Clinical Trials

The purpose of this study is to develop a blood test to distinguish various causes of diabetes by evaluating patients who have developed diabetes within the last 3 years, but we will also enroll a small number of patients with long-term diabetes and normal blood sugars for comparison. 

Diabetes mellitus is a common condition which is defined by persistently high blood sugar levels.  This is a frequent problem that is most commonly due to type 2 diabetes.  However, it is now recognized that a small portion of the population with diabetes have an underlying problem with their pancreas, such as chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer, as the cause of their diabetes.  Currently, there is no test to identify the small number of patients who have diabetes caused by a primary problem with their pancreas.

Success of cancer immunotherapy is limited by the ability of solid tumors to evade local and systemic antitumoral immune responses. Several mechanisms of tumor immune evasion have been identified, including low intratumor expression of antigens and elevated expression of inhibitory co-regulatory molecules. An effective immunotherapy is one which would induce necrotic cell death and accompanying proinflammatory cytokine induction. Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) or Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) or brachytherapy, which is capable of delivering high, confromal radiation doses (>8 Gy) of tumor ablative radiation may be an effective means of conditioning a tumor bed to a state favorable to the initiation of robust antitumoral immune responses.

The ultimate goal of this biobank will be to provide the resource to initiate an exploration of human saliva as a potential liquid biopsy for cancer detection and surveillance.

This research trial studies comprehensive patient questionnaires in predicting complications in older patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing surgery. Comprehensive patient questionnaires completed before surgery may help identify complications, such as the need for assistance in taking medications, decreased mobility, decreased social activity, and falls, and may improve outcomes for older patients with gynecologic cancer.

Ovarian cancer is deadly and generally diagnosed at late stage when the chances of survival are low. There is a current belief that this cancer starts in the fallopian tubes and progresses towards the ovaries, spreading to the cells on the surface. Within the fallopian tubes and the uterus, there is a constant flow of mucus which has only one exit through the cervix and out the vagina. Proteins that are generated within the entire female reproductive system are trapped into this viscous fluid and eventually released as waste. When a routine PAP test is performed, a sample of this mucus is collected along with any cells, and preserved in the PAP fluid. The fluid is currently discarded but contains a protein profile showing of the status of the cells in the female reproductive system. We have examined this fluid and found that it contains unique peptides/proteins that provide a diagnosis of ovarian cancer when compared against healthy controls. These markers will be initially refined using the comparison of ovarian cancer patients against those with benign adnexal masses that entered the clinic during the same time period. In this Phase II biomarker validation study we will further refine and validate these biomarkers using a new collection of samples from at least 200 ovarian cancer cases with epithelial ovarian cancer (endometroid and papillary serous histology, most common) and comparing these against 600 patients with a diagnosis of a benign adnexal mass that enter the clinics during the same time period. Patient samples will be collected on their first visit to the gynecologic oncologist at a number of collaborating clinics. Final processing of all of the samples will be performed within the proteomics research facilities of the Mitchell Cancer Institute using Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM, with mass spectrometry) based on the refined set of makers statistically selected within the first aim. Biomarkers validated within this study will be compared with the well accepted CA-125 data for the patients. The research involves a three year validation and may allow detection of this cancer at a very early stage when the survival is as high as 90%. One aim examines a self-taken test that could allow its use in medically underrepresented and rural areas.

The purpose of this study is to obtain clinically characterized, whole blood specimens from participants with new or suspected diagnosis of (cancer subjects) and from participants who do not have a diagnosis of cancer (healthy subjects) to develop and refine assays for cancer in the blood

The primary objective of this study is to obtain clinically characterized, whole blood specimens from cancer and healthy subjects to develop and refine assays for cancer in the blood.

Although survivorship recommendations have been developed in areas such as lymphoma and stem cell transplant, the long-term effects of CAR-T therapy are unknown. In addition, relatively little is known about the psychosocial impact of CAR-T on survivors and their caregivers. Due to the intensive nature of CAR-T treatment and its unique side effects, including neurotoxicity in the acute setting and infections and financial burden in the long-term setting, a longitudinal study that assesses these issues in a quantitative and qualitative fashion is required. Consideration of both patient and caregiver needs is important for the provision of appropriate and effective health services, particularly in intensive cancer treatments that require a caregiver, such as CAR-T.

Our objective in this proposal is to define the long-term needs of CAR-T survivors using patient-reported health-related quality of life (QOL) measures, qualitative interviews, and adverse event data. The rationale for our proposed study is that it will provide the necessary knowledge on CAR-T survivor physical, mental, and social health to formulate a CAR-T specific survivorship program that can be implemented and studied in the future.

We aim to recruit 100 subjects (50 survivors and 50 caregivers) to the study. Inclusion Criteria are the following:  age ≥ 18, blood cancer diagnosis (including B-ALL, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma), receiving a CAR-T product, able to complete a written questionnaire in English either independently or with assistance, and able to perform a verbal interview either in person or via phone teleconference. We will survey patients at baseline and then at pre-specified timepoints up to 2 years after CAR-T. Survey questionnaires that have been previously validated in cancer populations will be used to assess: overall quality of life, psychosocial impact, cognitive function, post-traumatic stress, spiritual well-being, and financial toxicity. Patient demographics, adverse events, and comorbidities will also be collected via survey and/or medical record review. A selected subset of participants (10 survivors and 10 caregivers) will be chosen to undergo semi-structured open ended interviewing to obtain a qualitative understanding of unmet needs, social support, and distress. Data will be analyzed and compared to historical lymphoma and transplant cohorts.

Aims, purpose, or objectives:

1. Evaluation of quantitative biomarkers derived from simultaneous time-of-flight FDG PET-MRI/MRCP for assessment of response to neoadjuvant therapy in borderline resectable PDAC.
2. Evaluate the comparative performance of blood and FDG PET-MRI/MRCP based biomarkers for assessment of response to neoadjuvant therapy in borderline resectable PDAC.

The purpose of this study is to assess Methylated DNA tumor markers distributed in blood samples of patients newly diagnosed with different types of lung cancer. The goal is to develop new blood screening tests that can identify the type and primary site of cancer.

The objective of this study is to compare perioperative and oncologic outcomes of patients undergoing open and robotic prostatectomy for prostate cancer.