Clinical Research Directory

A Study Testing the Effect of Immunotherapy (Ipilimumab and Nivolumab) in Patients With Recurrent Glioma With Elevated Mutational Burden

This phase II trial studies the effect of immunotherapy drugs (ipilimumab and nivolumab) in treating patients with glioma that has come back (recurrent) and carries a high number of mutations (mutational burden). Cancer is caused by changes (mutations) to genes that control the way cells function. Tumors with high number of mutations may respond well to immunotherapy. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies such as ipilimumab and nivolumab may help the body's immune system attack the cancer and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving ipilimumab and nivolumab may lower the chance of recurrent glioblastoma with high number of mutations from growing or spreading compared to usual care (surgery or chemotherapy).

Retifanlimab With or Without Difluoromethylornithine for the Treatment of Progressive High Grade Gliomas

This phase I/II trial tests the safety, side effects best dose and effect of retifanlimab with or without difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) for the treatment of high grade gliomas that are growing, spreading, or getting worse (progressive). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as retifanlimab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. DFMO is in a class of medications called ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of a substance that signals tumor cells to multiply. This helps stop or slow the spread of tumor cells. Giving retifanlimab with or without DFMO mat be safe, tolerable and/or effective in treating patients with progressive high grade glioma.

SIGMA (Safusidenib in IDH1 Mutant Glioma Maintenance)

This is a 3-part study. The purpose of Part 1 of the study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics of safusidenib in participants with recurrent/progressive IDH1-mutant World Health Organization (WHO) Grade 2 or Grade 3 glioma. The purpose of Part 2 will be to evaluate the efficacy of maintenance safusidenib treatment versus placebo in IDH1-mutant Grade 2 or Grade 3 astrocytoma with high-risk features or IDH1-mutant Grade 4 astrocytoma, following standard-of-care radiation or chemoradiation and adjuvant temozolomide. Part 2 will be randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. The purpose of Part 3 will be to evaluate the efficacy of safusidenib in participants with residual or recurrent IDH1-mutant Grade 3 oligodendroglioma who have received surgery as their only treatment. Part 3 will be an open-label single-arm cohort and will enroll participants concurrently with Part 2.

Intrathecal Azacitidine and Nivolumab in Patients With Recurrent High-grade Glioma

This is a single-arm open-label phase 1 dose escalation/expansion trial assessing the safety and efficacy of concurrent intrathecal azacitidine and intrathecal nivolumab in recurrent high-grade glioma.

Extensive Resection of Malignant Brain Tumors Using Advanced Imaging Techniques

Rationale: Patients with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma or grade IV IDH-mutant astrocytoma have a very poor prognosis despite standard treatment consisting of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Diffuse infiltration of the brain by the tumor is thought to be one of the main causes of this therapy-resistance. In order to improve the surgical treatment, tumor regions with lower infiltration percentages need to be identified and resected during surgery, a so-called supramarginal resection. Currently, pre-operative T1 contrast enhanced weighted (T1c) MRI is used to identify the tumor for resection. We recently found the combination of apparent diffusion coefficient MRI and O-(2-\[ 18F\]fluoroethyl-)-L-tyrosine positron emission tomography (ADC/FET) to be significantly more accurate than T1c MRI alone in the detection of tumor infiltration. This makes ADC/FET a suitable candidate to guide supramarginal resection. Since FET PET is not as accessible and widely available as MRI, identification of an MRI based alternative could result in a more widespread implementation. Amide proton transfer chemical exchange saturation transfer (APT-CEST) MRI is a novel potential alternative for FET PET, since both measures are related to protein content. Objective: In this project we aim to develop a safe and effective technique for ADC/FET guided resection of IDH-wildtype glioblastoma and grade IV IDH-mutant astrocytoma. The safety concerns neurological deficits and time to start of adjuvant therapy, while the effectiveness is aimed at the extent of resection. Our secondary aim is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of APT-CEST MRI and to assess whether APT-CEST MRI can serve as an alternative for FET PET for the detection of tumor infiltration. Study design: prospective observational intervention study Study population: 30 patients with clinical and radiological diagnosis of an untreated high grade glioma (suspected for glioblastoma (IDH wildtype) or grade IV astrocytoma (IDH mutant)), who are eligible for a supramarginal surgical resection and adjuvant treatment according two neurosurgeons in consensus and who are in relatively good condition (Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) ≥70). Intervention (if applicable): supramarginal ADC/FET-guided resection. To make sure that the standard treatment is always guaranteed, T1c MRI abnormalities will be included in the surgical target. Main study parameters/endpoints: the main study endpoint is the optimization of ADC/FET-guided resection. Volumetric and percentual extent of resection, as measured with MRI and PET imaging, combined with surgery-induced morbidity will be used as outcome parameters. The secondary study parameters will be the histopathology-based diagnostic accuracy of APT-CEST MRI in comparison with FET PET, cognitive performance over time and progression free survival. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: participants will undergo pre- and postoperative MRI scanning. This is also part of regular clinical care, except there are additional MRI sequences including APT CEST in the pre-operative and pre-radiotherapy MRI. There are no risks associated with MRI acquisition after MRI safety screening. Participants will furthermore undergo a pre- and postoperative FET PET. The risks associated with PET scanning are limited, and the radiation burden will remain below 10 mSv (ICRP62 category intermediate risk (level IIb)). During surgery, biopsies are performed from areas that will be resected, so these biopsies will not introduce any extra risk. A potential benefit is the possibility of the removal of more tumor tissue. A potential risk is the additional removal of healthy brain tissue with the risk of neurological damage, which is controlled by pre- and intraoperative techniques such as visualization of white matter tracts and mapping (both asleep and awake) of critical functions such as language and control of strength.