Clinical Research Directory

Patient Navigation for Improving Transition Success Among Multiply Disadvantaged Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

The goal of this clinical trial is to improve the successful healthcare transition from pediatric to adult-focused care for childhood cancer survivors. The main questions it aims to answer are * Receipt of the intervention (vs. standard of care control) will increase the proportion of CCS achieving transition success to adult-focused survivorship care from 50% to 70%. * Receipt of the intervention (vs. standard of care control) will significantly reduce patients' unmet HRSN. * Intervention effectiveness will be moderated by sociodemographic factors (gender, race/ethnicity, insurance status), medical risk for late effects, HRSN burden, and patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, self-efficacy). Researchers will compare those that receive intervention versus standard of care. Patients are randomized to either an intervention group, receiving structured PN-led sessions and tailored support for care transitions, or a control group receiving standard follow-up by a nurse case manager. High-HRSN patients in the intervention arm get monthly check-ins and coordinated handoffs to adult care providers for continuity.

Musical Training: Promoting Brain Function in Children Who Have Survived Brain Tumours

This study aims to understand whether learning music can help improve brain function and quality of life in children who have recovered from brain tumours. A total of 236 children will join the study. Some of them will receive regular medical care, while others will take part in a music training program using the ukulele. The music program will last for one year and includes both in-person group classes and online individual sessions. The investigators will assess how well the children can think, remember, and focus before and after the training. The investigators will also ask about their daily life and well-being. This study hopes to show that music training can be a fun and helpful way to support recovery in childhood brain tumour survivors.

Ultrafast Whole Genome Sequencing for Childhood Cancer

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUHNFT) is the Principal Treatment Centre for the East of England region, responsible for 120-150 patients \<16 years with a new diagnosis of paediatric malignancy annually; leukaemia comprises \~25% of these cases. Current molecular diagnosis of subgroups of childhood malignancies, particularly leukaemia, is based on flow cytometry, fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) and single nucleotide polymorphim (SNP) arrays, for which the usual turnaround time (TAT) is 7-14 days. In the current era of access to targeted therapy, rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients in high-risk molecular subgroups is critical for improving outcomes. Children and adolescents with Philadelphia-chromosome positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) have significantly improved survival when treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Patients with Ph+-like mutations (10- 20% of paediatric ALL), also have a poor prognosis, requiring escalation of treatment and addition of targeted therapy. Rapidly identifying MYCN amplification is also of critical prognostic importance in embryonal tumours of childhood including neuroblastoma (25%) and medulloblastoma, and directly impacts on treatment from the outset of the patient journey. Overnight whole genome sequencing (WGS) entails taking an additional 5ml Peripheral Blood (PB) and Bone Marrow (BM) samples after samples for routine diagnostic workup have been collected, and could replace current standard of care (SOC), which has a median turnaround time (TAT) of up to 28 days, and up to 84 days for specific gene mutations, which can delay appropriate prognostication and management of high-risk patients. Rapid, point of care information on somatic and germline mutations will allow early risk stratification and expedite treatment for high-risk patients with cancer.