Active clinical trials for "Liver Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Chemoprotective drugs such as amifostine may protect normal cells from the side effects of high-dose chemotherapy. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of amifostine in protecting from the side effects of peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have high-risk or relapsed solid tumors.

Background: - Treatment for liver cancer can include surgery, transplant, and chemotherapy. It can also include other minimally invasive tumor treatments such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). TACE treatment for liver cancer helps control the cancer but is not considered a cure. Researchers want to learn more about the effects of TACE on liver tumors and surrounding tissue. To do this, they will use a positive emission test (PET) and a radioactive tracer called [18F] FMISO. Objectives: - To see if [18F] FMISO is useful for evaluating what happens to liver tumors and surrounding tissue after TACE. Eligibility: - People age 18 and older with liver cancer who have been approved to have TACE. Design: Participants will meet with a study researcher to see if they can take part in the study. Participants will have TACE under a separate NCI protocol or at a hospital other than the NIH Clinical Center. Before and after TACE, participants will have a CT and MRI of the abdomen. For these scans, they will lie in a machine that takes pictures of their body. They will also have blood tests and a physical exam. The [18F] FMISO imaging study will be performed at NIH only. Participants will have an intravenous catheter placed in their arm (if they do not have one). The [18F] FMISO tracer will be injected. Participants will have PET-CT scans. Each scan will take about 30 minutes. Some participants will also have [18F] FMISO and PET-CT scans before TACE. As part of standard care for TACE, participants will have CT and MRI scans at regular intervals. This will evaluate tumor response.

Project 5 of the Texas HCC Consortium (THCCC) is a comparative effectiveness pragmatic randomized control trial (RCT) of outreach strategies to increase hepatocellular cancer (HCC) surveillance process completion among a socioeconomically and racially diverse cohort of Texans with cirrhosis. Through this project the investigators will implement and evaluate system-level mailed outreach interventions to identity at-risk patients with cirrhosis, promote HCC surveillance, and ensure timely follow-up of tests at UT Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center, Parkland Health and Hospital System (PHHS), and the Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. The study population will include adult patients with documented or unrecognized cirrhosis and at least one outpatient clinic visit in year prior to randomization. Patients will be identified using an EMR-enabled case identification algorithm. The investigators will randomize 3000 patients (1500 per arm) identified by this algorithm to: usual care, with opportunistic visit-based HCC surveillance (Group 1); or, mailed HCC surveillance outreach with patient education and patient navigation services (Group 2).

This is a prospective study to determine the optimal technique for obtaining liver tissue with a smaller caliber (22 gauge) needle and whether a good core biopsy can be obtained without the use of suction and secondly to determine the diagnostic yield and safety of 22 g Fine Needle Biopsy needle for liver biopsy.

The purpose of this clinical research study is to learn about the safety and effectiveness of cabozantinib and nivolumab in people with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

This trial will assess the safety and tolerability of PXS-5505 incorporating first-line combination therapy Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab in unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. Phase 2 will assess the efficacy of this combination therapy in unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: - Currently, standard procedures for biopsies that are guided by computed tomography (CT) imaging involve CT scans and a computer program to plan and illustrate where the physician will place the needle to obtain the required cells or tissue. Inserting the biopsy needle at the planned angle is not an easy task, because the appropriate angle of insertion must be estimated based on prior experience. Researchers are studying experimental techniques that might provide better guidance about the right angle to insert the biopsy needle and thereby improve the collection of the appropriate biopsy cells or tissue. Objectives: - To evaluate the effectiveness of two biopsy needle guidance methods in CT-guided tissue biopsy. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who are scheduled to have CT-guided tissue biopsy. Design: Participants will have a tissue biopsy guided by CT scans and either a laser system or a plastic block to illustrate the appropriate angle of insertion. The skin will be numbed with anesthetic to minimize discomfort during the procedure. Before inserting the biopsy needle, the study physician will hold the needle in place so that a Food and Drug Administration-approved medical GPS (electromagnetic tracking) system can measure the needle angle as it enters the tissue. After the needle angle data has been collected, researchers will proceed with the actual biopsy procedure as it would normally occur, using standard methods. No additional treatment will be provided as part of this protocol.

To evaluate whether a combination regimen of pentoxifylline, ursodeoxycholic acid and enoxaparin provides a protective effect on the liver parenchyma after high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

Present imaging modalities for primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC) have several shortcomings. One important shortcoming is the time delay between successful treatment and radiological confirmation of this response. Often it takes several months for anatomical changes to occur and to be appreciated on morphological imaging such as CT or MRI (shrinkage of tumor, absence of contrast enhancement). Functional imaging by means of Fluor-18 deoxyglucose or Fluor-18 Choline (positron emitters, PET-scan) might be an early indicator of response. This "early" information might help to tailor treatment. For instance, if no response is induced, an early switch in therapy can be planned. The present study investigates whether the routine PET-tracer (Fluor-18 deoxyglucose) and the experimental PET-tracer, Fluor-18 Choline help to predict response if a patient with inoperable primary liver cancer is treated (radionuclide therapy, biologicals).

RATIONALE: Varenicline, the nicotine patch, and nicotine gum help people stop smoking. It is not yet known whether varenicline is more effective than the nicotine patch given together with nicotine gum in helping smokers quit smoking. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying varenicline to see how well it works compared with the nicotine patch given together with nicotine gum in helping smokers in a methadone treatment program stop smoking.