Active clinical trials for "Craniopharyngioma"

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery in treating patients who have brain tumors.

This phase II trial is studying irinotecan to see how well it works in treating children with refractory solid tumors. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die.

In children treated for intracranial lesions, the 2 factors of the obesity are : the location of the lesion (hypothalamic-pituitary region) and craniopharyngiomas

This research study will test if oxytocin, delivered by nasal spray, will promote weight loss in children, adolescents, and adults with Hypothalamic Obesity as compared to a placebo. The study is divided into two parts. During the first part, subjects will receive either oxytocin or placebo. In the second part, subjects will "cross-over" to receive the other treatment - either oxytocin or placebo. During study visits participants will do blood tests, physical exams, metabolic testing, a MRI scan, and some surveys and questionnaires.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether exenatide can cause weight loss in patients with a history of craniopharyngioma or other brain lesion.

Purpose of this study is to investigate whether intraoperative imaging using a 1.5T MRI in craniopharyngioma surgery is useful in order to increase the rate of complete tumor removal.

The balance between hunger and satiety is imperative for an individual's survival and overall health.). Without this balance, individuals can become morbidly obese or lack adequate nutrition for survival. Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a benign tumour that occurs at the base of the brain in children. Unfortunately, pediatric neurosurgeons sometimes inadvertently destroy a child's satiety centre during CP tumour removal surgery. This leaves the child with a post-operative complication: an insatiable appetite. This form of obesity is called "hypothalamic obesity". This study is designed to investigate Deep Brain Stimulation for hypothalamic obesity in n=6 young adults who have stabilized tumours.

RATIONALE: Collecting information on how craniopharyngioma is diagnosed and treated may help doctors predict a patient's response to treatment and help plan the best treatment. It may also help identify the intermediate- and long-term effects of treatment. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is collecting information on diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life of young patients who are undergoing surgery for craniopharyngioma.

Children with brain tumors who have had radiation therapy are at risk for problems with attention, memory, and problem solving. Such problems may cause difficulty in school and daily life. Memantine, the drug being used for this study, is not yet approved for use in children by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, studies have shown some improvements in memory for patients with dementia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and autism. Scientists have also used this medication for adult cancer patients receiving radiation therapy with results showing less cognitive declines over time compared to patients taking a placebo (inactive pill). These studies have also shown few side effects. This is a pilot/feasibility study and the first known study involving children with a cancer diagnosis or brain tumor. PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: To estimate the participation rate in a study of memantine used as a neuro-protective agent in children undergoing radiotherapy for localized brain tumors (low grade glioma, craniopharyngioma, ependymoma, or germ cell tumor) To estimate the rate of memantine medication adherence To estimate the rate of completion of cognitive assessments SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect size of change in neurobehavioral outcomes (cognitive, social, quality of life, neurologic) associated with memantine To evaluate the frequency and nature of memantine side effects as measured by the Systematic Assessment for Treatment Emergent Events (SAFTEE)

The purpose of this four-arm randomized controlled study is to determine whether eliminating glucocorticoids (GC) replacement in perioperative period in surgical patients with sellar lesion could result in similar or better outcomes comparing to traditional replacement therapy, regarding postoperative recovery of pituitary function and other postoperative complications (infection, pain, quality of life, recurrence). Surgical patients of our center with MRI-confirmed diagnosis of sellar lesion will be enrolled, insulin tolerance test (ITT) will be performed for assessment of the pituitary function at enrollment. Patients with normal pituitary function will be randomized into non-GC replacement group (group A) and low-dose GC replacement group (group B), while patients with impaired pituitary function will be randomized into low-dose GC replacement group (group C) and high-dose GC replacement group (group D). The primary outcome is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) -axis function of the patients, evaluated by plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels. The secondary outcomes include the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis function (TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T3, free T4), postoperative water-electrolyte balance, infection, recurrence and health-related quality of life.