Active clinical trials for "Melanoma"

Patients with a BRAF mutated melanoma are usually treated in France by a first line of immunotherapy followed by a second line that combines a BRAF inhibitor (dabrafenib, vemurafenib, encorafenib) and a MEK inhibitor (trametinib, cobimetinib, binimetinib). The combination dabrafenib/trametinib is initially very efficient but it is unfortunately limited because acquired resistances usually occur after a year of treatment. Patients who become resistant to dabrafenib/trametinib and immunotherapy, unfortunately do not have an approved effective treatment at their disposal. They usually receive a palliative chemotherapy by dacarbazine or fotemustine, and they have a mean overall survival that is less than three months. Activation of autophagy in presence of BRAF and MEK inhibitors is a known mechanism of resistance to BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Hydroxychloroquine is an autophagy inhibitor and it has been suggested in vitro that it could decrease resistance to BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Following the positive results in 2018 of a phase I/II study in the USA that showed the efficacy and the absence of toxicity of the association of Dabrafenib, Trametinib and hydroxychloroquine when used as a first line treatement, we proposed to our patients who had become resistant to the dabrafenib/trametinib combination, to pursue their treatment beyond progression and to receive in addition hydroxychloroquine. This prescription was initiated in patients for whom no further therapeutic options were available, after validation by a multidisciplinary tumor board. All patients were informed that the combination dabrafenib/trametinib/hydroxychloroquine was not approved by a regulatory agency.

This pilot trial studies the effect of the microbiome on immune checkpoint inhibitors response in patients with melanoma by collecting stool and blood samples. Gut microbiome plays a critical role in response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Studying the change in an individual's microbiome due to corticosteroid use may help researchers to determine whether an individual's microbiome can predict their response and toxicity to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The purpose of this study is to collect and bank samples of blood and tissues (such as brain tissue or lymph nodes), as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is the fluid that bathes and cushions the spinal cord. The investigator will analyze DNA biomarkers in the samples. The investigator hopes that by studying the biomarkers, he can develop tests in the future that can detect central nervous system (CNS) metastasis in blood samples before they show up on x-ray and develop medicines that can specifically target CNS metastasis.

Interferon alpha is the only approved adjuvant biologic therapy for individuals diagnosed with high risk malignant melanoma (stage 2 or 3). There is evidence that interferon has some adverse cognitive effects on patients, but there are limited data. The investigators hypothesis is that compared to patients with melanoma who do not receive interferon, patients who have melanoma and are treated with interferon will show an objective decrease in performance on neurocognitive assessment. This study will enroll patients with melanoma who qualify for interferon, and either decide to undergo interferon treatment or choose watchful waiting instead. All patients will be assessed with a cognitive testing battery twice. Observation patients will undergo testing at their first appointment in which they consent to the study, as well as at their next physician visit, approximately 3 months from the first visit. Interferon patients will be tested immediately prior to starting interferon, as well as immediately after completing high dose interferon.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety and potential effectiveness of the imaging compound 18F MEL050 for finding sites of melanoma.

The primary objective of the protocol is to identify and describe observed adverse events (AEs) while on treatment with Ipilimumab for advanced melanoma in Venezuela during the study period

Effective communication between physician and patient is fundamental to effective care. The recent introduction of electronic patient on-line portals has the potential to change the communication landscape. The investigators surveyed patients to assess their preferred modality for biopsy notification at 3 institutions with differing patient access to on-line portals, to ascertain what patient preferences are currently and if it has changed from historical preferences. Our hypothesis is that as patients become more familiar with ln-line portals, their preferences will likely reflect familiarity with this modality.

This is a Phase I pilot study to evaluate the toxicity of two intra-tumoral injections of GSL alpha-GAL in patients with advanced or metastatic cutaneous melanoma. Patients who have failed standard therapies or are not eligible for standard treatment will be eligible for this study.

The purpose of this study is to measure the level of a specific protein, CXCL1, in the blood of patients with untreated, metastatic (Stage IV) melanoma. These levels will be compared to blood levels in normal controls. If the levels are elevated in metastatic melanoma, further studies to determine if this correlates with presence and extent of disease will be pursued.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors identify biomarkers related to cancer and predict how patients will respond to treatment. PURPOSE: This research study is looking at biomarkers in patients with high-risk melanoma receiving high-dose interferon therapy.