Oncology (Medical)

Below are current clinical trials.

Filter this list of studies by location, status and more.

1. Innovative CAR-TIL immunotherapy against melanoma

   Jacksonville, Fla.

   The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a revolutionary cellular immunotherapy strategy that has transformed the treatment of B cell malignancies by engineering T cells to recognize B cell specific tumor markers; however, attempts to treat solid tumors with CAR T-cells have identified unique challenges that have rendered CAR T cells less effective against these tumors. Conventional CARs are designed to target tumor-associated antigens, but antigenic heterogeneity and the variable nature of surface antigen expression provide escape mechanisms for solid tumors from CAR T-cell attack. [1, 2] The solid tumor stroma acts as an immunosuppressive cloud that impedes the homing of peripheral CAR T-cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME). The hostile TME can also drive CAR T-cells to functional exhaustion and metabolic dysfunction, thus blunting the therapeutic efficacy of CAR T-cells.[3] Oncolytic viruses or radiation that generate local inflammation in the TME have been shown to promote T cell homing and infiltration [4] but do not address the exhaustion of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The PD-1/PD-L1 cascade allows tumors to evade the immune system by suppressing T cell function within the TME. [5, 6] An ideal adoptive cellular therapy must possess the ability to not only return to the site of the tumor but must also retain cytotoxic potential after a recognition event. We present here a CAR design that allows PD-1 to recognize PD-L1 on the tumor; however, the intracellular CAR design is one that results in T cell activation as opposed to inhibition. We hypothesize that targeting melanoma with a PD-1 (MC9324) CAR TIL therapy would capitalize on the tumor homing machinery of the TIL to drive the CAR TIL to the tumor where engagement of the PD-1 domain of the CAR with PD-L1 on the tumor cell would result in T cell cytotoxic killing.

2. A Study to Evaluate Bleomycin, Carboplatin, Etoposide, or Cisplatin in Treating Pediatric and Adult Patients with Germ Cell Tumors

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to evaluate how well bleomycin, carboplatin, etoposide, or cisplatin work in treating pediatric and adult patients with germ cell tumors. Active surveillance may help doctors to monitor subjects with low risk germ cell tumors after their tumor is removed. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as bleomycin, carboplatin, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading.

3. Tebentafusp Regimen Versus Investigator's Choice in Previously Treated Advanced Melanoma (TEBE-AM)

   Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of tebentafusp-based regimens tebentafusp monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD1) vs investigator choice (including clinical trials of investigational agents, salvage therapy per local standard of care (SoC), best supportive care (BSC)) on protocol survivor follow up) in patients with advanced non-ocular melanoma.

4. A Survey of Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma Patient Environment

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to determine the association of environmental, geographic factors, as well as presence of comorbidities associated with hypoxia with development of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL), location of PPGL, and number of PPGL.

    

5. Establishment of Preclinical Models from Patients with Gynecological Malignancies

   Rochester, Minn., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   Effective treatments for recurrent gynecological cancer are lacking, and there is a need for novel therapeutic options. One of the barriers to improving outcomes in this subgroup of patients is the paucity of tumor models that can mimic patient characteristics to study novel therapies. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are considerate the most representative pre-clinical model of human cancer, recapitulating the key characteristics of the original patient tumor. Other preclincal models to test drug effcicacy includes ex vivo 3D culture and 2D culture systems. In this study, we make and test preclinical models of gynecological cancers (ovarian, fallopian tube, peritoneal, uterine, vulvar, cervix, and vaginal) of any histologic subtype using surplus tumor specimens obtained at the time of routine tumor biopsy procedure, or clinically-indicated surgery.

6. Hypo-fractionated Proton Radiation Therapy With or Without Androgen Suppression for Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer

   Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   The purpose of this study is to compare the effects, good and/or bad of two treatment methods on subjects and their cancer. Proton beam radiation therapy is one of the treatments for men with prostate cancer who have localized disease. The benefit of the combination with androgen suppression is not completely understood. This study will compare the use of hypofraction proton therapy (28 treatments) alone to proton therapy with androgen suppression therapy.

7. A Study of a New Way to Treat Children and Young Adults With a Brain Tumor Called NGGCT

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to monitor outcome to ensure that children and young adults with localized central nervous system (CNS) non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCT) treated with Induction chemotherapy followed by response evaluation and whole ventricular + spinal canal irradiation (WVSCI) will maintain the excellent 2-year progression free survival (PFS) rate as compared to ACNS0122. Also, to improve disease control by decreasing the number of spinal relapses for patients who achieve a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) and receive WVSCI as compared to whole ventricular radiation on ACNS1123.

8. Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients Who Have Participated in Children's Oncology Group Studies

   Rochester, Minn.

   This clinical trial is studying long-term follow-up in patients who are or have participated in Children's Oncology Group studies. Developing a way to track patients enrolled in Children's Oncology Group studies will help doctors gather long-term follow-up information and may help the study of cancer in the future.

9. An Expansion Study to Evaluate Dose Escalation, Safety and Tolerability of SAR444881 in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

   Rochester, Minn., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of SAR444881 alone and in combination with pembrolizumab or with cetuximab. The study will enroll advanced cancer patients with unresectable or metastatic disease who are refractory to or are not candidates for standard approved therapy and will be comprised of two parts - an initial "3 + 3" dose escalation phase (Part 1) with Sub-Parts 1A (monotherapy SAR444881), 1B (SAR444881 in combination with pembrolizumab) and 1C (SAR444881 in combination with cetuximab) followed by a dose optimization/expansion phase (Part 2), including Sub-Part 2A (Dose Optimization) with Cohorts A1 (SAR444881 in combination with pembrolizumab, carboplatin, and pemetrexed), A2 (SAR444881 in combination with pembrolizumab), B1 (SAR444881 in combination with pembrolizumab and later therapy), and C1 (SAR444881 in combination with cetuximab and later therapy), as well as Sub-Part 2B (Dose Expansion) with Cohort D1 (monotherapy SAR444881).

10. 3D Ultrasound for the Imaging of Axillary Lymph Nodes in Patients With Breast Cancer

    Rochester, Minn.

    The overall goal of this project is to study a new 3D ultrasound imaging technology for evaluation of axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer.