Active clinical trials for "Melanoma"

This is an open, monocentric, pilot study to determine the metabolic activity (glucose-uptake) in vivo during monotherapy with pazopanib in comparison to combination therapy with pazopanib plus paclitaxel and to investigate the transcriptional profile of cutaneous melanoma metastasis before and during the therapy (pazopanib vs. pazopanib plus paclitaxel) in subjects with unresectable Stage III or Stage IV melanoma who have not received prior cytotoxic chemotherapy. Primary Objective: Evaluation of metabolic activity in vivo Secondary Objective: Determination of changes in gene expression profiling Evaluation of the antitumor activity of the combination in terms of progression free survival (PFS). Changes in S100 and LDH during therapy at the same time points as FDG-PET/CT (a combined serum measurement of S100 and LDH) Trial with medicinal product

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the professional antigen-presenting cells of the immune system. As such they are currently used in clinical vaccination protocols in cancer patients, and both immunological and clinical responses have been observed. Several subsets of dendritic cells have been characterized in the peripheral blood. One such subset is referred to as plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC), another as myeloid dendritic cells (myDC). To date PDC and myDC have not been evaluated for their capability to induce anti-tumor immune responses in patients. For this reason the investigators will perform a safety and efficacy study with PDC and myDC in stage IV melanoma patients.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the combination of interleukin-21 (IL-21) and Ipilimumab in subjects with melanoma is safe, and provide preliminary information on the clinical benefits of the combination compared with Ipilimumab alone

This is a randomized, controlled, multicenter, dose-escalation study of fludarabine. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. The purpose of this study is to find out what side effects are caused in this study and whether Fludarabine with the dendritic cell vaccine (DC vaccine) can increase the ability of the immune system to recognize melanoma.

Background: In a study in humans with melanoma, patients given total body irradiation to suppress the immune system in conjunction with chemotherapy showed a significant clinical response. In previous studies, about one-half of patients given tumor-fighting cells (cells created from the patient's tumor cells and grown in the laboratory) showed some anti-tumor response. Objective: To determine whether tumor-fighting cells taken from a melanoma tumor and grown in the lab can more effectively at fight melanoma when the patient's immune system is suppressed and cannot attack them. Eligibility: Patients 18 years of age or older with metastatic melanoma who have tumor reactive cells available. Design: -Patients are assigned to one of two groups - those having received prior therapy with Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and those who have not. After five days of injections of filgrastim, a medicine to stimulated the growth of white blood cells, patients undergo apheresis or bone marrow harvesting, or both, to collect stem cells for later re-infusion. For apheresis, whole blood is collected through a needle in an arm vein and circulated through a cell-separating machine where the stem cells are extracted. The rest of the blood is returned through the same needle or a needle in the other arm. Bone marrow harvesting is done under general anesthesia. Stem cells are collected through a large needle inserted into the hipbone.-Patients' immune system cells and bone marrow function are eliminated with chemotherapy (7 days) and total body irradiation (3 days) so the patient's immune system cells will not fight the tumor-fighting cells they are given in treatment. 1 to 3 days after total body irradiation, patients receive the tumor-fighting cells by intravenous (IV) infusion. After the cells are infused, they receive interleukin-2 (IL-2) infusions every 8 hours for 5 days. 2 days after infusion of the tumor-fighting cells, patients receive the stem cells collected earlier by apheresis. Patients are evaluated 4 to 6 weeks after cell infusion to look for tumor response to treatment. Patients whose tumor has not grown return to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) every 1 to 3 months for blood tests, scans and x-rays.

vaccination protocol to induce specific immune responses against melanoma associated antigens by intradermal injections of mRNA coding for the corresponding antigen

CP-675,206 is a fully human monoclonal antibody (mAb). It binds to the CTLA4 molecule, which is expressed on the surface of activated T lymphocytes. CP-675,206 is thought to stimulate patients' immune systems to attack their tumors. CP-675,206 is not expected to have a direct effect on tumor cells. CP-675,206 been shown to induce durable tumor responses in patients with metastatic melanoma in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of recombinant interferon alfa-2b when given together with azacitidine in treating patients with stage III or stage IV melanoma or stage IV kidney cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as azacitidine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Recombinant interferon alfa-2b may interfere with the growth of tumor cells. Giving azacitidine together with recombinant interferon alfa-2b may kill more tumor cells.

The purpose of this study is to see how vincristine, when placed in an oil droplet called a liposome (VSLI), is absorbed, distributed (moved around) and excreted from the the body (pharmacokinetics). This study will also assess the safety of VSLI and to see if VSLI will slow the growth or shrink tumors in patients with metastatic melanoma that has resulted in liver impairment, and who have relapsed after previous therapies.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine if Allovectin-7®, an experimental gene-based immunotherapy, can shrink melanoma tumors. The trial will also examine if this treatment can improve the time to disease progression.