Active clinical trials for "Neoplasm Metastasis"

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of secondary hyperparathyroidism among patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Monitoring of circulating endothelial cells (CEC and mature cells called progenitors called CEP) or circulating tumor cells (CTC) in adult patients with metastatic cancer, possibly treated with targeted therapy.

One of the complications of having cancer in the spinal vertebrae is that it can spread and lead to compression of the spinal cord. Spinal cord compression is a serious event that needs to be treated quickly in order to prevent permanent damage to the spinal cord and nerves. Researchers currently do not have the ability to accurately predict whether cancer of the vertebrae will cause spinal cord compression. It is possible that accurate predictions could allow doctors to treat patients even before they develop symptoms of spinal cord compression, thereby preventing some of the long-term consequences. Objectives: To compare patients with cancer of the spinal vertebrae with and without symptoms of spinal cord compression by looking at markers in the blood and changes on novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that might allow researchers to predict who will experience spinal cord compression before they actually begin to have symptoms. Eligibility: One group of healthy volunteers 18 years of age and older. One group of patients 18 years of age and older who have cancer that has spread to the vertebrae without symptoms of spinal cord compression. One group of patients 18 years of age and older who have cancer that has spread to the vertebrae with symptoms of spinal cord compression. Design: Healthy volunteers: Blood will be drawn from each volunteer for initial tests and for more specific biomarker tests. Comprehensive MRI of the spine, followed by a special type of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). It is believed that DTI may be even more sensitive in revealing spinal cord abnormalities than regular MRI sequences. Patients with cancer of the vertebrae: Researchers will obtain information such as pathology reports, laboratory results, diagnosis and treatment history, physical exam (PE) information, results of scans such as x-rays, MRI, computerized tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET), and planned treatment details. Additional blood samples will be taken for specific biomarker tests. Questionnaire about pain, unusual sensations or numbness, bladder or bowel problems, and mobility. Comprehensive MRI of the spine, followed by a DTI. Patients who appear to have symptoms of spinal cord compression will be offered standard radiation treatment.

The purpose of this study is to understand how information of 3 specific biomarkers can provide guidance to physicians in the treatment of erbB2 positive breast cancer patients.

The primary objective is to compare the diagnostic performance of 18F- Fluoride PET/CT scanning to that of conventional bone scanning for detecting cancer that has spread to the bone (bone metastasis). The intent of the study is to determine whether 18F-Fluoride PET/CT will lead to improved treatment and patient outcomes.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic study that makes pictures of organs of the body using magnetic field and radio frequency pulses that can not be felt. The purpose of this study is to determine if new imaging methods can help tumor evaluation in the brain. The extra images will be obtained using diffusion and perfusion MRI techniques to assess early treatment response in patients with brain metastasis, and will be compared to methods currently being used.

Up to 180 patients with bone metastasis and requiring analgesic treatment will be followed during 4 to 10 weeks. All patients will continue to receive their cancer therapeutic treatments and be treated for pain relief exactly as they would normally be by the Investigator based on their needs. During their regular visits to the Investigator, patients will complete questionnaires and Clinical Pain Assessments.

Prospective, randomized, multicentre phase III study to evaluate the level and type of information requested by patients or families during a palliative care consultation after they have been given the Booklet-Question List (BQL).

As treatments improve and patients live longer with cancer, even after it has spread to the brain, efforts to improve quality of life are growing. Neurocognitive function (thinking ability and memory) is an area of particular concern for patients with brain metastases (cancer that can spread to the brain). Although there are established tests to measure neurocognitive function, these require a face-to-face assessment and can take a long time to complete. As a result, efforts to use these tests to measure changes in neurocognitive function in patients following treatment for brain metastases have resulted in a large proportion of patients who do not return for follow-up. This has limited the ability to evaluate the impact of current treatments on neurocognitive function. This study aims to evaluate a shorter, telephone-based neurocognitive assessment tool, which would make it easier for patients to complete these tests in follow-up. If this new tool is found to reliably measure neurocognitive function, it could be used for future studies evaluating new interventions that prevent or treat neurocognitive deterioration following treatment of brain metastases. This is the first prospective study to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of a novel telephone-based brief neurocognitive assessment battery (Toronto BNB) compared with the same battery delivered face-to-face in this population. The investigators hypothesize that telephone administration of this brief neurocognitive battery will reliably evaluate neurocognitive function and improve patient ability to complete follow-up assessments.

Increasing magnetic field is known to give improvements in signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and spectral resolution. To investigate this, spectra from different subjects were examined using two clinical MR instruments operating at 1.5T and 3T respectively.