Clinical Research Directory

Registry of Minimally Invasive Cancer Treatment Using Spectral Angio-CT Image Guidance

This study collects data from patients undergoing minimally invasive, image-guided cancer treatments at participating hospitals in the Netherlands and France. All treatments are performed as standard clinical care and include procedures such as tumor ablation and catheter-based treatments of cancer in the liver, kidney, lung, and bone. During these procedures, a spectral angio-CT system is used for image guidance. This advanced CT scanner automatically captures additional imaging information beyond what is used in routine clinical decision-making. The goal of this study is to investigate how this additional imaging information is associated with treatment outcomes, and how it can be used in the future to improve treatment planning, procedural guidance, and prediction of treatment results. No experimental interventions are performed. Participation does not alter the treatment or follow-up patients receive. Data are collected from medical records and imaging systems and stored securely for analysis.

Electrochemotherapy in Musculoskeletal Tumors

The study involves the enrollment of patients over 2 years of age with a diagnosis of musculoskeletal tumors and an indication for electrochemotherapy, treated at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna and followed during outpatient follow-up. Data will be collected from medical records, outpatient reports, and imaging studies including CT, X-ray, MRI, and/or PET. For the retrospective part of the study, patients treated at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute from 01/01/2024 to the date of approval of this study will be included. For the prospective part, patients meeting the inclusion criteria and treated from the study start date until 31/12/2030 will be enrolled.

Biomechanics of Metastatic Defects in Bone

The purpose of this study is to monitor fracture risk associated with bone tumors in cancer patients. Previous studies from our lab have suggested that it is possible to compute the mechanical strength of bones with tumors using computed tomography (CT) scans, which are like three-dimensional X-ray pictures of the affected bones. The next step in determining the usefulness of this type of strength analysis is to see if we can accurately predict who is at risk for bone fracture and which patients are at high risk of fractures. This non-invasive analysis may help physicians determine the best treatment to reduce the risk of an impending bone fracture in the future.