8 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Investigation of the causes of genetic defects relating to hereditary urologic malignancies will be undertaken. These rare disorders result from inherited or newly arising mutations in genes involved in the development and function of different organ systems. As specific disease syndromes are recognized and the responsible genes identified, mutations in individual families can be identified. Correlation of mutation sites with clinical information will help determine how specific gene segments encode important functional protein domains. Families with urologic malignant disorders of known or suspected genetic basis will be enrolled. Genetic linkage studies will include all available family members, while gene sequence analysis will be performed on affected individuals. Unaffected family members or unrelated normal individuals will serve as controls. The family members will be identified by the proband or proband's parent when the initial pedigree is taken. Subjects considered by the investigators to be appropriate for linkage studies will be invited to participate by the local genetics provider or by the investigators, who will then connect these members to their own local providers for enrollment. In our studies of inherited urologic malignant disorders, there may be individuals from renal cancer families who do not undergo clinical evaluation for the presence of an inherited urologic malignant disorder at the National Institutes of Health because of their health problems, geographical location, or personal preference. Even though these individuals do not undergo a clinical evaluation of their suspected inherited urologic malignant disorder at the National Institutes of Health, they may have rare diseases that are extremely important to study. Therefore, we intend to collect blood samples for genetic studies from these individuals to facilitate linkage analysis and disease gene identification. Samples will be collected either by the individual's physician and sent to NIH, or will be collected by NIH physicians at either the individual's off-site location or at the NIH.
The purpose of this study is to identify affected individuals in families with prostate cancer and to use this information to identify genetic markers closely-linked to the disease gene.
This clinical trial tests whether various web-based tools can help improve communication about hereditary cancer risk in families and decrease barriers to genetic testing for relatives of patients with hereditary cancer syndromes. Between 5% and 10% of all cancers are caused by genetic changes that are hereditary, which means that they run in families. Some kinds of cancer or certain cancers diagnosed in biological relatives may mean patients are more likely to have a genetic change. Once a genetic change is identified in a family, other biological relatives can choose to undergo testing themselves to better understand their cancer risk. The uptake of genetic testing in other biological relatives once a genetic condition is identified is about 20% to 30%. The Cascade Genetic Testing Platform is a virtual tool that seeks to overcome barriers related to logistics of family communication and improve dissemination of genetic testing information which is clinically actionable for individuals at highest risk for cancer. Using the Cascade Genetic Testing Platform may improve ways to share information about hereditary risk with biological relatives.
This trial examines approaches to identify and care for individuals with inherited cancer syndrome. The purpose of this study is to offer no cost genetic testing to the general public. Researchers hope to learn the value of providing broad, public-wide testing for high risk cancer types (like hereditary breast and ovarian cancer or Lynch syndromes) instead of only testing people whose families are known to be high risk.
This clinical trial tests next generation sequencing (NGS) for the detection of precursor features of pre-myeloid cancers and bone marrow failure syndromes. NGS is a procedure that looks at relevant cancer associated genes and what they do. Finding genetic markers for pre-malignant conditions may help identify patients who are at risk of pre-myeloid cancers and bone marrow failure syndromes and lead to earlier intervention.
Selected patients suspected of having or with prior biopsy proof of malignant disease will be seen in the Urologic Oncology Branch, NCI. Blood samples may be collected at the time of the initial visit and at periodic intervals during the course of the disease. These samples will be stored in the tissue bank of the Urologic Oncology Branch. Aliquots of malignant and normal tissue will be collected at the time of surgery and stored in the tissue bank, Urologic Oncology Branch, NCI. These materials will be used in the research efforts of the Urologic Oncology Branch, NCI.
This study will look at genetic changes which occur in the development of male and female breast cancer and other cancer. It will use a new technology called DNA microarray hybridization that looks at a wide array of genes to identify disease-associated patterns in the human genome (complete set of human genes). Numerous studies have linked particular genes to a given disease, but there is very little information on patterns of gene expression (production of proteins from genetic coding) in the entire human genome. Pinpointing genetic abnormalities in disease may help classify different forms of cancer and perhaps lead to new avenues of treatment or prevention. A primary goal of this study will be to create a database of gene expression for human cancers and other disorders that will provide the basis for finding genetic abnormalities in disease. Tumors specimens used in this study will be taken from tissues biopsied from patients with breast, colon cancer, sarcomas or melanoma as part of their routine care. Patients in the study will be among those receiving care at the: Department of Oncology, University Hospital, University of Lund, Sweden (breast cancer); Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (breast cancer); Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland (melanoma), Johns Hopkins Univ. (colon cancer), Memorial Sloan Kettering (sarcoma). Patients in the study will have a family history taken and will complete a questionnaire. Some patients will be asked to have a blood test. Breast cancer patients will have a mammogram if one has not been done within the last year.
Women who are at high risk for breast cancer, either because of linkage to high risk breast and ovarian cancer families, or because of a carcinoma in the opposite breast, will be studied. Women will have a physical examination and mammography to ensure that no breast abnormalities are present. Eligible women will undergo biopsy of the breast to obtain normal breast tissue. Short-term cell cultures will be established from this tissue and early passages of the short-term cell lines will be stored. A bank of high risk normal mammary epithelial cells will be established. To further characterize the mammary epithelial cells in this population of women, cell cultures will subsequently be analyzed for their growth and metabolic properties, sensitivity to chemopreventive agents, steroid receptor characteristics, oncogene expression and regulation, and genetic changes.