Active clinical trials for "Melanoma"

Background: Cancers in other parts of the body often spread to the liver, developing tumors which in many instances cannot be removed with surgery. Liver chemoembolization is a treatment that is routinely performed to control liver tumors in those who cannot have surgery. It has been shown to prolong survival, but does not cure the cancer. During chemoembolization very tiny beads (drug-eluting beads, or DEB) containing chemotherapy drugs (usually doxorubicin) are administered directly into the blood vessels of a liver tumor. The drug within the beads is then released into the tumor whilethe beads temporarily interrupt the tumor s blood supply. Irinotecan, a drug commonly given intravenously to treat colon cancer, has been given in chemoembolization procedures in four other studies that have shown that the treatment is generally well tolerated. Researchers are interested in determining whether giving the drug irinotecan directly into the liver using drug-eluting beads is not only well tolerated but also provides a larger dose directly to the tumor as determined by tumor and normal liver tissue biopsies. The liver biopsies are an optional portion of the study. Objectives: - To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of chemoembolization with irinotecan for tumors caused by cancer that has spread to the liver. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have melanoma, colon, or another intra-abdominal cancer that has spread to the liver. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical examination, medical history, blood tests, tumor imaging studies, and liver biopsies. Participants will receive up to 3 DEB chemoembolization treatments about 6 weeks apart. After two treatments, participants will have imaging studies to see if the tumors have shrunk, and those whose tumors have shrunk may have a third treatment. Multiple liver biopsies may be performed and blood samples will be taken to determine how much drug is in the tumor and the circulation, and to see how the tumor reacts to the drug. Participants will return for followup visits for up to 1 year....

Background: - Certain types of cancers, including sarcoma and melanoma, have specific antigens (protein molecules) on their surfaces. Research has shown that producing an immune reaction to these antigens may be able to keep tumors from growing by encouraging the immune system to destroy the tumor cells. By creating a vaccine that contains antigens similar to those found on the cancer cells, researchers hope to cause an immune reaction that targets the cancer cells. However, more research is needed to determine the safety and effectiveness of this type of vaccine treatment. Objectives: - To determine whether a tumor cell vaccine, given to individuals who have had surgery to remove malignant tumors from the chest, can cause an immune reaction that will prevent the tumors from coming back. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with cancer that has spread to the lungs, pleura, or mediastinum, and have recently had surgery to remove tumors in the chest. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical examination and medical history, as well as blood tests and imaging studies. Participants will have the option to have leukapheresis to collect white blood cells for studies on how the body is responding to the vaccine. Participants who agree to have this procedure will have it before the start of treatment and after the sixth and eighth vaccines. Seven days before the first vaccine, participants will receive the chemotherapy drugs celecoxib and cyclophosphamide to take twice a day at home. Participants will receive the experimental vaccine as an injection in the thigh or arm, and may receive it in two shots depending on how many cells are in each vaccine. Participants will receive a diary to monitor medication doses and side effects, as well as additional cyclophosphamide and celecoxib to take at home as directed by the study. Participants will have one vaccine every month for 6 months, and will have regular blood tests and imaging studies. After the sixth vaccine, participants who have successfully responded to the treatment will have two additional vaccines given 3 months apart. After the eighth vaccine, participants will have followup visits every 3 months for 1 year and then every 6 months for up to 4 years....

The objective is to assess the efficacy and safety of masitinib at 7.5 mg/kg/day in the treatment of patients with non-resectable or metastatic stage 3 or stage 4 melanoma carrying a mutation in the juxta membrane domain of c-Kit and who have not previously been treated for melanoma.

The purpose of this early (phase I/II) clinical trial is to assess the effects (both good and bad) of genetically modified T cells after chemotherapy on your cancer and general health.

will scientifically evaluate whether Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) has activity in refractory solid tumors within the context of a phase II clinical study

Background: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surgery Branch has developed an experimental therapy that involves taking white blood cells from patients' tumors, growing them in the laboratory in large numbers, and then giving the cells back to the patient with aldesleukin (IL-2) a drug that keeps the white blood cells active. These cells are called Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes, or TIL and we have given this type of treatment to over 200 patients with melanoma. This study will use chemotherapy to prepare the immune system before this white blood cell treatment. Our prior studies indicate that aldesleukin may not be required for cell transfer. Objectives: - To see if chemotherapy and white blood cell therapy without aldesleukin is a safe and effective treatment for metastatic melanoma. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age and less than or equal to 70 years of age with metastatic melanoma. Design: Work up stage: Patients will be seen as an outpatient at the National Institute of Health (NIH) clinical Center and undergo a history and physical examination, scans, x-rays, lab tests, and other tests as needed. Surgery: If the patients meet all of the requirements for the study they will undergo surgery to remove a tumor that can be used to grow the TIL product. Leukapheresis: Patients may undergo leukapheresis to obtain additional white blood cells. {Leukapheresis is a common procedure, which removes only the white blood cells from the patient.} Treatment: Once their cells have grown, the patients will be admitted to the hospital for the conditioning chemotherapy, the TIL cells and aldesleukin. They will stay in the hospital for about 4 weeks for the treatment. Follow up: Patients will return to the clinic for a physical exam, review of side effects, lab tests, and scans about every 1-3 months for the first year, and then every 6 months to 1 year as long as their tumors are shrinking. Follow up visits will take up to 2 days.

This phase 2 clinical trial randomizes patients with BRAF mutant melanoma to either (1) standard of care (SOC) - BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib in combination with MEK inhibitor cobimetinib; or, (2) SOC plus bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody that suppresses new blood vessel formation and can stimulate the immune system. Previous clinical studies in melanoma have shown that bevacizumab may improve clinical benefit (progression free survival) if combined with ipilimumab or abraxane. Preclinical studies suggest that VEGF increase plays a role in resistance to BRAF inhibitors. This randomized study will ask whether the addition of bevacizumab to targeted therapy SOC in BRAF mutant melanoma can improve response rates and clinical benefit. Patients may have received no therapy for advanced disease or up to 2 prior therapies, excluding BRAF and MEK inhibitors.

Treatment of subjects who have metastatic melanoma that expresses an activated mutant form of the BRAF oncogene (V600E) with a combination of the specific BRAF inhibitor, Vemurafenib, and the Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitor mAb Ipilimumab will be safe and feasible and will show preliminary evidence of anti-tumor efficacy and survival in comparison to historical results following treatment with either agent alone.

The aim of the study is to assess if treatment with IDO/Survivin peptide vaccine can enhance the efficacy of temozolomide chemotherapy in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma.

This phase II trial studies how well axitinib works in treating patients with melanoma that has spread to other places in the body or cannot be removed by surgery. Axitinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.