10 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
This study will examine whether he drug ranibizumab can slow or stop the growth of angiomas (blood vessel tumors) in patients with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL). Angiomas commonly develop in the back of the eye on the retina and the optic nerve in patients with VHL. Although these tumors are not cancerous, they may cause significant vision loss. Current treatments, including laser therapy, cryotherapy, and vitrectomy, may not be successful or possible for all patients. Ranibizumab decreases production of VEGF, a growth factor that is important for the formation of new blood vessels and that is elevated in patients with VHL. Preliminary findings from other studies suggest that ranibizumab can reduce retinal thickening caused by vessel and tumor growth and improve vision. Patients 18 years of age and older with retinal angiomas due to VHL in one or both eyes and central vision loss of 20/40 or worse may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: * Medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood tests. * Eye examination, including eye pressure measurement and dilation of the pupils to examine the retina. * Fluorescein angiography to evaluate the eye's blood vessels. For this test, a yellow dye is injected into an arm vein and travels to the blood vessels in the eyes. Pictures of the retina are taken using a camera that flashes a blue light into the eye. The pictures show if any dye has leaked from the vessels into the retina, indicating possible blood vessel abnormality. * Optical coherence tomography to measure retinal thickness. The eyes are examined through a machine that produces cross-sectional pictures of the retina. These measures are repeated during the study to determine changes, if any, in retinal thickening. * Stereoscopic color fundus photography to examine the back of the eye. The pupils are dilated with eye drops to examine and photograph the back of the eye. * Electroretinogram (ERG) to measure electrical responses generated from within the retina. For this test, the patient sits in a dark room for 30 minutes with his or her eyes patched. Then, a small silver disk electrode is taped to the forehead, the eye patches are removed, the surface of the eye is numbed with eye drops, and contact lenses are placed on the eyes. The patient looks inside an open white globe that emits a series of light flashes for about 20 minutes. The contact lenses sense small electrical signals generated by the retina when the light flashes. * Ranibizumab injections to treat ocular angiomas. Ranibizumab is injected through a needle into the eye's vitreous (gel-like substance that fills the inside of the eye). Seven injections are given over a 28-week period. Before each injection, the surface of the eye is numbed with anesthetic eye drops. This is followed by injection of another anesthetic into the lower portion of the eye in the clear tissue surrounding the white of the eye. After a few minutes, the ranibizumab is injected into the vitreous. Patients receive ranibizumab injections at the first visit (during enrollment) and again at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks after the first injection. At the 28-week visit, the doctor will determine if further treatment is needed. Patients can continue to have injections every 4 weeks until 1 year of follow-up (54 weeks). At each injection visit, participants repeat most of the tests described above to evaluate the response to treatment and return a week later for another eye examination.
This study will test the ability of the experimental drug EYE001 to reduce retinal thickening and improve vision in patients with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL). Angiomas (blood vessel tumors) commonly develop in the back of the eye on the retina and the optic nerve in patients with VHL. Although the tumors are not cancerous, they may cause significant vision loss. Current treatments, including laser therapy, cryotherapy, and vitrectomy, may not be successful or possible for all patients. EYE001 decreases production of VEGF, a growth factor that is important for the formation of new blood vessels and that is elevated in VHL. Preliminary findings from studies of other retinal diseases suggest that EYE001 can reduce retinal thickening and improve vision. Patients 18 years of age and older with retinal angiomas due to VHL in one or both eyes and central vision loss of 20/40 or worse may be eligible for this study. Participants will undergo the following tests and procedures: * Medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood tests. * Eye examination, including eye pressure measurement and dilation of the pupils to examine the retina. * Fluorescein angiography to evaluate the eye's blood vessels. For this test, a yellow dye is injected into an arm vein and travels to the blood vessels in the eyes. Pictures of the retina are taken using a camera that flashes a blue light into the eye. The pictures will reveal if any dye has leaked from the vessels into the retina, indicating possible blood vessel abnormality. * Optical coherence tomography to measure retinal thickness. The eyes are examined through a machine that produces cross-sectional pictures of the retina. These measures are repeated during the study to determine changes, if any, in retinal thickening. * Electroretinogram (ERG) to measure electrical responses generated from within the retina. For this test, the patient sits in a dark room for 30 minutes with his or her eyes patched. Then, a small silver disk electrode is taped to the forehead, the eye patches are removed, the surface of the eye is numbed with eye drops, and contact lenses are placed on the eyes. The patient looks inside an open white globe that emits a series of light flashes for about 20 minutes. The contact lenses sense small electrical signals generated by the retina when the light flashes. * Stereoscopic color fundus photography to examine the back of the eye. The pupils are dilated with eye drops to examine and photograph the back of the eye. * EYE001 injections to treat ocular angiomas. Patients receive EYE001 injections through a needle into the eye's vitreous (gel-like substance that fills the inside of the eye). Six injections are given over a 30-week period. Before each injection, the surface of the eye is numbed with anesthetic eye drops. This is followed by injection of another anesthetic into the lower portion of they eye in the clear tissue surrounding the white of the eye. After a few minutes, the EYE001 is injected into the vitreous. Patients receive EYE001 injections at the first visit (during enrollment) and again at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 weeks after the first injection. At each injection visit, participants repeat most of the tests described above to evaluate the response to treatment and return a week later for another eye examination. After the last injection, patients whose vision has improved may receive three more treatments at visits 36, 42, and 48. All participants will return for examinations at week 54 and at 2 months after their final injection.
Retinoblastoma is a childhood cancer which affects the retina of the eye. The retina is the light sensitive layer of tissue that lines the back of the eyeball; sends visual messages through the optic nerve to the brain. When only one eye is affected, this is known as unilateral retinoblastoma and when both eyes are affected, it is called bilateral retinoblastoma. Treatment for retinoblastoma is individualized for each patient and is based on the form and the stage of the disease (inside the eye or has moved outside). The main goal is always to cure the cancer, and save the life of the child. Treatments are also designed with the hope of saving the vision, while completely destroying the tumor. Therapies may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments called focal treatments. Focal treatments may be laser therapy, freezing, or heat treatments meant to shrink and kill the tumor. In this study, researchers want to investigate how different participants respond to different therapies that are individualized specifically for them. Participants will be divided into three main groups, depending on whether the disease is unilateral or bilateral, and the stage of the disease. One of the main objectives of the study is to investigate how advanced tumors in children with bilateral disease respond to a new combination of chemotherapy with topotecan and vincristine, with G-CSF support. In order to improve results, some children with very advanced disease may receive carboplatin chemotherapy given around the eye at the same time that they receive topotecan by vein. Also, because children with retinoblastoma are diagnosed so early in life and the vision may be significantly impaired, this study will investigate how children develop and how the brain adjusts and compensates for the visual deficits. Finally, this study also investigates the biology of retinoblastoma, in order to understand better how this cancer develops.
Retinoblastoma is an unusual cancer of early childhood involving tumor is both eyes or, in certain circumstances, one eye only. This condition is the result of an abnormal gene which makes both retinas (the back of the eye) vulnerable to develop multiple tumors. Growths in the eye impair vision temporarily or permanently. These tumors are malignant, which means that they can grow within the eye, spread outside of the eye, and be fatal if untreated. Standard therapy for bilateral retinoblastoma includes removal of one eye if vision cannot be save and radiation treatment of either eye in which vision might be saved. Radiation controls tumor growth in the majority of cases. Another standard method is cryotherapy (freezing a tumor to kill it). Chemotherapy (medicines used to kill tumor cells) has been used in the past for tumor in or outside the eye, but is not standard. Hyperthermia, increasing the temperature of a tumor to kill it, is widely performed, and can be done to a retinoblastoma tumor by a laser; this method is not standard. The problem with removal of an eye is that any hope of vision is lost. The problems with radiation include incomplete control of tumor, injury to the eye or surrounding tissue with decreased growth, and that (due to the abnormal retinoblastoma gene) children are very susceptible to develop other tumors, especially in the tissue which was given radiation. The doctors at Children's Memorial Hospital are using a newer form of treatment, including laser hyperthermia, chemotherapy and cryotherapy to decrease retinoblastoma tumors. Some may be controlled indefinitely, reducing the number of eyes that need radiation or removal. OBJECTIVES 1. To find out how well chemotherapy plus cryotherapy and laser hyperthermia work on retinoblastoma tumors. 2. To find out whether vision can be saved and tumors controlled without radiation or removal of the eye.
The investigators propose using retinal oximetry to assess for abnormalities in regional retinal oxygen consumption in previously- irradiated patients, and relate these abnormalities to changes in regional retinal function (i.e. visual field abnormalities). Since different regions of retina receive different radiation doses, the investigators will assess for a dose response as well.
Background: Retinal hemangioblastoma (RH) is a tumor. It grows from the retina in the eye. It can threaten a person s vision. Trans-scleral cryotherapy is used to destroy the tumors and minimize the long-term risks of vision loss. RH is a rare condition, often occurring in people with von Hippel-Lindau disease. There are no clinical trials to study how well the treatment works. Researchers want to study the medical records of people with RH who were treated at the NIH eye clinic to learn more. Objective: To analyze clinical data collected over a 20-year span to study consecutive cases of RH managed with trans-scleral cryotherapy at the NIH. Eligibility: People who took part in NIH natural history protocols for which cryotherapy of RH was performed as a standard care measure. Design: Researchers will collect and study data from participants medical charts. Participants will not be contacted because no new data is needed. Researchers were granted a waiver of informed consent for use of these medical records. To protect patient privacy, participants will be assigned an ID number. Their data will be entered into a spreadsheet in a coded fashion. The key to this code will be kept in a secure file. No patient identifying information will be used in the analysis or the publication....
During regularly scheduled appointments, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is performed on consented subjects. The OCT is a new type of camera that takes very detailed pictures inside of the eye and deeper into eye tissues. Optical Coherence Tomography imaging of intraocular tumors may lead to improved diagnosis and monitoring of tumors within the eye.
The von Hippel Lindau (VHL) gene has recently been identified as the genetic defect resulting in a syndrome of multiple neoplasias. Patients with VHL disease develop retinal angiomata, renal cysts and/or carcinomas, CNS hemangioblastomas as well as pancreatic cysts and pheochromocytomas. Investigators have shown the gene to be a tumor suppressor type proto-oncogene located at chromosomal locus 3p26. The gene includes three exons whose gene product targets a cellular transcription factor Elongin SIII. Binding of the VHL proteins to two subunits of this elongation factor inhibits transcription and may play a crucial role in the clinical development of the von Hippel Lindau phenotype.
The overall five-year goals of the project are to develop novel technology to provide actionable new information through provision of live volumetric imaging during surgery, improving surgical practice and outcomes. The investigators believe this technology will enable novel ophthalmic and other microsurgeries not possible due to current limitations in surgical visualization.
The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if sunitinib malate (SU011248) can help to control VHL. The safety of this drug will also be studied. Primary objectives: * Evaluate safety of treatment with SU011248/sunitinib malate (50 mg daily dose for 4 weeks, then 2 weeks off) for 6 months in patients with Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome (VHL) who have a measurable lesion undergoing surveillance Secondary objectives: * Evaluate efficacy of treatment with SU011248/sunitinib malate (50 mg daily dose for 4 weeks, then 2 weeks off) for 6 months in patients with VHL who have a measurable lesion undergoing surveillance Correlative objectives: * Evaluate quality of life of SU011248/sunitinib malate therapy in VHL patients * Evaluate peripheral blood lymphocyte receptor phosphorylation in VHL patients taking SU011248/sunitinib malate (optional procedure) * Correlate results of dynamic contrast-enhanced and diffusion weighted MRI and dynamic contrast enhanced CT with response and explore findings suggestive of surrogates of early response (optional procedure)