Active clinical trials for "Meningioma"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as hydroxyurea, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Imatinib mesylate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether hydroxyurea is more effective when given alone or together with imatinib mesylate in treating patients with meningioma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well hydroxyurea works compared with giving hydroxyurea together with imatinib mesylate in treating patients with recurrent or progressive meningioma.

Brain tumours are the commonest solid tumours in children and the second most common neoplasms overall in this patient population. Radiotherapy plays an important part in the management in a majority of these tumours. While the cure rates of these tumours, especially the benign and low grade ones are quite encouraging, the treatment itself may lead to some late sequelae, which could have significant implications in the quality of life in these long-term survivors. Stereotactic conformal radiotherapy (SCRT) is a modern high-precision radiotherapy technique, which reduces the volume of normal brain irradiated and has the capability to minimise the doses to critical structures. The present study is designed to prospectively estimate the incidence and severity of neuropsychological, cognitive and neuroendocrine dysfunction following radiotherapy delivered with conventional and stereotactic techniques and would be one of the most comprehensive studies providing very important longitudinal and reliable data regarding these sequelae. The study involving 200 patients would be to the best of our knowledge not only the largest ever study conducted so far but also the only randomised trial assessing these sequelae in patients receiving focal brain irradiation. The study also examines whether the physical advantages of modern technological progress translate in clinical benefit. This could have significant implications in the radiotherapeutic management of children and young adults with brain tumours. The study is unique in design in terms of evaluating the efficacy of SCRT with respect to conventional radiotherapy in terms of long term tumour control and treatment related complications.

In neurosurgical setting, a large sample size trials of tranexamic acid (TXA) has been limited to TBI and SAH. The evidence of TXA in brain tumor was scarce. A few case reports support the role of TXA in brain tumor patients with significant intraoperative bleeding and difficult achieving hemostasis. To prove the benefit of TXA for an attenuation of blood loss in brain tumor patients, research with a larger sample size is required. This prospective, randomized double-blind controlled study will be conducted to evaluate the effect of TXA in reducing blood loss and blood transfusion in patients with intracranial meningiomas, diameter > 5 cm in at least 2 dimensions from the latest radiographic findings.

The blood loss will be compared in middle fossa meningiomas which will receive pealing of the outer layer of the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus and those which will not revive pealing before the dura is opened

Neurocognitive Outcome Assesment in Patients With Peri-optic Meningiomas After Excision With Or Without Pealing Of The Outer Layer Of The Cavernous Sinus: A Randomized Controlled Single Blinded Trial.

Background: Primary tumors of the brain and spine are those that start in the brain or spine. These tumors are rare, accounting for <2% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States. Some of these tumors occur in less than 2,000 people per year. Researchers want to study a large group of people with this kind of tumor. They want to learn more about the tumors, including the risk factors related to how they develop in adults. Objective: To collect health and gene data to learn about what changes are associated with a rare CNS Tumors, to eventually screen for these changes or target the genes in treatment. Eligibility: Adult participants (Bullet) 18 years of age who self- identify as being diagnosed with one of 12 rare CNS tumors, including: Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT); Brainstem and midline gliomas; Choroid plexus tumors; Ependymoma; High grade meningioma; Gliomatosis cerebri; Medulloblastoma; Oligodendroglioma / Anaplastic oligodendroglioma; Pineal region tumors; Pleomorphic xanthroastrocytoma / Anaplastic pleomorphic xanthroastrocytoma; PNET (Supratentorial embryonal tumor); Primary CNS sarcoma / Secondary CNS sarcoma (Gliosarcoma). Design: (Registered Trademark)Participants will be invited to participate through an ad on the CERN Foundation website (ependymoma), information on the Neuro-Oncology Branch website and other identified advocacy and social media sites and direct mailer to those who have already participated in the EO projects. (Registered Trademark) Interested participants will complete an enrollment form that will be sent to the study coordinator. The coordinator will then send the participant a consent form and schedule a time for phone consent. Participants will complete the Rare CNS tumors Outcomes Survey and once completed, the Rare CNS tumors Risk survey. (Registered Trademark) The questions on the Outcomes Survey will include treatment history, symptoms social and clinical information and it should take about 25-35 minutes. The Risk survey will cover their demographic information, personal medical history, family medical history and environmental exposures. This should take about 52 minutes. Participants who have physical problems can have help with the surveys and forms. Once the surveys are completed, participants will be mailed a kit to collect saliva for germline DNA. Participants will ship the sample to the study team in a prepaid envelope If the sample is not sufficient, participants will be contacted to give provide an additional sample.

This phase I trial studies how well gallium Ga 68-DOTATATE positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) works in predicting tumor growth in patients with meningiomas. Giving Gallium Ga 68-DOTATATE before PET/CT scan may work better in predicting tumor growth in patients with meningiomas.

The main goal of the study is to present a framework, which integrates DNA, RNA and tissue data to identify and prioritize genetic events that represent clinically relevant new therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for different kinds of brain tumors. The investigators study the regulation of neoplastic cell growth by oncogenes, tumor-suppressor and other cancer related genes using modern molecular genetic methods, such as chromogenic-in-situ hybridization, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), array-CGH, cDNA microarray etc. In these studies the investigators utilize disease-specific tissue microarrays (TMA) which the investigators have constructed since 1999. Until now up to 3000 different brain tumours have been sampled to our TMA:s. These permit high-volume simultaneous analysis of molecular targets at the DNA, mRNA and protein levels. Research group has also focused its interest on the neoplastic development of gliomas, particularly on their hereditary and environmental factors.

The primary objective is to estimate the proportions of vestibular schwannomas (VS) and meningiomas after 10 days of exposure to the study drug RAD001 at a dose of 10 mg daily, as determined by immunohistochemistry. This is a "phase 0" PK (pharmacokinetic) and PD (pharmacodynamic) study of RAD001 in patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 2-related and sporadic VS and meningiomas. Enrolled patients will take RAD001 prior to a scheduled VS or meningioma surgery, and blood and tissue samples will be obtained for further analysis.

This pilot clinical trial studies gallium Ga 68-edotreotide (68Ga-DOTATOC) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in finding brain tumors in younger patients. Diagnostic procedures, such as gallium Ga 68-edotreotide PET/CT imaging, may help find and diagnose brain tumors.