RECRUITING

Comparative Effectiveness of Palliative Surgery Versus Additional Anti-Seizure Medications for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a serious and rare form of epilepsy that begins in infancy and early childhood. Seizures and their consequences need medical attention, emergency encounters, and hospitalizations. Seizures disrupt home life for the patient and for family. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is typically accompanied by disabilities in motor, communication, eating, and other skills needed for daily function. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) has no cure. Although current treatments may help reduce the number of seizures, none are expected to eliminate them entirely; these treatments are palliative. The main treatments include anti-seizure medications and some surgical approaches, including the implantation of a vagus nerve stimulator (a pacemaker-like generator implanted in the chest wall and programmed by a physician to stimulate the vagus nerve in the neck) and corpus callosotomy (cutting through the band of fibers that connect the two sides of the brain). While both types of treatment (medications and surgeries) produce some benefit by reducing how often the seizures occur, both also have some risks. All medications can, in some patients, produce moderate to severe side effects. This is true of anti-seizure medications. Most patients with LGS take several anti-seizure medications at a time. Surgeries can also have associated risks and is additionally stressful for parents and family members. Currently, there is no strong evidence to support parents and physicians in deciding which type of treatment (more medicines or surgery) will be most successful for a child with LGS, and whether one or the other approach may lessen the toll that seizures take on a child's development and ability to function. This study has two components. It will engage a network of seven pediatric hospitals in the United States where children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome are cared for and determine whether seizure-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations are more likely to be reduced following the use of additional medications or adding palliative surgery to existing medications. The investigators will determine whether medical versus surgical treatment is more likely to lessen some of the developmental and functional difficulties that affect patients with LGS. The study will also determine whether starting therapies at a younger versus older age makes a difference. The second component of the study will provide a description of the use of surgical versus medical treatment approaches across 18 pediatric hospitals in the United States (seven plus 11 centers). The investigators will describe how treatments differ across hospitals and over time. The results from this study will help parents and providers make more informed choices about treatment for children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and will highlight areas for improvement in providing the best possible health care for this severe, lifelong disorder.

Official Title

Comparative Effectiveness of Palliative Surgery Versus Additional Anti-Seizure Medications for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome - PCORI

Quick Facts

Study Start:2022-04-01
Study Completion:2025-08-31
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT05374824

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:Not specified to 26 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:Not specified
Standard Ages:CHILD, ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. Age 18 years or older
  2. Willing and able to provide informed consent
  3. Able to understand and follow study procedures
  4. Stable medical condition
  1. Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  2. Severe psychiatric disorders
  3. Active substance abuse
  4. Unstable medical conditions
  5. Inability to comply with study requirements

Contacts and Locations

Study Contact

Sandi Lam, MD MBA
CONTACT
312 227 4220
slam@luriechildrens.org
Marc Rosenman, MD
CONTACT
312 227 4220
mrosenman@luriechildrens.org

Principal Investigator

Sandi Lam, MD MBA
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Study Locations (Sites)

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60611
United States
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109
United States
St. Louis Children's Hospital
Saint Louis, Missouri, 63110
United States
Nationwide Children's
Columbus, Ohio, 43205
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

  • Sandi Lam, MD MBA, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2022-04-01
Study Completion Date2025-08-31

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2022-04-01
Study Completion Date2025-08-31

Terms related to this study

Keywords Provided by Researchers

  • epilepsy
  • seizure

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • Lennox Gastaut Syndrome