13 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Currently it remains impossible to predict which smokers will get cancer. Each puff of a cigarette delivers a mixture of over 60 known carcinogens. Biomarkers that quantify carcinogen levels and metabolism are a useful tool and available to use. The purpose of this study is to assess the link between tobacco smoke carcinogen biomarkers and the risk of developing lung cancer.
This phase II trial tests how well broccoli seed and sprout extract (BSSE) also called Avmacol extra strength (ES) works to help break down (detoxification) some of the cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) that firefighters are exposed to in order to help protect cells from damage. Firefighters are routinely exposed to carcinogens during the course of their daily duties particularly from fuel leaks and smoke exposure arising from active fire rescue, structural or incidental firefighting, or burning, as well as flashover training. Fuel leaks and fires release toxic and carcinogenic substances. These substances, many of which are known carcinogens, increase the risk of cancer in firefighters. Several studies to date have demonstrated that firefighters are at an increased risk of developing various malignancies including melanoma, multiple myeloma, acute myeloid leukemia, prostate, kidney, brain, and respiratory tract cancers, among others. Broccoli extract has the potential to effectively enhance detoxification. Since acetaminophen (Tylenol or generic Tylenol) and some cancer-causing chemicals are broken down (metabolized) by the body in similar ways, this trial may help researchers learn if BSSE can help metabolize acetaminophen to understand how the body might break down these cancer-causing chemicals.
Our goal in this study is to investigate the extent of endogenous nitrosation of nornicotine in smokeless tobacco users as a function of nornicotine content in smokeless products. This study will lead to an understanding of the endogenous formation of NNN from nornicotine in humans, and will also investigate the effect of the reduction of nornicotine content in smokeless tobacco on the extent of endogenous NNN formation. The knowledge gained in this study will lead to the development of recommendations for the regulation, or potentially elimination, of nornicotine in smokeless tobacco products in order to minimize exposure to NNN in the users of these products.
The goal of this research is to determine if consuming one of two study drinks will help enhance the detoxification of multiple environmental toxicants and cancer causing agents, particularly in subjects who are null for glutathione-S-transferase M1 (GSTM1), glutathione-S-transferase T1 (GSTT1), or both. If our research supports this idea, this drink could be an inexpensive dietary component, which could promote good health.
This is a research study about the relationship between lung cancer and environmental risk factors. The purpose of this study is to try to understand the effects of trace elements such as arsenic and chromium, as well as radon on the development of lung cancer. To do this, the investigators will collect information and environmental and biologic specimens from people who live in Appalachian Kentucky who a) have lung cancer or b) don't have lung cancer and will serve as control subjects. The investigators will create a specimen repository of from these people and their residences to compare differences in many risks factors for cancer. By doing this study, the investigators hope to learn why there are more lung cancers in Kentucky's fifth Congressional District than anywhere else in the nation.
Study Design: This is a single institution pilot study to recruit 4 patients with operable pancreatic cancer scheduled for a pancreatectomy and 4 age/sex matched normal controls. Both groups will receive a single oral dose of radiolabeled MelQx followed by serial blood draws over an 8 hour period and urine collections over a 24 hour period. In addition, normal pancreatic tissue and normal small bowel tissue will be collected by Tissue Procurement from resected (waste) tissue at the time of pancreatectomy on the 4 pancreatic cancer patients.
We propose to recruit subjects scheduled for pancreatectomy as a treatment for pancreatic cancer. These subjects will ingest a very low dose of radiolabeled PhIP, a meat-derived carcinogen, and a small amount of resected tissue (waste) will be analyzed with highly sensitive technology to determine if this carcinogen binds to DNA in the pancreas.
RATIONALE: Studying samples of blood and tissue from smokers (closed to entry as of 7/15/07) and non-smokers with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors learn more about risk factors for lung cancer and may help the study of cancer in the future. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying carcinogens in lung tissue from smokers (closed to entry as of 7/15/07) and non-smokers with newly diagnosed stage I, stage II, or stage III non-small cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Currently it remains impossible to predict which smokers will get cancer. Each puff of a cigarette delivers a mixture of over 60 known carcinogens. Biomarkers that quantify carcinogen levels and metabolism are a useful tool and available to use. The purpose of this study is to assess the variability of tobacco smoke carcinogen biomarker levels over one year in a group of smokers.
BACKGROUND: Cancer of any type is a serious disease and despite all the progress made from past research, there is still much that is poorly understood at the molecular level. Recent advances in biomedical technology platforms have emerged as critical tools for accelerating personalized medicine. The collection of human tissue specimens has been an invaluable resource for conducting translational cancer research using these developing technologies. The ultimate goal is to understand the molecular indicators of cancer development and progression. While it is ideal to be able to study clinical samples, specifically tissue biopsies, they are however precious and are often difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities or numbers to conduct proteomic or molecular profiling studies. There exists, however, a vast archive of pathologically characterized clinical samples in the form of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks. The preservation of these tissue blocks and/or slides for long-term (years) storage is an important asset that aids in translational and clinical research. This protocol will describe the procedures for receiving, labeling and storing paraffin-embedded tissue blocks and/or slides until they are needed for future analysis. When blocks are ready for analysis, the requestor will then follow the IRB protocol specific to that study. OBJECTIVE: - To obtain tissue blocks and slides from outside pathology departments for cancer patients being treated at the Medical Oncology Branch (MOB) and Affiliates Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI) in order to store them for future studies and analysis (e.g., using molecular technology platforms). ELIGIBILITY: - Patients suspected of having, or with biopsy proof of malignant disease will be evaluated in the Medical Oncology Branch and Affiliates Clinics, NCI. DESIGN: * Tissue blocks and slides will be acquired from outside pathology departments and received by the Clinical Pharmacology Program of the MOB/CCR/NCI for coding. * Bar-coded tissue blocks and slides will then be transferred to the Laboratory of Pathology/CCR/NCI for proper long-term storage.
This research study is creating a way to collect and store specimens and information from participants who may be at an increased risk of developing cancer, or has been diagnosed with an early phase of a cancer or a family member who has a family member with a precursor condition for cancer. * The objective of this study is to identify exposures as well as clinical, molecular, and pathological changes that can be used to predict early development of cancer, malignant transformation, and risks of progression to symptomatic cancer that can ultimately be fatal. * The ultimate goal is to identify novel markers of early detection and risk stratification to drive potential therapeutic approaches to intercept progression to cancer.
Approximately 34 million Americans rely on private wells to supply their drinking water. Private wells are excluded from the Safe Drinking Water Act. Consequently, people who use private wells have not benefited from pollution prevention activities mandated by this law. This is a public health concern because toxic chemicals such as arsenic, nitrate, and lead are frequently detected in drinking water provided by private wells at concentrations that exceed the Safe Drinking Water Act's maximum contaminant levels. Chronic exposure to toxics in drinking water increase the risk of several chronic diseases. Several states in the U.S. have implemented or are proposing legislative policies to require testing and treatment of private wells and it is critical that public health agencies offer a program to aid homeowners with adherence to these new policies. Subsequently, there is a need to determine if individual-level interventions would be more effective for promoting behaviors that would reduce, mitigate, or eliminate exposure to contaminated well water. Lay health care workers may be able to provide cost-effective counseling to promote environmental health decision making among homeowners that have contaminated wells. This study will involve a community efficacy trial that brings together university-based researchers, State and Local agencies, and Extension Services. The community efficacy trial will be implemented by community health navigators via the Extension service. Specifically, it will involve a randomized controlled trial in Oregon to test the acceptability, fidelity, scalability and efficacy of 2 different intervention arms to reduce harmful toxicant exposures through the adoption of appropriate well water treatment. Upon completion, it will will produce a private well safety intervention program that has been tested and modified through empirical research. By capturing the costs and retaining the most efficacious intervention components, our cooperative approach has a better chance of scalability into practice across multiple stakeholders (i.e. Extension services, state health agencies). This information has the potential to reduce health disparities in rural America that are related to a household's source of drinking water.
Metabolism and DNA adduct formation are critical in cancer induction by NNK. The investigators goal is to understand whether the observed ethnic/racial differences in lung cancer incidence are due to variations in NNK metabolism. The investigators overall hypothesis is that cancer susceptibility relates to carcinogen dose and to the balance between carcinogen metabolic activation and detoxification. The investigators propose to test this hypothesis via investigation of potential differences in NNK metabolic activation and detoxification in African American and European American smokers.