Active clinical trials for "Glioma"

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and biologically active dose of TM-601 in adult patients with recurrent malignant glioma.

The objectives of the trial are: To determine the localisation within the primary tumor of the therapy resistant cells, before and during radiotherapy to determine a possible accurate boost volume. To determine changes during treatment intra- and extratumoral within the irradiated area.(Intratumoral: change of up-take - decrease, increase, change of localization/ Extratumoral: effects of temporal changes in up-take - e.g. due to oedema).

Background: - The blood-brain barrier helps to protect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) from harmful toxins, but also prevents potentially useful chemotherapy from reaching brain tumors. The barrier is formed by tight connections between blood vessel cells and molecules found on the surface of brain blood vessels such as Permeability-glycoprotein (Pgp). Pgp may influence whether patients with brain tumors known as gliomas respond to chemotherapy and what side effects they may experience. The compound (11C)N-desmethyl-loperamide ((11C)dLop) reacts to Pgp molecules, and therefore may be used with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to study the blood brain barrier. Objectives: - To study the ability of PET imaging with (11C)dLop to evaluate the blood brain barrier in brain tumor patients. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have a brain tumor with characteristics that may be imaged with techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) andPET. Design: Participants will be screened with a full physical examination and medical history, blood and urine tests, and tumor imaging studies (fluorodeoxyglucose PET and MRI scans with contrast agent). The (11C)dLop scan will take 1 hour to perform. Participants will be asked to return for blood and urine tests approximately 24 hours after the PET scan. Participants will have followup visits at least every 4 months by repeating a complete history and physical exam and brain MRI. Participants may have repeat scans with (11C)dLop at various points in the course of cancer treatment, but will not have these scans more than twice in a 12-month period. Participants will be followed for as long as possible during treatment to see if imaging with (11C)dLop correlates with response to the treatments.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving methotrexate together with combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy is more effective than combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone in treating gliomas. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying giving methotrexate together with combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy to see how well it works compared to combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone in treating young patients with newly diagnosed gliomas.

RATIONALE: Erlotinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving erlotinib together with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of erlotinib when given alone or together with radiation therapy in treating young patients with refractory or relapsed malignant brain tumors or newly diagnosed brain stem glioma.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether cognitive rehabilitation is effective in patients with gliomas (brain tumour), by comparing direct and follow-up neuropsychological functioning and quality of life of the experimental group to the control group.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as arsenic trioxide and temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving arsenic trioxide and temozolomide together with radiation therapy after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of arsenic trioxide and temozolomide when given together with radiation therapy and to see how well they work in treating patients with malignant glioma that has been removed by surgery.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of carboplatin plus vincristine in treating children and adolescents with low grade glioma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of temozolomide in treating patients who have recurrent or progressive malignant glioma.

Gliomas are the most common malignant tumors of the central nervous system and are highly invasive. Gliomas account for one-third of central nervous system tumors in adults and children. Interstitial astrocytomas and glioblastomas are also called high-grade gliomas, accounting for 77.5% of all gliomas.