Clinical Trials

Scans of a woman with breast cancer before and after TIL therapy.

NCI study advances personalized immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer

An experimental form of immunotherapy that uses an individual’s own tumor-fighting immune cells could potentially be used to treat people with metastatic breast cancer, according to results from an ongoing clinical trial led by Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch.

All about the drive: A rare kidney cancer meets its match at NIH

On New Year’s Eve, 2020, Katie Coleman was diagnosed with a very rare form of advanced kidney cancer. She enrolled in a clinical trial led by a collaborative CCR team that gave her the opportunity to have surgery in hopes of removing her tumors.

Clinical trial researches drug combination with immunotherapy for mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare, fast-growing cancer that forms in membranes that surround and protect the heart, lungs and abdomen. The cells of malignant mesothelioma express large amounts of mesothelin, a cancerous protein. Investigators are researching a mesothelin-targeting drug in combination with immunotherapy.

GPC3 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma

Clinical trial targets cell surface protein GPC3 to treat advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Tim F. Greten, M.D., Deputy Chief of the Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, is leading a study of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, a common type of liver cancer with a poor prognosis. The research uses CAR T-cell therapy to target GPC3-positive tumor cells while avoiding healthy tissue.

Ibrutinib improves survival for younger people with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

New evidence suggests that adding the drug ibrutinib to a standard chemotherapy regimen can improve how long some younger people with a specific form of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma live. The findings come from a new analysis led by Louis M. Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, of a previous phase III clinical trial.

Clinical trial studies breast cancer drug abemaciclib as a therapy for Kaposi sarcoma

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare cancer that causes patches of abnormal tissue to develop in different regions of the body, and lesions in the lungs, liver, or digestive tract can be life-threatening. Investigators are studying abemaciclib, a drug used for people with breast cancer, to see if it can positively impact those with KS.

Clinical trial evaluates new combination therapy for virus-associated malignancies

Several viruses can cause cancer and less toxic and more effective treatments are urgently needed for these cancers. Kathryn A. Lurain, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Research Physician in the HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, is leading a trial of a combination treatment for virus-associated malignancies.

Clinical trial studies targeted therapy for PARP-resistant tumors and chemotherapy-resistant small cell lung cancer

Anish Thomas, M.B.B.S., M.D., Lasker Clinical Research Scholar in the Developmental Therapeutics Branch, is leading a study using a berzosertib-sacituzumab govitecan combination to target ATR, a key protein involved in an alternative DNA repair pathway used by chemotherapy and PARP inhibitor-resistant cancer cells.

brain tissue before exposure to the experimental nanoparticles

Immunotherapy studied in clinical trial for glioblastoma or gliosarcoma

Adults with glioblastoma (GBM) or gliosarcoma may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center. GBM and gliosarcoma tumors can suppress the immune system so immune cells cannot work effectively within the brain. Mark Gilbert, M.D., Chief of the Neuro-Oncology Branch, is leading a study to see if this suppression can be reversed with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Clinical trial evaluates reduced dosing of cyclophosphamide to prevent severe acute graft-versus-host disease

Christopher G. Kanakry, M.D., Lasker Clinical Research Scholar in the Experimental Transplantation and Immunotherapy Branch, is leading a study that may help people with cancers that begin in blood-forming tissue who are at high risk for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following bone marrow transplant. This study will evaluate if reduced dosing of cyclophosphamide is effective in preventing severe acute GVHD.

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