4 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
In 2008 a research study conducted by Dr. Barth involving 46 women determined that whole breast radiation therapy performed after a lumpectomy of borderline and malignant phyllodes tumors decreases rate of recurrence. None of the 46 participants developed a local recurrence. Based on information we have learned from research studies, we recommend whole breast radiation therapy for women with malignant and borderline phyllodes tumors after they receive a lumpectomy. New methods for delivering breast radiotherapy are being developed that allow radiation to be delivered solely to the site of the surgical resection. This is called partial breast radiation. The main advantage of partial breast radiation is that it simplifies treatment for the patient. Radiation is delivered twice a day for 5 days, rather than 5 days per week for 6 weeks. The main concern is that partial breast radiation might miss other sites of breast cancer in the breast receiving the radiation. Evidence is accumulating from research studies that partial breast radiation therapy after surgical removal of the more common type of breast cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma, the breast results in rates of local recurrence that are comparable to those seen after whole breast radiation therapy. In contrast to patients with invasive ductal cancers of the breast, it is very rare for patients to have phyllodes tumors that appear in more than one area of the breast. Review of research data determined that cancer recurrences seen in patients with phyllodes tumors that had undergone lumpectomies were almost always at the original tumor site. Therefore, partial breast radiation is likely to be as effective as whole breast radiation therapy after resection of malignant phyllodes tumors. The purpose of the study is to determine what the chances are that a phyllodes tumor will recur in the breast when the breast is treated with partial breast radiation therapy after a lumpectomy.
PURPOSE: This phase II trial studied how well radiation therapy works after surgery in treating women with phyllodes tumor of the breast. RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Radiation therapy following surgery may be effective in treating patients with phyllodes tumor of the breast.
This is a study to assess the combination of PXD101 and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)in patients with advanced solid tumors. The primary goal of the study is to understand the safety, anti-tumor activity, and how the study drug behaves within the body when given with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU).
This study is for patients with neuroblastoma, sarcoma, uveal melanoma, breast cancer, or another cancer that expresses a substance on the cancer cells called GD2. The cancer has either come back after treatment or did not respond to treatment. Because there is no standard treatment at this time, patients are asked to volunteer in a gene transfer research study using special immune cells called T cells. T cells are a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection. The body has different ways of fighting infection and disease. No single way seems perfect for fighting cancers. This research study combines two different ways of fighting cancer: antibodies and T cells. Both antibodies and T cells have been used to treat patients with cancers. They have shown promise but have not been strong enough to cure most patients. We have found from previous research that we can put a new gene into T cells that will make them recognize cancer cells and kill them. In our last clinical trial we made a gene called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) from an antibody that recognizes GD2, a substance found on almost all neuroblastoma cells (GD2-CAR). We put this gene into the patients' own T cells and gave them back to 11 neuroblastoma patients. We saw that the cells did grow for a while, but started to disappear from the blood after 2 weeks. We think that if T cells are able to last longer they may have a better chance of killing GD2 positive tumor cells. Therefore, in this study we will add a new gene to the GD2 T cells that can cause the cells to live longer. T cells need substances called cytokines to survive and the cells may not get enough cytokines after infusion. We have added the gene C7R that gives the cells a constant supply of cytokine and helps them to survive for a longer period of time. In other studies using T cells, investigators found that giving chemotherapy before the T cell infusion can improve the amount of time the T cells stay in the body and therefore the effect the T cells can have. This is called lymphodepletion and we think that it will allow the T cells to expand and stay longer in the body, and potentially kill cancer cells more effectively. The GD2-C7R T cells are an investigational product not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The purpose of this study is to find the largest safe dose of GD2-C7R T cells, and also to evaluate how long they can be detected in the blood and what affect they have on cancer.