Active clinical trials for "Breast Neoplasms"

This study examines the additional benefits of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with Gadovist in early breast cancer with poor prognostic features.

Primary Objective: To determine whether early intervention (with garment sleeve and gauntlet) in patients with pre-clinical lymphedema can halt the progression of lymphedema. Secondary Objectives:To evaluate whether bioimpedance is an accurate, reliable method to measure pre-clinical and clinical lymphedema. Tertiary Objective: To determine whether bioimpedance analysis is better than the gold standard of volume displacement to measure lymphedema. The successful completion of this study will address whether bioimpedance analysis is a reliable, accurate method to measure pre-clinical and clinical lymphedema. In addition, we intend to evaluate whether bioimpedance analysis is better than the gold standard of volume displacement for measuring lymphedema. And most importantly, we will evaluate whether a short trial of compression garments in women identified to have pre-clinical lymphedema can actually halt the progression of disease. Bryn Mawr Hospital would propose to publish the research and findings of this study, which may have future bearing on the post-operative therapeutic management of subjects with pre-clinical lymphedema following axillary surgery. Study Design:Randomized, Pilot Study

The study is a prospective cohort study following breast cancer patients from before surgery to one year after. The aims of the study are to determine risk factors that predispose to the development of persistent pain.

Promoter region hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes is one the earliest molecular events in malignant transformation and is readily detectable in apparently normal benign breast epithelium adjacent to breast cancers. The investigators hypothesize that DNA methylation of certain genes occurs as a field change in benign breast tissue that is at high risk for malignant transformation, and as such, can be exploited for tissue-based breast cancer risk stratification. Additional work is required to identify new DNA methylation markers potentially useful for periareolar fine needle aspiration (RP-FNA)-based breast cancer risk stratification, to determine whether these markers are methylated more frequently in benign samples from women who develop breast cancer, to determine whether assessment of these markers is reproducible, to determine whether tamoxifen reduces DNA methylation, and to better understand the pattern of DNA methylation in benign samples from unselected healthy control populations. Each of these objectives contributes to advancement of a clinically useful RP-FNA-based breast cancer risk stratification test. In addition, identification of genes that are preferentially methylated in estrogen receptor (ER) negative breast cancer will provide clues to the underlying biology responsible for this aggressive form of breast cancer. This knowledge may lead to the discovery of the causes of ER negative breast cancer, approaches for recognizing women at increased risk for this type of breast cancer, and approaches for reducing this risk. This study seeks to identify patterns of DNA methylation in benign breast epithelial cells associated with an increased risk for breast cancer with a focus on ER negative breast cancer.

This study will look at two new technologies being developed for measuring cancer in bones. One of these technologies is a substance called Sodium Fluoride (NaF). Fluoride is a normal body substance. The amount that patients will receive has been shown to be very safe. One study of over 400 patients showed no adverse reactions after receiving the recommended dosage. NaF (known as a radiotracer) is taken up into the bones under a normal process and researchers can measure the amount within patient's bones through an imaging system called a Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PET/MRI). This system combines aspects of both a PET study as part of the regular standard of care and an MRI study. The belief is that the combination of these two studies will be better than either study alone.People who have enrolled in this study will receive their clinically requested PET/CT scan as part of their normal diagnostic care and will follow all the said recommendations for this study such as not being pregnant, having fasted overnight, etc. Subjects will return within 7 days for a 10 mCi NaF PET/MRI study. The patients' imaging time will be up to 120 minutes depending on the MRI sequences acquired. Imaging for the PET portion of the study will take approximately 20-30 minutes with the rest of the time devoted to MRI sequences.

The goal of the study is to investigate the use of bio-impedance spectroscopy in the assessment of breast cancer related lymphoedema in patients operated with lumpectomy or mastectomy, axillary lymph node dissection and radiotherapy compared to inverse water volumetry. As a control group, patients with colon rectal cancer are used to compare volumetric and spectometric changes during follow-up.

This multicenter trial using Hologic digital mammography units will evaluate the specificity of 2-D full field digital mammography (FFDM) versus a combination of 2-D and 3-D tomosynthesis imaging in breast cancer screening. Specificity, in this study, will be measured by the participant call-back rate by each modality. Varying combinations of 2-D mammography and tomosynthesis projections will be evaluated to optimize the screening paradigm and limit radiation exposure when tomosynthesis is incorporated. Both prospective and retrospective imaging data will be assessed. Hypothesis: Digital breast tomography (DBT) will improve the specificity of breast cancer screening as measured by a reduction in the call-back rate while maintaining the sensitivity of cancer detection. This improved accuracy will be achieved by the optimization of the imaging sequence and number of views obtained at a capped radiation dose in the combined DBT and 2-D screening sequence.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a dynamic near infrared imaging device for characterizing suspicious breast lesions

The objective of this study is to determine the breast cancer risk of Mirena® users compared to copper intrauterine device (IUD) users in a community-based case-control study.

The purpose of this trial is to collect plasma, serum, whole blood and tissue samples from women with breast cancer and plasma, serum, whole blood from healthy women, which will be made available to researchers for biomarker analysis.