Active clinical trials for "Glioblastoma"

This molecular biology and phase II trial studies how well imetelstat sodium works in treating younger patients with recurrent or refractory brain tumors. Imetelstat sodium may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

This protocol is designed to generate and provide preliminary data to determine the safety and activity of combination therapy using tumor treating fields (TTFields; Optune(NovoTTF-100A); Novocure, Haifa, Israel), a novel FDA-approved therapy utilizing alternating electric fields to inhibit tumor cell growth, along with bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech, San Francisco, CA), a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy, a highly-focal abbreviated course of brain irradiation, in the treatment of patients with bevacizumab-naive recurrent GBM. Each of these individual therapies, and also several combinations in doublets, has already demonstrated safety and efficacy but prospective clinical data for the concurrent combination of all three therapies are lacking.

Central nervous system (CNS) malignancies are the second most common malignancy and the most common solid tumor of childhood, including adolescence. Annually in the United States, approximately 2,200 children are diagnosed with CNS malignancy and rates appear to be increasing. CNS tumors are the leading cause of death from solid tumors in children. Survival duration after diagnosis in children is highly variable depending in part on age at diagnosis, location of tumor, and extent of resection; however, most children with high grade glioma die within 3 years of diagnosis. All patients with high grade glioma experience a recurrence after first-line therapy, so improvements in both first-line and salvage therapy are critical to enhancing quality-of-life and prolonging survival. It is unknown if currently used intravenous (IV) therapies even cross the blood brain barrier (BBB). We have shown in previous phase I trials that a single Superselective Intra-arterial Cerebral Infusion (SIACI) of Cetuximab and/or Bevacizumab is safe for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in adults, and we are currently evaluating the efficacy of this treatment. Therefore, this phase I/II clinical research trial is an extension of that trial in that we seek to test the hypothesis that intra-arterial Cetuximab and Bevacizumab is safe and effective in the treatment of relapsed/refractory glioma in patients <22 years of age. We expect that this project will provide important information regarding the utility of SIACI Cetuximab and Bevacizumab therapy for malignant glioma in patients <22 years of age and may alter the way these drugs are delivered to our patients in the near future.

This pilot phase II trial studies how well Novocure's Tumor Treating Electric Fields (NovoTTF) therapy works in treating patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. NovoTTF therapy uses a low intensity electric current to kill tumor cells. NovoTTF therapy may be effective treatment for brain cancer.

Patients have a type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme. Because most GBMs come back after standard therapy, patients are being asked to volunteer to take part in a research study using special immune cells. They may have already thought about being in this study. Some patients with GBM show evidence of infection with a virus called Cytomegalovirus before the time of their diagnosis. CMV is found in the cancer cells of some patients with GBM, suggesting that it may play a role in causing the disease. The cancer cells infected by CMV are able to hide from the body's immune system and escape destruction. We want to see if special white blood cells, called T cells, that have been trained to recognize and kill special parts of CMV infected cells can survive in the blood and affect the tumor. We have used this sort of therapy to treat different types of cancer that are positive for other viruses and have had variable results. Some patients have had responses others did not. It is not possible for us to predict if this treatment will work for GBM. The purpose of this study is to find the largest safe dose of CMV-T cells, to learn what the side effects are, and to see whether this therapy might help patients with GBM.

The purpose of this study is to determine if a medication called memantine is effective in treating glioblastoma. Memantine targets a specific receptor, called a glutamate receptor, which is thought to be involved in the growth of brain tumors. It has previously been studied for other types of conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, but it has not yet been evaluated in the treatment of brain tumors. The investigators will also be determining how common it is for patients with brain tumors to have side effects to memantine. Memantine will be taken by mouth twice a day.

This study is being done to determine if an investigational cancer treatment called vorinostat combined with fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy (FSRT) is effective in treating recurrent high grade gliomas. The main goal of this research study is to determine the highest dose of vorinostat that can be given to patients with recurrent tumors. The study will also determine the potential side effects and safety of these treatment combinations. Vorinostat is a small molecule inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC). HDAC inhibitors help unravel the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the cancer cells and make them more susceptible to the treatment with radiation.

BACKGROUND: Active immunotherapy of cancer is based on the premise that the vaccine raises a cytotoxic immune response to tumor-associated antigens, thereby destroying malignant cells without harming normal cells. IMA950 is a therapeutic multi-peptide vaccine containing 11 tumor-associated peptides (TUMAPs) found in a majority of glioblastomas, and is designed to activate TUMAP-specific T cells. The use of 11 TUMAPs increases the likelihood of a multi-clonal, highly specific T-cell response against tumor cells leading to decreased likelihood of immune evasion of the tumor by down-regulation of target antigens. PURPOSE: The primary objective of this study is to determine the safety and tolerability of IMA950 when given with cyclophosphamide, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and imiquimod in patients with glioblastoma and to determine if IMA950 shows sufficient immunogenicity in these patients. ELIGIBILITY: Patients with histologically proven GBMs who have completed radiotherapy, and have stable disease following at least 4 cycles of adjuvant temozolomide.

This phase I trial studies the side effects and the safety of injecting HSV1716 (a new experimental therapy) into or near the tumor resection cavity. The injection will be done at the time of surgery. HSV1716 is a virus that has a gene which has been changed or removed (mutated) in such a way that lets the virus multiply in dividing cells of the tumor and kills the tumor cells.

This phase II trial is studying how well gamma-secretase/Notch signalling pathway inhibitor RO4929097 works in treating patients with recurrent or progressive glioblastoma. Gamma-secretase/Notch signalling pathway inhibitor RO4929097 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.