Clinical Trials

This phase III trial compares the effect of high dose chemotherapy and the patients' own (autologous) stem cells to observation only in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma who achieved a complete response after initial chemotherapy. Usual treatment after a complete response may include observation or high dose chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant, however, it is not known if a transplant if beneficial. Giving chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant helps kill cancer cells in the body and helps make room in the patient's bone marrow for new blood-forming cells (stem cells) to grow. Stem cells removed prior to treatment are then returned to the patient to replace the blood forming cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy. Giving high dose chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant may be more effective compared to observation only in treating patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma who have achieved a complete response after initial chemotherapy.

This pilot randomized clinical trial studies the effects, good and/or bad, of taking doxepin hydrochloride compared to placebo (inactive drug) in treating esophageal pain in patients with thoracic cancer receiving radiation therapy to the thorax with or without chemotherapy. Doxepin hydrochloride is a tricyclic antidepressant drug which was recently shown to be helpful for mouth pain in patients receiving radiation therapy. Part of doxepin hydrochloride's drug action takes place at the surface of the esophagus, which may be helpful in reducing the pain caused by radiation therapy.

The purpose of this stduy tests how well adding dinutuximab to induction chemotherapy along with standard of care surgery radiation and stem cell transplantation works for treating children with newly diagnosed high risk neuroblastoma. Dinutuximab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a molecule called GD2, which is found in greater than normal amounts on some types of cancer cells. This helps cells of the immune system kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs such as cyclophosphamide, topotecan, cisplatin, etoposide, vincristine, dexrazoxane, doxorubicin, temozolomide, irinotecan and isotretinoin, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing or by stopping them from spreading. During induction, chemotherapy and surgery are used to kill and remove as much tumor as possible. During consolidation, very high doses of chemotherapy are given to kill any remaining cancer cells. This chemotherapy also destroys healthy bone marrow, where blood cells are made. A stem cell transplant is a procedure that helps the body make new healthy blood cells to replace the blood cells that may have been harmed by the cancer and/or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is also given to the site where the cancer originated (primary site) and to any other areas that are still active at the end of induction.

Lymphaticovenous anstomosis is an effective surgery to treat lymphedema in the upper extremities secondary to cancer treatment. A crucial step is to identify patent lymphatic channels. Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with intradermal injection of microbubbles is a promising method for lymphatic mapping in the upper extrmeities with lymphedema. The goals of the study are(1) to establish the preferred FDA approved microbubble agent (Lumason, Optison, Definity) for CEUS lymphatic mapping, (2) to identify lymphatic channels with CEUS and high-frequency ultrasound in patients receiving lymphaticovenous anastomosis surgery for upper extremity lymphedema, (3) and to validate the use of shear wave elastography for detecting improving in lymphedema prospectively.

Post market prospective, non-randomized, single-arm, multicenter study, designed to demonstrate dose response of an ablation system using a percutaneous approach in patients with primary, metastatic, or recurrent primary lung tumors.

This phase III trial tests two hypotheses in patients with low-risk and average-risk medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the back of the brain. The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer coming back after treatment. Subjects with low-risk medulloblastoma typically have a lower chance of the cancer coming back than subjects with average-risk medulloblastoma. Although treatment for newly diagnosed average-risk and low-risk medulloblastoma is generally effective at treating the cancer, there are still concerns about the side effects of such treatment. Side effects or unintended health conditions that arise due to treatment include learning difficulties, hearing loss or other issues in performing daily activities. Standard therapy for newly diagnosed average-risk or low-risk medulloblastoma includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy (including cisplatin). Cisplatin may cause hearing loss as a side effect. In the average-risk medulloblastoma patients, this trial tests whether the addition of sodium thiosulfate (STS) to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy reduces hearing loss. Previous studies with STS have shown that it may help reduce or prevent hearing loss caused by cisplatin. In the low-risk medulloblastoma patients, the study tests whether a less intense therapy (reduced radiation) can provide the same benefits as the more intense therapy. The less intense therapy may cause fewer side effects. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. The overall goals of this study are to see if giving STS along with standard treatment (radiation therapy and chemotherapy) will reduce hearing loss in medulloblastoma patients and to compare the overall outcome of patients with medulloblastoma treated with STS to patients treated without STS on a previous study in order to make sure that survival and recurrence of tumor is not worsened.

This is a multi-institutional, randomized trial evaluating oncologic, perioperative, and functional outcomes following two standard care procedures for radical cystectomy. The participants will have one of the standard care procedures as part of their care. The two procedures that will be followed are open radical cystectomy and robotic assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). Open cystectomy is considered to be the more traditional approach. While newer, RARC is considered to be equivalent to open surgery when it is performed by a trained robotics surgeon. The reported complication rates of RARC appear comparable to open surgery. This means there is no significant difference in the risk between the two standard procedures. However, despite these potential advantages, true comparison between the open and robotic technique with regards to long term cancer related and functional outcomes has not been accomplished because previous studies did not compare patients of equal health status. The researchers hope to learn whether or not patients undergoing RARC recover more quickly than or at the same rate as patients undergoing an open radical cystectomy while having non inferior cancer related outcomes. This study is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The purpose of this study is to determine whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used in diagnostic evaluation of breast lesions that cannot be seen using contrast-enhanced MRI (CEMR) and contrast- enhanced dual energy mammography (CEDM).   If so, patients can undergo US guided biopsy which is more comfortable for patients and more cost effective.

The pupose of this study is to evaluate whether or not selumetinib works just as well as the standard treatment with carboplatine/vincristine (CV) for subjects with NF1-associated low grade glioma (LGG), and to see if selumetinib is better than CV in improving vision in subjects with LGG of the optic pathway (vision nerves). Selumetinib is a drug that works by blocking some enzymes that low grade glioma tumor cells need for their growth. This results in killing tumor cells. Drugs used as chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and vincristine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether selumetinib works better in treating patients with NF1-associated low-grade glioma compared to standard therapy with carboplatin and vincristine.

The purpose of this study is to assess the side effects and best dose of a genetically engineered measles virus for treating patients who have a cancerous peripheral nerve sheath tumor that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent).