Clinical Research Directory

xPedite: A Study to Expedite DIPG and DMG Research

This study will gather data from new and existing patients with patient medical records, and patient/family/caregiver reported information to establish a clear natural history of disease suitable to serve as an external, contemporary or historical control arm for future therapeutic development programs of drugs, devices, or biologic interventions in DMG or DIPG.

Evaluating the Safety of Shortened Infusion Times for dIfferent Oncological Immunotherapie

This study is an interventional, explorative, prospective study to show whether shortening of infusion times for patients using nivolumab, pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, trastuzumab, bevacizumab, durvalumab or atezolizumab continues to be associated with an acceptable safety profile. Infusion times will be gradually shortened if tolerability allowes.

A Comparison of Static and Dynamic PET/CT (HYPOTHESIS Generation Study)

The general purpose of this initial study is to evaluate whether parametric PET/CT improves diagnosis and treatment monitoring in select diseases. The specific aim of the HYPOTHESIS GENERATION study is: 1\. To obtain and compare parametric as well as traditional static PET/CT images and determine the number of lesions identified on each type of scan.

BEhavioral and Adherence Model for Improving Quality, Health Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness of healthcaRe

Lack of adherence to treatment is a widespread issue worldwide, which leads to higher healthcare utilisation rates and even premature death. While the level of adherence may differ based on the specific condition and treatment, studies estimate that approximately 50% of medications are not taken according to the prescribed instructions. In addition, adherence rates tend to decrease even further when the treatment requires a behavioural change. Literature reviews about factors that affect people's adherence show that it is challenging to predict whom can be considered to have adherent and non-adherent behaviours. In addition, the studies highlight that it is challenging to support a person to be adherent. Based on this knowledge the BEAMER project was established (Behavioural and Adherence Model for improving quality, health outcomes and cost-Effectiveness of healthcaRe). The overall goal of the project is to improve the quality of life of individuals, enhance healthcare accessibility and sustainability, thereby transforming the way healthcare stakeholders engage with patients to understand their condition and adherence levels throughout their healthcare journey. To address the overall goal, the BEAMER project has developed a disease agnostic model named "B-COMPASS: BEAMER-COmputational Model for Patient Adherence and Support Solutions". The aim of the B-COMPASS is to identify patients' needs and preferences which enables the creation of patient-specific supports, with the intention of improving their adherence to treatment within the heterogeneity of the different disease-areas and healthcare contexts. Based on the validated BEAMER questionnaire, the B-COMPASS predicts relative adherence and offers an elicitation process of patient needs and preferences to enable targeted supports to improve patient adherence. This results in an allocation of patients to different groups based on their needs and preferences. Overall, the B-COMPASS provides patient insights that will enable more effective design of patient support, most likely resulting in better patient experience, improved adherence and lower healthcare and societal costs. So far, several activities from a technical and user perspective have already been conducted in the project to refine the B-COMPASS. This has been done by applying an iterative mixed method approach were both stakeholders (regulator, pharma, academic/research and small and medium-sized enterprises) and end users (patients, health providers and health systems) have been involved. Despite the finetuning of the B-COMPASS, the effectiveness of the B-COMPASS hinges on empirical investigations into the structural elements that impact patient behaviour and the identification of predictive factors that can assist healthcare providers' (HCP) and Research Leads in designing more effective treatment plans (the term HCPs/Research Lead include both the individuals and the institutions where care is delivered). Therefore, validation studies will be conducted to assess the B-COMPASS's performance in six therapeutic areas (cardiovascular, endocrinology, immunology, neurology, oncology and rare diseases) with patients recruited in at least Italy (FISM), Portugal (APDP and MEDIDA) Norway (AHUS), Spain (FHUNJ and FIIBAP), The Netherlands (WDO), and Germany (UDUS). The collected data will be used to evaluate the B-COMPASS's capacity to attend to a variety of needs and challenges for adherence.

Clinical Alternatives for Reducing Harm Using E-cigarettes

For patients in cancer care, quitting smoking is critical, but a significant portion of patients in cancer care refuse all components of tobacco treatment, even when offered free of charge. The proposed clinical trial will assess one harm reduction intervention, switching completely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, among oncology outpatients who smoke and refuse traditional tobacco treatment. This study is a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial among oncology outpatients at an NCI-designated cancer center who smoke and refuse all components of tobacco treatment (N=208).

Effect of Sarcopenia on the Occurrence of Toxicity Related to Anti-cancer Treatments

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effect of sarcopenic status on the occurrence of treatment-related toxicity during the first course of anti-cancer treatment in several types of cancers. The main question it aims to answer is : Is sarcopenia a predictive marker for the occurrence of toxicity in the initial phase of cancer treatment? The evaluation will focus on the body composition of the participants, assessed by impedancemetry, and on their muscular performance by standardized physical tests.

Autoimmunity After Checkpoint Blockade

The purpose of this study is to better understand how the treatment of cancer with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) leads to the development of autoimmunity. Specifically, we wish to understand the genetics and immune system features that cause a subset of cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitor therapy to develop an immune-related adverse event (irAE).

RCT of Olanzapine for Control of CIV in Children Receiving Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) are among the most bothersome symptoms during cancer treatment according to children and their parents. Most children receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC), including those receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) conditioning, experience CIV despite receiving antiemetic prophylaxis. Olanzapine improves CINV control in adult cancer patients, has a track record of safe use in children with psychiatric illness, does not interact with chemotherapy and is inexpensive. We hypothesize that the addition of olanzapine to standard antiemetics will improve chemotherapy-induced vomiting (CIV) control in children receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy

DEprescribing: Perceptions of PAtients Living With Advanced Cancer

Polymedication in palliative oncology care is a real public health problem. This phenomenon has been shown to increase the risk of iatrogenesis, reduce patients' quality of life and increase healthcare costs. For many years, health policies have been developed in geriatrics to reduce polymedication through deprescription tools. Recently, palliative care initiatives have been introduced, but without having studied the potential specificities of this population (younger, with a different care dynamic and life trajectory). It is important to better understand this population's perceptions of deprescribing in order to adapt tools/actions to make these approaches more efficient. The primary aim of this study is to investigate patients' perceptions of deprescribing in palliative cancer care, and the secondary aim is to investigate factors that may influence patients' attitudes and beliefs about deprescribing. At the same time, we will study the psychometric properties of the rPATD (Revised Patients' Attitudes Towards Deprescribing) in this population (a standardized questionnaire validated in geriatric medicine to assess patients' perceptions of deprescription).An ancillary study will be carried out to investigate the link between patients' health literacy and their perception of deprescribing (health literacy is defined as the ability to acquire, understand and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health). To meet our objectives, we will conduct a 3-year national, prospective, observational, multicenter study with an exploratory sequential mixed design. The study will comprise an initial qualitative phase. Semi-directed individual interviews using a descriptive approach will be carried out (around 25 patients, over an 8-month period). Following analysis of the qualitative data, we will then carry out a quantitative study to determine the distribution of the different profiles within this population and the factors influencing the perception of deprescription. The self-administered questionnaires, rPATD and BMQ (medication beliefs questionnaire), potentially supplemented by other items following analysis of the qualitative data, will be administered to 300 patients (over a 12-month period).The ancillary study will be carried out during this second phase, using a validated self-questionnaire to assess patients' level of literacy. Thanks to the different results, we will improve our knowledge of the perception of deprescription in palliative oncology care, in order to develop approaches adapted to the specificities of our population to reduce polymedication and thus improve the quality of life of our patients and reduce the risks of iatrogenia.

A Study to Evaluate GEH200520/GEH200521 (18F) Safety and Tolerability When Used for PET Scans in Patients With Solid Tumour Malignancies

Part A: The purpose of this part is to assess the safety of GEH200520 and GEH200521 (18F) when administered to patients with solid cancer. Subjects will be requested to complete 3 study visits: 1 screening visit, 1 imaging visit (over 24 hours) and 1 follow-up visit (7 days later). The estimated duration of Part A is 21 days. Part B: The purpose of this part of the study is to assess the imaging quality and findings as well as the safety and tolerability of GEH200520 and GEH200521 (18F) when administered to patients with cancer before and after immunotherapy treatment. Subjects will be requested to complete 7 study visits: 1 screening visit, the first imaging visit, followed by 2 immunotherapy immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment visits and 2 additional imaging and 1 follow-up visit. Two late imaging transfer expected post follow up visit. The estimated duration for subject participation in Part B is approximately 64 days.

MNPR-101-PCTA-177Lu Expanded Access Program (EAP) for Patients With Solid Tumor Cancer

The purpose of this Expanded Access Program (EAP) is to allow use of the investigational therapeutic agent, MNPR-101-PCTA-177Lu, for treatment of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR)-positive solid tumors identified via positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) with investigational imaging agent MNPR-101-DFO\*-89Zr.

Promoting Response to IMmunotherapy by Exercise in Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a supervised high intensity interval training (HIIT) program during first-line dual immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy (nivolumab plus ipilimumab) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The second aim is to generate preliminary data on the effects of exercise on the immune cell phenotype and function, gut microbiota composition, physical fitness, patient-reported outcomes and clinical outcomes. This is a two-arm randomized controlled pilot trial in which 30 patients with advanced RCC scheduled to receive first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab will be randomized in 1:1 ratio to an exercise intervention group or usual care group. The exercise intervention consists of two 60-minute supervised HIIT sessions per week, delivered by oncology-trained physiotherapists and one additional home-based moderate-intensity aerobic exercise sessions per week. The intervention starts with the first cycle of immunotherapy and continues for four treatment cycles. Participants in both groups will receive usual care and general exercise guidelines. Measurements include blood and stool sampling for microbiome and immune parameters analysis, physical fitness assessments, physical fitness monitoring, body composition measurements, and patient-reported outcomes related to quality of life, fatigue, depression, sleep and diet.

Feasibility Usability & Acceptability Study: Symptom Reporting by Children Adolescents & Young Adults w/Cancer

The purpose of this project is to pilot test an electronically delivered symptom assessment tool Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (Ped-PRO-CTCAE), completed by children/adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and caregivers and shared with their clinicians during an outpatient clinic visit, in preparation for a future test of intervention efficacy.

Fatıgue Management and Qualıty of Lıfe

Aim: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled experimental study to determine the effect of integrative therapies on fatigue management and qualiy of life in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. Materials and Methods: In the study 60 patients, 30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group were included in the sample. The intervention group was given Pranayama breathing exercise for 20 minutes before immunotherapy treatment and listened to music during immunotherapy. Study data were collected using the "Patient Information Form ", "FACT-G Quality of Life Scale " and "Hirai Cancer Fatigue Scale ". Appropriate statistical methods were used to analyze the data.

Ask Questions About Clinical Trials

The overall goal of this study is to assess the implementation of the Ask Questions about Clinical Trials (ASQ-CT) brochure, a patient-focused communication tool previously demonstrated to improve patient-provider communication about clinical trials. Participants will be given the ASQ-CT brochure at Time 1 (baseline) and participants will complete a questionnaire at three timepoints, baseline (Time 1), Pre-Research Visit (Time 2), and Post-Research Visit (Time 3).

Implementing AI-Assisted, Patient-Friendly Imaging Report Summaries to Enhance Oncology Care Delivery

The implementation of the AI-assisted radiology summary tool into clinical workflows is being conducted as part of a standard-of-care quality improvement (QI) initiative at UW Health. The evaluation of this tool's impact via structured feedback from patients and providers is being undertaken as a prospective research study.

Capillary-Venous Paired Data Collection

Capillary-venous paired data collection.

Effect of Position and Anesthetic Choice in Intraocular Pressure in Robotic GYN (Gynecologic) Oncology Patients

Steep Trendelenburg positioning and insufflation of the abdominal cavity have shown to increase intra ocular pressure. Different anesthetic techniques can alter intra ocular pressure and a small pilot study showed decrease in Intraocular Pressure (IOP) in robotic case in steep Trendelenburg with IV anesthetics (TIVA). We want to quantify the degree of change in Intraocular Pressure (IOP) in female patients undergoing robotic procedures for cancer. We want to detect the difference in increase of pressure with total IV anesthesia versus conventional balanced anesthesia

A Decisional Intervention for Older Adults With Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Their Caregivers

This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial that assesses the efficacy of a decisional intervention \[University of Rochester-Geriatric Oncology assessment for Acute myeloid Leukemia (UR-GOAL)\] compared to an attention control.

Physical Exercise During the Cancer Care Pathway

Background: Physical exercise is proven safe and effective in improving quality of life and reducing treatment-related side effects in oncology. However, patient adherence to international guidelines remains suboptimal. Investigating the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding physical activity is crucial to identifying unmet educational needs and barriers. Objective: This multicenter, cross-sectional observational study (ECOLE project) aims to assess KAP levels concerning exercise among cancer patients and explore the correlations between KAP scores and sociodemographic or clinical variables. Methods: Over a 6-month period, an anonymous online survey (Microsoft Forms) will be administered to adult cancer patients (≥18 years old) at any disease or treatment stage. A minimum sample size of 370 participants is targeted. Statistical analyses will include Descriptive Statistics, Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses to validate KAP scales, and Multivariable Logistic Regression to identify predictors of adherence (≥150 minutes/week) and perceived barriers or facilitators. Expected Results: The study will provide a comprehensive overview of physical activity perceptions and behaviors in oncology. These insights will support the design of targeted educational interventions and structured exercise programs, contributing to the development of a novel "Exercise Oncology Specialist" within supportive care teams.

New Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer Using EXPEL Concept

The investigators recently engineered a novel biomarker discovery approach that is non-destructive and fully compatible with OMICS profiling as well as routine clinical procedures (5). The latter approach - termed EXPEL - mines the interstitial tissue fluid that is the richest source of soluble, undiluted and uncontaminated biomarkers. The method notably gives access to proteins, metabolites, RNA, DNA and exosomes, thus enabling holistic biomarker discovery. Owing to its non-destructive nature, EXPEL provides for the first time both clinicians and researchers with the opportunity to analyze identical material. The investigators hypothesize that the conservation liquid used to collect cells and biopsy after endoscopic ultrasound for pancreatic biopsy could contain the tissue secretome and permit a comprehensive OMICS analysis of PDAC (all stages confounded) by using a "modified EXPEL" procedure. These are ideal conditions for EXPEL approach that will additionally to finding novel biomarkers also shed light on complex network of cancer cell-stroma interactions.

Comprehensive Segmental Revision System

Clinical Data evaluation to document the performance and clinical outcomes of the Comprehensive Segmental Revision System.

Exercise Intervention for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse effect of chemotherapy that can negatively impact patients' functional status and quality of life. This study was conducted in two phases among oncology patients receiving chemotherapy at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Chennai, India. Phase I used a descriptive survey design to determine the prevalence of CIPN. Phase II employed a randomized controlled experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured exercise program in reducing CIPN symptoms among patients with mild to moderate CIPN. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received education and supervised exercises involving lower and upper extremity movements, while the control group received routine care. Outcomes were assessed using the Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Scale before and after a 21-day intervention period.

Olanzapine in the Prevention and Treatment of Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome in Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant/Preoperative Chemotherapy

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if olanzapine works to prevent and treat anorexia-cachexia syndrome and appetite loss in cancer patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is prolonged low-dose olanzapine effective and save in: * Preventing/treating weight loss due to anorexia. * Controlling nausea/vomiting. * Maintaining anticancer therapy dose intensity? Does prolonged low-dose olanzapine improve quality of life in patients receiving neoadjuvant/preoperative chemotherapy? Participants will: Take prolonged low-dose olanzapine (2.5 mg/day) in treatment group or usual diet only in control group until surgical treatment Physical examination, anthropometric assessment, blood tests, quality of life, appetite and nutritional status assessment, abdominal CT, handgrip dynamometry before chemotherapy and after preoperative chemotherapy before surgery Physical examination, adverse events every visit Surgical complications within 30 days after surgery