Active clinical trials for "Glioma"

The purpose of this study is to test the safety and effects of a special type of a cancer vaccine called a 'dendritic cell vaccine' in patients with either newly diagnosed or recurrent glioblastoma. The goal of this dendritic cell vaccine is to activate a patient's own immune system against their tumor. This study utilizes a patient's own immune-stimulating dendritic cells that are isolated in a procedure called leukapheresis. In a laboratory, these dendritic cells are treated in a way that is designed to promote an immune response against cancer stem cells. Then the dendritic cells are injected under the skin in a series of vaccinations, with the goal of activating an immune response against cancer stem cells in the tumor. To qualify for this study, patients must have very little to no residual tumor visible on a recent MRI. In addition to the vaccines, patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma will receive standard temozolomide chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Patients with recurrent glioblastoma will not receive any treatment other than the vaccines as long as they are participating in this study, unless they were previously treated with bevacizumab, in which case they will be allowed to continue receiving bevacizumab.

To evaluate safety and feasibility of hypofractionated IMRT in addition to chemotherapy, concomitant and adjuvant, in patients with newly diagnosed HGGs after surgery. Primary endpoint: progression free survival (PFS), Overall Survival (OS) and Toxicity. Secondary endpoint: to evaluate Quality of life (QoL) of patients after surgery, concomitant chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy through neuropsychological examination.

This human Phase I trial involves taking the patient's own tumor cells during surgical craniotomy, treating them with an investigational new drug (an antisense molecule) designed to shut down a targeted surface receptor protein, and re-implanting the cells, now encapsulated in small diffusion chambers the size of a dime in the patient's abdomen within 24 hours after the surgery. Loss of the surface receptor causes the tumor cells to die in a process called apoptosis. As the tumor cells die, they release small particles called exosomes, each full of tumor antigens. It is believed that these exosomes as well as the presence of the antisense molecule work together to activate the immune system against the tumor as they slowly diffuse out of the chamber. This combination product therefore serves as a slow-release antigen depot. Immune cells are immediately available for activation outside of the chamber because a wound was created to implant these tumor cells and a foreign body (the chamber) is present in the wound. The wound and the chamber fortify the initial immune response which eventually leads to the activation of immune system T cells that attack and eliminate the tumor. By training the immune system to recognize the tumor, the patient is also protected through immune surveillance from later tumor growth should the tumor recur. Compared to the other immunotherapy strategies, this treatment marshalls the native immune system (specifically the antigen presenting cells, or dendritic cells) rather than engineering the differentiation of these immune cells and re-injecting them. Compared to traditional treatment alternatives for tumor recurrence, including a boost of further radiation and more chemotherapy, this treatment represents potentially greater benefit with fewer risks. This combination product serves as a therapeutic vaccine with an acceptable safety profile, which activates an anti-tumor adaptive immune response resulting in radiographic tumor regression.

This is a pilot study of a vaccination regime that is designed to efficiently induce anti-tumor T-cell responses in patients with WHO grade II glioma. The proposed regime with BTIC Lysate in combination with imiquimod, an FDA-approved immune response modifier will induce potent anti-glioma immune response with minimal or no toxicity.

The purpose of this trial is to show proof of concept that by blocking the Transforming Growth Factor-beta signaling pathway in patients with Glioblastoma, there will be clinical benefit. Phase 1b: To determine the safe and tolerable dose of LY2157299 in combination with radiochemotherapy with temozolomide for Phase 2 in patients with glioma eligible to receive radiochemotherapy with temozolomide (e.g. newly diagnosed malignant glioma World Health Organization Grade III and IV). Phase 2a: To confirm the tolerability and evaluate the pharmacodynamic effect of LY2157299 in combination with standard radiochemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Background: - Children who are diagnosed with brain tumors known as high grade gliomas or diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas are generally treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy. However, these tumors are very difficult to cure, and the tumor frequently begins to grow again even after treatment or surgery. Researchers are interested in determining whether the anticancer drug lenalidomide, which has been used to treat other aggressive types of cancer, is a safe and effective additional treatment for children who are scheduled to receive radiation therapy to treat high grade gliomas or diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas. Objectives: - To determine the safety and effectiveness of lenalidomide, in conjunction with radiation therapy, as a treatment for children who have been diagnosed with high grade gliomas or diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas. Eligibility: - Children and adolescents up to 21 years of age who have been diagnosed with high grade gliomas or diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas and have not had radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Design: Participants will be screened with a medical history, physical examination, blood and urine tests, and imaging studies. Participants will have two phases of treatment: a lenalidomide plus radiation phase and a lenalidomide-only phase. During the radiation phase, participants will take lenalidomide daily and have 6 weeks of radiation therapy (five treatments per week). After the radiation therapy, participants will stop taking lenalidomide for 2 weeks before continuing to the next phase. During the lenalidomide-only phase, participants will take lenalidomide daily for 21 days, followed by 7 days without lenalidomide (28-day cycle of treatment). Participants will have up to 24 cycles of lenalidomide. Participants will have frequent blood tests during the first cycle of treatment, and will have imaging studies or other tests as required by the study researchers. Treatment will continue until the disease progresses, the participant chooses to leave the study, or the researchers end the study.

RATIONALE: Genetically-modified neural stem cells (NSCs) that convert 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) into the chemotherapy agent 5-FU (fluorouracil) at sites of tumor in the brain may be an effective treatment for glioma. PURPOSE: This clinical trial studies genetically-modified NSCs and 5-FC in patients undergoing surgery for recurrent high-grade gliomas.

The Primary Objectives are: To determine the extent by which TH-302 is able to penetrate the blood brain barrier and affect tumor tissue To assess the safety of single dose TH-302 in patients with high grade glioma undergoing surgery To assess the safety of TH-302 in combination with bevacizumab for patients with high grade glioma To determine the MTD and DLT(s) of TH-302 in combination with bevacizumab The Secondary Objectives are: To determine the progression-free survival with or without debulking craniotomy for patients treated with combination bevacizumab and TH-302 following recurrence on single agent bevacizumab

Studies which have separately studied bevacizumab for recurrent gliomas and bevacizumab for newly-diagnosed glioma have shown good results and the regimens have been well-tolerated by patients. This study seeks to investigate the use of bevacizumab with the standard therapy (radiation therapy and temozolomide) in newly diagnosed patients, followed by bevacizumab and temozolomide with the continuation of bevacizumab following progression. Two critical questions remain- the role of bevacizumab maintenance and bevacizumab at the time of progression in a patient previously treated with bevacizumab at the time of initial diagnosis.

This is a single center, dose-toleration study designed to investigate and determine the maximum tolerated dose of nanoliposomal irinotecan in adults with recurrent high-grade glioma when administered directly into the tumor using a process called convection-enhanced delivery (CED).