Clinical Trials

Clinical trial tests a new drug therapy for recurrent ependymomas of the brain and spinal cord

Ependymomas are rare tumors that arise in the ependyma, the thin membrane that lines fluid-filled cavities in the brain and spinal cord, and there are limited treatment options for those that have already been treated with standard therapies. A new clinical trial is testing a drug that targets ependymomas that have a specific genetic signature.

Clinical study follows men with specific genetic changes to determine their risk for developing prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common malignancy in American men. There is increasing evidence that there may be a link between PC and men who have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer. As researchers have learned more about the role of genetics in PC, they have taken a new approach to screening for the disease—targeting men whose genetic profiles put them at risk for developing PC.

Clinical trial to determine whether antibiotics can boost immune response in treating liver cancer

A new clinical trial at the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research is set to explore if eliminating certain bacteria in the gut will boost the immune system response in patients who have hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases.

Clinical trial tests a PARP inhibitor in urothelial cancer with DNA-repair defects

Urothelial carcinoma (UC), or bladder cancer, is the most common cancer of the urinary tract with limited treatment options. A new clinical trial aims to see how this type of cancer reacts to olaparib, a drug designed to target cancers that have defective DNA-repair mechanisms in their cells by inhibiting the action of PARP, an enzyme that can repair breaks in DNA.

New clinical trial will determine if gliomas respond to immunotherapy

Gliomas make up about 80 percent of all malignant brain tumors. A new clinical trial at the Center for Cancer Research is investigating if the immunotherapy drug nivolumab is beneficial to patients with gliomas.

Clinical trial studies antitumor effect of sunitinib in central nervous system sarcomas

A new clinical trial is testing a cancer drug, sunitinib, on recurrent gliosarcoma and previously treated sarcomas of the central nervous system. This drug has been studied in several other types of cancer, where it was able to inhibit factors that help tumors grow and spread. Investigators want to see if sunitinib can have the same antitumor effect on sarcomas and gliosarcoma of the brain and spinal cord.

Clinical trial finds combination therapy effective for some biliary cancer patients

Completion of a phase I/II clinical trial found that two of 20 patients with biliary tract cancer disease experienced a partial response to treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor tremelimumab combined with microwave ablation therapy. Further studies are needed to understand why just a few patients responded well to this combination treatment.

New clinical program will study metastatic colorectal cancer in viable patient tissue samples

Jonathan Hernandez, M.D., Investigator in the Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Oncology Branch, has established a new clinical program to understand how metastases form, which may yield insights into how to treat or even prevent them. The program will conduct first-of-their-kind studies with tumor-containing liver that is kept alive outside of the body after it is removed from a patient. Read more…

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