Active clinical trials for "Brain Neoplasms"

The main purpose of this study is to determine the potential clinical utility of PET imaging using the radiotracer [C-11]alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan in the diagnosis, differentiation and monitoring of various brain tumors, both before and after initial treatment. We will also study mechanisms and clinical significance of abnormal brain tumor tryptophan metabolism using resected tumor tissues.

There has been no study comparing the complication rates between internal jugular vein catheterization and subclavian vein catheterization when they are performed using sonographic view. This prospective study would reveal the sort of complication and its rate.

This study is being conducted to find out whether lacosamide (a drug to treat epilepsy) is effective in routine clinical practice for patients with epilepsy caused by a brain tumor.

The time period from diagnosis through to the end of treatment is challenging for patients. Patients need information, assistance with decision making, and emotional and social support to help cope with their diagnosis and treatment. The first meeting with the cancer doctor is especially anxiety-provoking for patients who will learn, for the first time, their treatment options and likelihood of being cured. This anxiety causes many patients to have difficulty remembering the important pieces of information that their cancer doctor tells them during this consultation. The main goal of this study is to demonstrate the benefits of giving cancer patients an audio-recording of their first consultation with their cancer doctor. The investigators will include newly diagnosed patients from cancer centres in Winnipeg and Calgary. The types of cancer that will be included in this study are brain and neuroendocrine. Patients with these types of cancer are more likely to have confused thinking, and therefore may have the most to gain from receiving their consultation recordings. The study will include 244 patients, and those who sign consent forms to participate will be assigned by chance to either receive their treatment consultation recording or not. Patients will receive their recording immediately after their consultation, and will be able to listen to the recording at any time either alone, or with family and friends. To figure out whether the consultation recording provides patients with benefits, the investigators will administer some questionnaires to patients at 1 week after the consultation, and again at 3 and 6 months after the consultation. These questionnaires will assess the following patient outcomes: i) anxiety and depression, ii) perception of being informed about the disease and treatment, iii) satisfaction with cancer care, iv) satisfaction with the doctor, and v) the extent to which patients are satisfied with their degree of involvement in treatment decision making. The investigators hypothesize that patients who receive their consultation recording will experience more benefits than patients who do not receive their consultation recording.

The need for new technologies and devices in the field of neurosurgery is well established. In April 2013, FDA cleared NeuroBlate™ System, minimally invasive robotic laser thermotherapy tool. It employs a pulsed surgical laser to deliver targeted energy to abnormal brain tissue caused by tumors and lesions. This post-marketing, multi-center study will include patients with metastatic tumors who failed stereotactic radiosurgery and are already scheduled for NeuroBlate procedure. The study will collect clinical outcome, Quality of Life (QoL) and, where feasible, healthcare utilization data for publication.

This study will analyze DNA samples to determine associations between maternal and offspring genetic factors and pediatric brain tumor development in children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1. Participating families (mother, father, child) will be asked to complete a short questionnaire and provide DNA samples (either saliva or blood). The information gained from your participation may one day help doctors develop strategies to reduce brain tumor risk in individuals with NF1. Please note: there is no therapy associated with this study.

The central hypothesis for this proposal is that multimodal (clinical, imaging, tissue) biomarkers will better predict early brain tumor response to treatments and will be more reliable prognostic markers in patients with malignant brain tumors.

Central nervous system toxicity is a recognized side effect of certain therapies for cancers, particularly cranial irradiation, intrathecal therapy or systemic high-dose chemotherapy. The pathophysiologic mechanisms and clinical manifestations vary. Previous studies defining MRI changes and correlating these with neurocognitive deficiencies have been inconsistent. Recent advances in brain imaging may help to better define neurotoxic effects. (1)H-NMRS is a noninvasive method of obtaining in vivo biochemical information from the brain. It has been used to study patients with CNS disorders, including neuronal disorders. In this study, (1)H-NMRS will be used to objectively characterize CNS toxicities in patients with cancer who are receiving potentially neurotoxic therapies. In addition, we will retrospectively evaluate patients with known or suspected neurotoxicity associated with cancer therapy, to determine if changes in spectroscopic patterns are associated with CNS toxicity.

This goal of this research study is to learn more about fatigue, sleep quality, and other symptoms in patients with primary brain tumors who are being treated with radiation therapy. Objectives: PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: 1. The primary objective of this study is to provide preliminary data describing the severity and change over time in fatigue using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) during radiation therapy for patients with primary gliomas. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate longitudinal changes in the severity of symptoms and the mean symptom burden as measured by the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory-Brain Tumor Module (MDASI-BT) and mood using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) during radiation therapy. To assess alterations in circadian rhythms using actigraphy during radiation therapy and the association with sleep quality tools - Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale(ESS), and the severity of BFI and MDASI-BT scores over time. To explore the association between the levels of salivary hormones (melatonin and cortisol) and the occurrence of fatigue and symptom burden.

The purpose of this study is to use an imaging method called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in patients who have a tumor near an area of the brain that is believed to control language. The fMRI is a new kind of imaging that uses a strong magnetic field to look at functioning brain tissue. This kind of imaging will be used to study the effect of the brain tumor on your speech.