4 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses light to create pictures of living tissues and has been successfully used to generate high resolution cross-sectional images of tissue in the human eye and skin. OCT systems are now commercially available for eye and skin use, and several clinical reports on the use of OCT in the gastrointestinal tract have been published as well. The purpose of this study is to develop a high-speed noninvasive OCT probe which can be placed through an endoscope for the early diagnosis of pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. This is a pilot clinical research study that is designed to advance OCT technology, which may in the future be able to replace or augment endoscopic biopsies.
The study intervention consists of the early integration of palliative care services into standard oncology care in an outpatient setting for patients with advanced lung and non-colorectal gastrointestinal malignancies who are not being treated with curative intent. The palliative care services provided to patients randomized to the intervention will be provided by board-certified physicians and/or advanced practice nurses and will focus on the following areas: (1) developing and maintaining the therapeutic relationship with the patients and family caregivers; (2) assessing and treating patient symptoms; (3) providing support and reinforcement of coping with advanced cancer in patients and family caregivers; (4) assessing and enhancing prognostic awareness and illness understanding in patients and family caregivers; (5) assisting with treatment decision-making; and (6) end-of-life care planning.
This study is being done to find out how effective a new treatment strategy is on your cancer. In this strategy, the response your tumor has to the first cycle of therapy will help select the next treatments. We also will find out the effects, both good and/or bad, a drug called bevacizumab has on you and your tumor when given with chemotherapy.
RATIONALE: Palliative care may help patients with advanced cancer live more comfortably. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying an early intervention palliative care program to see how well it works compared to a standard care program in improving end-of-life care in patients with advanced lung , gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or breast cancer.