Active clinical trials for "Thyroid Diseases"

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is an autoimmune inflammation of the orbital tissues that develops in up to 50% of patients with Graves' disease. Although about 80% respond to IVGC initially, the relapse rate is high and about 75% require further surgery despite initial response. Although the natural history of TED is associated with spontaneous remissions after about 1 to 3 years, many irreversible serious ophthalmic and orbital complications can arise during this time. Therefore, there is a need for improved intervention strategies in the early active inflammatory phase of TED, to avoid progression to the cicatricial stage where disease manifestations can only be addressed in a rehabilitative fashion. The primary immunopathogenesis of Graves' disease is considered to be activation of B cells that then produce autoantibody against thyrotropin receptors in the thyroid (TRAb). Like in many autoimmune diseases, the inflammatory CD4+ T cell subset known as Th17 cells is also increased in blood of patients with active Graves' disease; the putative Th17 cytokine, IL-17, is also increased in serum and tears of TED patients. There is also an emerging pathogenic role for Th17 cells that co-express the chemokine receptor CXCR5 and drive autoantibody production. The contribution of Th17 cells to TED is not well defined. This study is an observational, longitudinal, prospective study of patients receiving treatment for thyroid eye disease.

Background: - GI-6207 is an experimental cancer vaccine made with baker's yeast. The yeast has been modified to help the immune system target a protein called CEA. CEA is found on the surface of some kinds of tumor cells, including thyroid cancer cells. Researchers want to see if GI-6207 can encourage the body's immune system to attack and kill tumor cells that contain the CEA protein. They will test to see whether this vaccine is a safe and effective treatment for medullary thyroid cancer that has not responded to earlier treatments. Objectives: - To test the safety and effectiveness of the GI-6207 vaccine for advanced medullary thyroid cancer. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have medullary thyroid cancer that has not responded to earlier treatments. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. They will provide blood and tumor samples and have an imaging study of the neck and chest. They will also have a skin test to make sure that they are not allergic to the yeast in the vaccine. Participants will be divided into two groups. One group will start to take GI-6207 immediately for 1 year. The second group will have 6 months of monitoring and tests with no vaccine, and then will take GI-6207 for 1 year. GI-6207 will be given every other week for the first seven visits (about 3 months), and then monthly for the remaining year of treatment. It will be given as injections beneath the arm and in the upper thigh. These locations will help the vaccine enter the lymph nodes and reach the immune system more quickly. Participants will be monitored with frequent blood and urine tests and imaging studies. Participants will have regular follow-up visits after their year of study vaccines.

In France, 7-8 000 new thyroid cancer cases are diagnosed each year. Although a good overall prognosis, it is usually estimated that 10 to 20% will rescue and 5% will become metastatic. The standard treatment of advanced metastatic or recurrent thyroid cancer is limited to radioiodine therapy. It is estimated that 30 to 50% of patients will become resistant to radio iodine. Treatments options are limited in these refractory thyroid patients and long term survival is estimated to less than 10%. Nowadays, no drug is approved in this indication. The recent explosion in knowledge in tumour biology and the identification of potential biological targets in thyroid cancer led to several clinical trials with targeted therapies, mainly focused on TKI inhibitors targeting the MAPkinase pathway and/or VEGF. Preliminary results were encouraging in papillary thyroid tumors. Follicular (FTC) and poorly differentiated thyroid (PDTC) cancers account for 10% of thyroid cancer but 20-25% of cancers diagnosed at an advanced stage and near 50% of metastatic refractory thyroid cancers. These cancers with an aggressive behavior represent a major cause of death from thyroid cancer. In these subtypes, targeted therapies gave disappointing results. This may be related to the mutational profile of these tumors which is different from that of papillary cancers. Aberrant activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway is thought to play a fundamental role in thyroid tumorigenenesis of follicular and poorly differentiated thyroid cancers. Many genetic alterations have been, recently, identified in this pathway. PIK3CA mutations are found in 10-15% of FTC and can also occur in metastases derived from PDTC. Amplification/genomic copy gain of the PIK3CA has been identified in 24% of FTC and 42% of PDTC. Epigenetic inactivation of PTEN which negatively regulates PI3K has been shown in FTC. Moreover, RAS mutations observed in 20-40% of FTC and PDTC can activate the PI3K/AKT by interacting with the RAS-binding site of the P110 catalytic subunit of PI3K. Due to the high frequency of activation of PI3K and downstream effectors in progressive, recurrent and poorly differentiated cancers, inhibition of the PI3K signaling pathway with BKM120, a potent pan class I PI3K inhibitor, represents a particularly relevant therapeutic target and should be properly evaluated in advanced follicular and poorly differentiated thyroid carcinomas

Diarrhea in patients with MTC (Medullary Thyroid Cancer) can be debilitating and, in some cases life threatening. Findings in such patients include volume depletion, renal insufficiency, and electrolyte disorders. Diarrhea can also lead to increased cost of care, reduced quality of life, and treatment delays. Not all patients benefit from conventional anti-diarrheal therapy. CASAD is proven to reduce diarrhea in humans and animals. Clays have water-binding effects, increase the absorptive capacity of the intestinal mucosa, and absorb the excess cytokines which are possible mechanisms of diarrhea in MTC. In this study, we will investigate if starting 1 g CASAD three times a day will ameliorate the severity of diarrhea in patients with MTC. Diarrhea in patients with MTC can be debilitating and, in some cases life threatening. Findings in such patients include volume depletion, renal insufficiency, and electrolyte disorders. We hypothesize that adding CASAD 3 grams/day will reduce the incidence and ameliorate the severity of diarrhea in patients with MTC.

Phase II, non-randomized, open-label study to determine the efficacy of cabozantinib as a firstline treatment for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Subjects will receive drug at a starting dose of 60mg PO QD. Subjects can receive drug as long as they continue to derive clinical benefit or until they experience unacceptable drug-related toxicity.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of subantimicrobial dose doxycycline (50 mg/d), administered for 12 weeks, on patients with mild Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy (TAO).

The researchers investigated the rate of biochemical remission in patients without radioactive iodine therapy compared to patients with low dose radioactive iodine treatment in differentiated thyroid cancer patients who underwent total thyroidectomy.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the concordance between the 18F-PET/CT under thyrotropin stimulation and the diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging, in the detection of residual mass in 40 patients with partial response or relapsed differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

This study is planned to compare C-Mac video-laryngoscope and airway ultrasound as two novel techniques (causing least discomfort to the patients) for the detection of impaired vocal-cord movement after thyroid surgery.

To determine whether the use of anti-adhesion barrier after thyroid surgery can prevent the voice changes after surgery, using objective voice-related indicators.