Active clinical trials for "Stomach Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: The use of endoscopy to place a metal stent in the large intestine is less invasive than surgery for treating cancer-related bowel obstruction and may have fewer side effects and improve recovery. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of endoscopic placement of a metal stent in treating patients who have cancer-related bowel obstruction.

RATIONALE: Bupropion may help people stop smoking by decreasing the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Giving bupropion over a longer period of time may be effective in helping people stop smoking. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well bupropion works in helping adults stop smoking.

This randomized, controlled, pilot experiment will evaluate the effects of an aerobic walking intervention on OIPN (oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy) in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer who are already prescribed oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2 every other week for at least six cycles) by their oncologists. Oxaliplatin is a standard chemotherapy treatment for invasive GI cancers that causes OIPN in 85-95% of patients.

Improvements to treatment strategies for patients with cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract have produced a large population of people who remain free from cancer recurrence in the long term following treatment. Surgery is the cornerstone of treatment for patients with these cancers, but while surgical removal of the tumour may offer the best chance of cure, these are major operations associated with specific long term complications. Weight loss and poor nutrition are common problems among patients who attain long-term cancer remission and cure after surgery. The mechanisms underlying these problems are not well understood and therefore treatment options are limited. Our research has demonstrated increased levels of chemical messengers (gut hormones) released from the gastrointestinal tract after meals in patients who have previously undergone this type of surgery. These chemical messengers play a role in controlling appetite and interest in food, and increased levels after surgery may reduce interest in eating. Understanding the role of gut hormones in the control of appetite may allow us to use certain medications to block gut hormones and hence increase appetite, allowing patients to eat more and regain weight, preventing nutritional problems after surgery. In this study, the investigators aim to determine whether exaggerated gut hormone secretion causes reduced appetite and interest in food after surgery. The information gained from this study may help us to develop treatments for patients with weight loss and nutritional problems after surgery.

This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of epidural patient-controlled analgesia compared to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy. The investigators hypothesized that epidural PCA would be more effective in pain control than IV PCA even for laparoscopic gastrectomy.

Enteral immunonutrition (EIN) has been gaining increasing attention, but data of its immune and anti-inflammatory function in patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer are poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of EIN on immune function, inflammation response and nutrition status when compared to standard enteral nutrition (SEN). The investigators believe that the proportion of cluster of differentiation 4 T-cells(CD4＋T-cells), cluster of differentiation 3 T-cells(CD3＋T-cells) and the counts of CD4＋ / cluster of differentiation 8 T-cells (CD8＋), immunoglobulin G(IgG), immunoglobulin M(IgM), and immunoglobulin A (IgA) were larger in EIN group, while the level of WBC, CRP and TNF-α were lower and nutritional status was similar.

Many studies have shown that inflammation has an important effect on the development, progression, and also response to treatment of tumors. Dexmedetomidine is a potent and selective alpha 2 receptor agonist, known to have a sedative, analgesic and immune-controlling effect. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine during surgery on postoperative inflammatory response and surgical recovery in gastric cancer patients undergoing robot or laparoscopic gastrectomy.

By using the M.A.D.I.T. methodology and the Dialogics science, SALVO Project aims to develop operational guidelines to support oncological target patients in the resumption of their daily post-operative activities. The research will implement an instrument for the purpose of measuring the health need of participants who are admitted to the surgical ward. Therefore, targeted interventions will be implemented with participants, and efficacy will be evaluated in order to define treatment guidelines. The principal aim of this study is to create a validated and replicable intervention model for supporting patients who undergone surgery for esophagus and gastro intestinal cancer.

This trial tests new methods and materials for the real-time chemotherapy-associated side effects monitoring support system (RT-CAMSS) in patients with gastrointestinal cancers undergoing chemotherapy. RT-CAMSS is a monitoring support system that provides patients with evidence-based information and side-effect management and coping skills, emotional support and validation, and proactive care via text messages and questionnaires as they undergo chemotherapy.

Due to evidence available both in terms of efficacy and safety of low molecular weight heparin, its use for the prevention of thromboembolic disease in cancer patients undergoing surgical intervention, and its extended use in higher doses for the prevention of recurrent thromboembolism in cancer patients with established thrombosis, with a view that the potential benefits for survival in cancer patients from low molecular weight heparin therapy comes because of a biological activity, the dose of 1mg/Kg (50% of the full treatment dose) for a period of 6 months coincident with 6 cycles of chemotherapy, has been chosen for this study.