Active clinical trials for "Gastrointestinal Neoplasms"

Malnutrition occurs in up to 50% of patients requiring elective surgery for neoplastic diseases. It exerts a detrimental influence on outcome of surgery, because it can suppress immune function, exaggerate stress response and cause organ system dysfunction. Increased susceptibility to infection, protracted wound healing, impaired blood clotting and vessel wall fragility have been shown to be the leading causes of postoperative morbidity and mortality in malnourished patients undergoing major surgical resections. This trial is designed as a prospective randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study in a academic single center in Switzerland. A total of 50 malnourished patients with gastro-intestinal tumors will receive orally glutamine or placebo-treatment during a period of 5 days prior to surgery. The investigators hypothesize that oral Glutamine administration is feasible, well tolerated, will decrease postoperative morbidity, will suppress postoperative cell damage and inflammatory response, and will improve the perioperative immunocompetence of the patients.

This clinical trial studies fosaprepitant dimeglumine in preventing nausea and vomiting in patients with gastrointestinal cancer receiving combination chemotherapy. Antiemetic drugs, such as fosaprepitant dimeglumine, may help lessen or prevent nausea and vomiting in patients treated with chemotherapy.

This research study is evaluating the ability for people with metastatic gastrointestinal cancer to participate in a physical activity program.

This study will test the feasibility and acceptability of a yoga program for women with gynecologic, gastrointestinal (GI), or thoracic malignancies. This study will pilot an integrative yoga intervention that combines Western psychotherapeutic approaches with classic yogic philosophy to reduce emotional distress among women undergoing treatment for gynecologic, gastrointestinal (GI), or thoracic cancer and provide a comprehensive approach to stress management across the cancer care continuum.

The study is a randomized controlled trial with the aim to examine the feasibility and the effects of a home-based exercise intervention program on activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer undergoing chemotherapeutic treatment. Further outcomes include functional and body status, quality of life, body composition, and chemotherapy completion rate. Study participants will be randomized to an exercise intervention group or a wait-list control group

General anesthesia often reduces blood pressure whereby blood flow to the brain and other vital organs may become insufficient. Thus, medicine is often administered to maintain blood pressure but it is unclear at what level blood pressure should be aimed at during anesthesia. Thirty patients undergoing major abdominal surgery will be included. The study will start one hour after the start of surgery and lasts for approximately half an hour. The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether blood flow to the brain can be increased by maintaining blood pressure at a higher level than that used in clinical practice. In the study, MAP is adjusted to a high, moderate, and low level for a short time. The low level of blood pressure used in the study, corresponds to the level aimed at in clinical practice. The drug noradrenaline will be used to control blood pressure. Blood flow to the brain will be evaluated on the neck using ultrasound.

This research study is evaluating a new intervention, BOLSTER, which was designed to provide more support for patients with gynecologic and gastrointestinal cancers and their caregivers after a hospitalization.

By utilizing fitness trackers, this study aims to demonstrate that a simple walking program improves patients' ability to tolerate curative concurrent chemoradiotherapy without treatment interruption.

This study will test the impact of newly created and available symptom management patient education brochures on symptom burden [measured via the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)], health-related quality of life [measured by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-30)], patient satisfaction with care [measured by the Princess Margaret Hospital Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PMH/PSQ-MD 29) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Patient Satisfaction with Radiation or Chemotherapy (EORTC PatSat35 RT/CT)], self-efficacy, and knowledge at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. These brochures are designed for oncology patients in order to provide a response to symptom screening and are now a standard part of care. Symptom screening occurs at each visit as patients are required to fill out ESAS, that asks about their experience with the occurence and severity of symptoms. The intent of the patient brochures are to acknowledge the screen, validate the symptom and provide knowledge of self-management strategies for symptoms. The brochures also provide information to patients about when and how to seek further help from their oncology team. The hope is that patients will experience a useful response to their screen with all levels of symptoms-from 0-10 in severity It is hypothesized that the addition of patient education symptom management pamphlets on 7 of the symptoms measured by ESAS (appetite, nausea and vomiting, depression, anxiety, fatigue, dyspnea and pain) will provide new and meaningful information which will build knowledge, validate the patient's experience of the symptom, lead to increased satisfaction with care, improved self efficacy in managing and accessing help for the symptom and therefore improved health related quality of life.

Caregivers of persons with cancer may face many challenges as they support and care for a person receiving treatment. Sometimes having to help make treatment decisions for a patient can cause distress for caregivers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate 2 different electronic approaches to providing support for a caregiver. One group will have access to an on-line program with videos, providing education on decision making strategies for caregivers of patients with cancer, to watch and a daily meditation application and the other group will have access to the daily meditation application. Investigators will randomly assign participants to each group.