET scan before standard (surgical)treatment. In part 2, patients with relapsed malignant glioma will undergo an 89Zr-GC1008 PET scan and will be treated with GC1008 in a phase II study as there is no standard treatment for these patients. We hypothesize that GC1008 uptake in brain tumors can be visualized and quantified using the 89Zr-GC1008 PET scan and GC1008 might offer a new treatment option for patients with relapsed malignant gliomas.

Treatment on this study combines two drugs: Thalomid™ (thalidomide) and carboplatin. Thalidomide has been available for many years and has been used to treat many different illnesses. Carboplatin is an effective medicine in killing cancer cells. Thalidomide works by blocking angiogenesis (the process of new blood vessel formation). If a tumor does not have blood vessels providing oxygen and nutrients, it will not be able to grow. This research will look at how combining the effects of thalidomide (preventing tumor growth) with the tumor killing effect of carboplatin effects the long-term outlook for patients with these tumors. This study will try to find out how well Thalomid™ and carboplatin combined with radiation therapy works in treating children newly diagnosed with brain stem glioma. This study will look at how well Thalomid ™ and carboplatin work in patients with recurrent brain stem glioma. This study will also look at any side effects of these treatments.

The purpose of the study was to determine if treating a limited volume of normal tissue surrounding the tumor or tumor bed using conformal radiation therapy would achieve similar rates of disease control compared to standard radiation therapy. The study was also conducted to examine the effect of irradiation on neurological, endocrine and cognitive function.

This study examines surgery versus radiosurgery (highly focussed radiation) for the treatment of cancer which has spread to one spot in the brain (solitary brain "metastasis"). For these two treatment options, it will compare patients' survival times, quality of life, control rate of the brain metastases and side effects. It uses the most rigorous scientific method available called "randomisation" which minimises biases that exist with other types of studies. It will involve 30 - 40 patients.

RSR13 (efaproxiral) is a radiation sensitizer that has shown positive results in a Phase 3, randomized clinical trial of patients with brain metastases. Of 111 eligible breast cancer patients with brain metastases in that trial, 59 patients who received RSR13 prior to radiation therapy had a median survival time that was twice as long as the 52 patients who did not receive RSR13 prior to radiation therapy. RSR13 (efaproxiral) is an experimental drug that increases the amount of oxygen released from blood into the tissues. It is well known that certain types of cancer tumors, including those in brain metastases, lack oxygen. Lack of oxygen in a tumor can reduce the effect of radiation therapy (RT). RSR13 may increase the oxygen level in brain tumors so that radiation therapy works better. This study will enroll up to 360 women with brain metastases from breast cancer, and will evaluate if whole brain radiation therapy given with RSR13 will have a better treatment effect than whole brain radiation therapy alone. RSR13 will be infused intravenously (IV) through a central catheter placed in a central vein. Women randomized (assigned) to receive RSR13, therefore, will need to have a central catheter placed for treatment unless one is already in place.

The purpose of this study is to find out about the safety of adding the investigational drug motexafin gadolinium to a standard course of chemotherapy with temozolomide for patients with malignant glioma. Secondly, the study will determine how many patients will respond to this treatment.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate improvement in overall survival for the combination of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) plus temozolomide (TMZ) versus WBRT alone. Secondary objective is to demonstrate an improvement in the time to radiological CNS progression with the addition of TMZ to WBRT.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases from kidney cancer, melanoma, or sarcoma.