Clinical trials

This study is being done to answer the following questions: Can we lower the chance of your gastric cancer from growing or spreading by administering paclitaxel chemotherapy directly into your abdominal cavity in addition to chemotherapy given through a vein in your arm? Will administering paclitaxel chemotherapy directly into your abdominal cavity, in addition to chemotherapy given through a vein in your arm help you live longer? We are doing this study because we want to find out if this approach is better or worse than the usual approach for your gastric cancer. The usual approach is defined as care most people get for gastric cancer. If you decide to take part in this study, you will first receive a surgical procedure called a diagnostic laparoscopy. This will help the study doctors learn more about your gastric cancer. Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgery for which you will be placed under general anesthesia. Then the surgeon will make small incisions (5mm) on your belly through which a camera and thin instruments are introduced to evaluate the abdomen. This procedure takes about 1 hour to complete. Your study group will be assigned during the surgery. The study groups are described further in the 'What are the study groups?' section below. If you are placed into the study group 1, you will not have an intraperitoneal port (a small device which is placed under the skin and fat of your upper abdomen and a tube that is placed into the abdomen). If you are placed into the study group 2, you will have an intraperitoneal port placed. The reason is that in addition to standard chemotherapy, which is given through a vein in your arm, this port will be used to deliver the medication paclitaxel directly inside your abdomen when you are ready to start study treatment. It is important to know that you will not know your study group until after the surgery is over. This is because information that is learned during the surgery will help determine which study group you are put in. Once you have fully healed from this surgery, you will start study treatment. Depending on which study group you are assigned, you will either receive a standard chemotherapy regimen (the regimen will be chosen by you and your doctor) if you are in study group 1, or paclitaxel through a tube in your belly plus chemotherapy given through a vein in your arm if you are in study group 2. All participants will get treatment for three (3) months after which you will undergo reevaluation. If the disease is under control or responding to treatment, you may continue the assigned treatment until your disease gets worse, the side effects become too severe, or you may be offered a surgical procedure to remove the cancer if the amount of disease is low and can be completely removed as determined by a surgeon. There is a very small chance that during the laparoscopy surgical procedure, the doctor might find something called "intra-abdominal adhesions". These are areas where the stomach has healed previously and created scar tissue. If this scar tissue prevents the surgeon from being able to place a port in the correct area, you would be ineligible to receive the study treatment. If this happens, you may still receive standard of care therapy after your surgery, but you will not be able to continue on the study. If you have more questions about this, you can ask your surgeon or the study team to help. After you finish your study treatment, your doctor or study team will watch you for side effects. They will continue to follow your condition every three (3) months during the first two (2) years, then every six (6) months until year 5. You may be reevaluated with Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis scans every three-six (3-6) months for up to five (5) years if decided by your doctor.

This phase III trial compares the effect of cabozantinib versus combination dabrafenib and trametinib for the treatment of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer that does not respond to treatment (refractory) and which expresses a BRAF V600E mutation. Cabozantinib is in a class of medications called receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors. It binds to and blocks the action of several enzymes which are often over-expressed in a variety of tumor cell types. This may help stop or slow the growth of tumor cells and blood vessels the tumor needs to survive. Dabrafenib is an enzyme inhibitor that binds to and inhibits the activity of a protein called B-raf, which may inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells which contain a mutated BRAF gene. Trametinib is also an enzyme inhibitor. It binds to and inhibits the activity of proteins called MEK 1 and 2, which play a key role in activating pathways that regulate cell growth. This may inhibit the growth of tumor cells mediated by these pathways. The usual approach for patients with thyroid cancer is targeted therapy with dabrafenib and trametinib. This trial may help researchers decide which treatment option (cabozantinib alone or dabrafenib in combination with trametinib) is safer and/or more effective in treating patients with refractory BRAF V600E-mutated differentiated thyroid cancer.

This phase II trial studies whether different imaging techniques can provide additional and more accurate information than the usual approach for assessing the activity of tumors in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The usual approach for this currently is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study is trying to learn more about the meaning of changes in MRI scans after treatment, as while the appearance of some of these changes may reflect progressing tumor, some may be due the treatment. Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC)-MRIs, along with positron emission tomography (PET) and/or magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy, may help doctors tell which changes are a reflection of the treatment and which changes may be due to progressing tumor.

This clinical trial evaluates the effect of Cost Communication and Financial Navigation (CostCOM) intervention on adherence to care and financial burden in cancer patients. Many cancer patients experience financial hardship due to high medical out of pocket costs (OOPC), changes in employment, income and insurance. Financial hardship can lead to a delay or a stop in cancer care, and is linked to poor quality of life. Financial navigation programs, such as CostCOM, provide financial counseling, education and connections to appropriate resources to reduce financial barriers to healthcare and minimize financial stress and burden. CostCOM may improve adherence to care and decrease financial burden in patients with cancer.

This clinical trial compares the use of the connected customized treatment platform (CONCURxP), consisting of using a medication monitoring device called WiseBag along with text message reminders for missed or extra medication events, to enhanced usual care (EUC), where patients only use the WiseBag, to monitor medication adherence in patients with metastatic breast cancer who are taking a CKD4/6 inhibitor. To ensure CDK4/6 inhibitors achieve their full clinical benefit, patients need to take them as prescribed, following a complex treatment schedule. Forgetfulness was the most common reason reported for medication non adherence. Using the WiseBag along with CONCURxP or enhanced usual care may improve medication adherence in patients with metastatic breast cancer who are taking a CKD4/6 inhibitor.

This study examines the impact of social and genetic factors on outcomes in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors of Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Compared to both older adult and childhood cancer patients, AYAs with cancer experience different diagnoses and specific biological, clinical, psychological and social factors that affect their risks for post-treatment morbidity and premature death. Collecting samples of blood samples and health and treatment information from cancer survivors of Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma may help doctors identify conditions that increase the likelihood of AYAs getting sick and dying after treatment of cancer and better understand how to address the needs of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.

This phase III trial compares hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) (pump chemotherapy) in addition to standard of care chemotherapy versus standard of care chemotherapy alone in treating patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver (liver metastases) and cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). HAI uses a catheter to carry a tumor-killing chemotherapy drug called floxuridine directly into the liver. HAI is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in metastatic colorectal cancer to the liver, but it is only available at a small number of hospitals, and most of the time it is not used until standard chemotherapy stops working. Standard chemotherapy drugs 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. Adding HAI to standard chemotherapy may be effective in shrinking or stabilizing unresectable colorectal liver metastases.

This phase III trial compares the combination of four drugs (daratumumab, bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone) to the use of a three drug combination (daratumumab, lenalidomide and dexamethasone). Bortezomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Chemotherapy drugs, such as lenalidomide, 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. Daratumumab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as dexamethasone lower the body's immune response and are used with other drugs in the treatment of some types of cancer. Adding bortezomib to daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone may be more effective in shrinking the cancer or preventing it from returning, compared to continuing on daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone.

This phase III trial tests two questions by two separate comparisons of therapies. The first question is whether enhanced therapy (apalutamide in combination with abiraterone + prednisone) added to standard of care (prostate radiation therapy and short term androgen deprivation) is more effective compared to standard of care alone in patients with prostate cancer who experience biochemical recurrence (a rise in the blood level of prostate specific antigen \[PSA\] after surgical removal of the prostate cancer). A second question tests treatment in patients with biochemical recurrence who show prostate cancer spreading outside the pelvis (metastasis) by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. In these patients, the benefit of adding metastasis-directed radiation to enhanced therapy (apalutamide in combination with abiraterone + prednisone) is tested. Diagnostic procedures, such as PET, may help doctors look for cancer that has spread to the pelvis. Androgens are hormones that may cause the growth of prostate cancer cells. Apalutamide may help fight prostate cancer by blocking the use of androgens by the tumor cells. Metastasis-directed targeted radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors that have spread. This trial may help doctors determine if using PET results to deliver more tailored treatment (i.e., adding apalutamide, with or without targeted radiation therapy, to standard of care treatment) works better than standard of care treatment alone in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.

The purpose of this study is to compare two approaches for monitoring pancreatic cysts as well as to identify associated biomarkers. The study doctors want to compare more frequent monitoring versus less frequent monitoring as well as identify biomarkers which may improve risk detection of transformation to pancreatic cancer. The study doctors want to learn which monitoring method and which biomarkers lead to better outcomes for patients.

This phase III trial studies how well lenalidomide and dexamethasone works with or without daratumumab in treating patients with high-risk smoldering myeloma. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as lenalidomide and dexamethasone, 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. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as daratumumab, may induce changes in the body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving lenalidomide and dexamethasone with daratumumab may work better in treating patients with smoldering myeloma.

This randomized phase II trial studies how well chemotherapy before surgery and radiation therapy works compared to surgery and radiation therapy alone in treating patients with nasal and paranasal sinus cancer that can be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, cisplatin, and carboplatin 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving chemotherapy before surgery and radiation therapy may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed and treated with radiation.

This phase II trial studies how well radiation therapy with or without cisplatin works in treating patients with stage III-IVA squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who have undergone surgery. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, 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 if radiation therapy is more effective with or without cisplatin in treating patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

This phase III trial compares chest computed tomography (CT) to chest x-ray (CXR) for lung surveillance after curative-intent resection of high-risk truncal-extremity soft tissue sarcoma. Currently, complete oncologic resection (with or without radiation therapy) is the standard of care for most high-risk soft tissue sarcoma that has not spread to other parts of the body (localized). However, despite curative-intent resection, 20-40% of patients will develop cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (distant metastases), with the lungs being the most common site. Thus, lung surveillance is important for detection of lung metastases in order to facilitate timely treatment. Although there is general agreement about the usefulness of postoperative surveillance, consensus is lacking regarding the optimal modality for lung surveillance after curative-intent resection for high-risk soft tissue sarcoma. Current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend chest imaging with CT or CXR every 3-6 months for 2-3 years, then every 6 months for the next two years, and then annually after that for high-risk tumors. Data from across the United States and internationally indicate that there is considerable variation in clinical practice with regards to the use of CXR versus CT chest for lung surveillance. The information gained from this trial may allow researchers to determine the effectiveness of varying imaging modalities needed for optimal surveillance for patients with extremity or truncal soft tissue sarcoma.