Oncology (Medical)

Below are current clinical trials.

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

1. A Study of Proton Versus Photon Beam Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Unilateral Head and Neck Cancer

   Rochester, Minn.

   Compared to IMRT, PBRT is thought to give less radiation exposure to the surrounding healthy tissues. It is possible that side effect rates with PBRT will be lower or the same compared to IMRT, but this has not been well studied to date. Although both of these radiation therapies have been used in the past to treat head and neck cancer, this research study will compare the effects of these two different radiation treatment modalities with each other to see whether PBRT is better, the same or worse than IMRT.

2. A Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Determine the Optimal Dose for the Expansion Cohorts of VSV-IFNβ-NIS in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Patients with Refractory Solid Tumors

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of VSV-IFNβ-NIS in combination with pembrolizumab, followed by expansion to examine effectiveness of combination therapy in patients with refractory Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) or Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

3. Effectiveness of Nurse-based Care Coordination on Readmissions among Primary Care Patients: a Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to evaluate nurse-based care coordination compared to usual care on 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rates among high risk patients.

    

4. Low Dose Aspirin for the Prevention of Postpartum Related Breast Cancer

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

   The purpose of this study is to test whether a short course of aspirin can change the markers of inflammation in patients who have a benign finding within five years of their last pregnancy, and possibly reduce their risk of future breast cancer.

5. Prehabilitation

   Rochester, Minn.

   Physical activity plays an important role in reducing the adverse effects of cancer treatment. There are few studies using prehabilitation to improve peri-operative outcomes in patients undergoing cancer surgery. This study will pilot a program of structured activity for women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the intent to improve their physical state prior to surgical intervention and thus improve outcomes.

   It has been shown that patients with advanced ovarian cancer may suffer from high levels of cancer –specific distress, depression and anxiety. It has also been proposed that psychological resilience can favorably affect psychological and treatment-related outcomes in cancer patients. Most current studied mindfulness-based interventions are limited by the time commitment required by the patient, which is difficult for patients with advanced cancer undergoing treatment, therefore we have created a virtual program that is more easily accessible by patients. 

   Frailty is thought to be mediated by senescent cells and their dynamic secretome, referred to as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Senescent cells contribute to age-related tissue deterioration, inflammation, and fibrosis. A group of novel frailty biomarkers obtained at the time of diagnosis has been examined in advanced OC patients. Preliminary data show that these biomarkers strongly correlate with the clinical frailty phenotype, and define a frail subgroup of patients with higher treatment related morbidity and worse survival. These markers may represent important surrogate clinical trial endpoints, as well as deepen the understanding of aging in women with ovarian cancer. In this pilot, these markers and other surrogate endpoints for future novel translational research in the science of aging will be explored. 

    

6. Neuroendocrine Tumors - Patient Reported Outcomes

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to partner with patients on comparative effectiveness research (CER) to achieve the goal of alleviating undue toxicity, and optimizing effectiveness and sequencing of therapy for patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET).

7. A Study to Evaluate MRTX849 in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors with KRAS G12C Mutation

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

   The purpose of this study is to characterize the safety and tolerability of MRTX849 in patients having advanced solid tumor malignancies with KRAS G12C mutation.

8. Comparison of Acute Toxicities Between Patients Treated With Protons or Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy After Surgery for the Treatment of Endometrial or Cervical Cancer

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

   The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether proton radiation therapy (proton RT) reduces acute gastrointestinal toxicities at the end of treatment compared to intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

9. A Study to See if Memantine Protects the Brain During Radiation Therapy Treatment for a Brain Tumor

   Rochester, Minn.

   This phase III trial compares memantine to usual treatment in treating patients with brain tumors that are newly diagnosed or has come back (recurrent). Memantine may block receptors (parts of nerve cells) in the brain known to contribute to a decline in cognitive function. Giving memantine may make a difference in cognitive function (attention, memory, or other thought processes) in children and adolescents receiving brain radiation therapy to treat a primary brain tumor.

    

    

10. Image-based Mapping of Brain Tumors

    Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz., Rochester, Minn.

    The purpose of this study is to combine MRI images with histologic and genetic analysis of cancer (from blood and tissue samples) to improve the overall accuracy of diagnosis and effectiveness of cancer treatment.