Clinical Research Directory

Tart Cherry Juice as a Dietary Supplement for the Prevention of Paclitaxel-Induced Neuropathy

This is a single institution phase II randomized study evaluating the potential benefits of a supplement, tart cherry juice at high- versus low-doses, to prevent taxane induced peripheral neuropathy in breast and ovarian cancer patients undergoing paclitaxel chemotherapy. Eligible participants enrolled onto the study will be block randomized in a 1:1 allocation to either the tart cherry juice high-dose group (Arm 1) or the tart cherry juice low-dose group (Arm 2).

With Love, Grandma ("Con Cariño, Abuelita") Pilot Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a digital (web and mobile-phone-based) program to improve lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, dietary intake) among Hispanic female cancer survivors and adult daughters.

Onco-primary Care Networking to Support TEAM-based Care

The proposed ONE TEAM Study is an 18-month, cluster randomized controlled trial. This study will use a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) design with a second randomization for the intervention group using a dynamic treatment regimen approach. The investigators propose to randomize 800 adults with newly-diagnosed selected cancers treated with curative intent (breast, prostate, colorectal, endometrial, non-small cell lung, and endometrial) and with \>1 selected cardiovascular disease (CVD) comorbidity (hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia). Participants will be enrolled through Duke Cancer Institute and two community-based oncology practices, both settings serving socio-demographically diverse populations. The unit of randomization will be the PCP clinic; there will be \~80 PCP clinics across North Carolina involved in the study. The overarching goals of this study are to improve chronic disease management and communication among cancer survivors by engaging PCPs as active members of the cancer care team and reframing the message to cancer survivors and providers. A diversity supplement with retrospective and qualitative components has been added to abstract older adults with solid tumors who underwent cancer surgery at DUHS. Aims include (1) to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular complications ≤90 postoperative days among older adults with solid tumors undergoing surgery, and its association with care coordination between surgical providers and PCPs ; (2) to develop a risk index for cardiovascular complications ≤90 days of surgery among older adult patients with a solid tumor; and (3) to Assess experience and perceptions of PCPs on care coordination with surgical providers of older adults with a solid tumor following cancer surgery.

Plant-based Diets and Risk of Cancer in the Adventist Health Study-2

The Adventist Health Study-2 is a long-term study, exploring the links between lifestyle, diet, and disease outcomes among Seventh-day Adventists. More than 96,000 church members from the U.S. and Canada are participating in the current study, AHS-2, conducted by researchers at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health.

SYNERGY-AI: Artificial Intelligence Based Precision Oncology Clinical Trial Matching and Registry

International registry for cancer patients evaluating the feasibility and clinical utility of an Artificial Intelligence-based precision oncology clinical trial matching tool, powered by a virtual tumor boards (VTB) program, and its clinical impact on pts with advanced cancer to facilitate clinical trial enrollment (CTE), as well as the financial impact, and potential outcomes of the intervention.

Evaluation of the Medical Service by Socio-aesthetics in Oncology

the 3-year randomized controlled RCT-SE study aims to investigate Socio-aesthetics well being care on quality of life, pain and anxiety. The primary objective is to show that socio-aesthetics well being care improves quality of life during cancer treatment, compared to self care administration of dermo-cosmetics products The secondary objectives are to show that socio-aesthetics well being care significantly reduced anxiety and pain compared to self care administration of dermo-cosmetics products

Clinical Validation of an MCED Test in Symptomatic Populations (K-ACCELERATE)

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of blood-based SPOT-MAS test in symptomatic individuals, the investigators sought to launch a prospective multicenter study, named K-ACCELERATE. The study aims to recruit 1,000 participants who develop symptoms and signs specific to the top five common cancer types including breast, colorectal, gastric, liver and lung cancer. Primary objective: Evaluate the performance of the SPOT-MAS test in detecting cancer in symptomatic populations. Secondary objectives: Evaluate the feasibility of incorporating SPOT-MAS as a triage test into primary care to increase the detection rates of malignant cancer while minimizing unnecessary referrals to invasive procedures.

Exercise in Triple- Negative Breast Cancer

This is a prospective, randomized, controlled mono-center study investigating the effects of a combined, supervised aerobic exercise and resistance training in female patients with newly diagnosed, therapy-naive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC, stage I-III) between 18 and 50 years of age scheduled for anthracycline-based chemotherapy and immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. All patients will receive smart watches for rhythm monitoring. Patients will be randomized (1:1) into a control group, receiving 24 weeks of standard exercise recommendations during neoadjuvant therapy, and an intervention group receiving 24 weeks of home-based, video-supervised exercise training consisting of endurance and resistance training. The primary endpoint is the change of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) between baseline and 24 weeks in the groups. Secondary endpoints include changes of physical function (short physical performance battery, SPPB), as well as cardiac biomarkers, quality of life, and changes of strength of the upper and lower body between baseline and 24 weeks. In addition, variables of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), resting and stress echocardiography, and burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) will be assessed. All changes in variables will be analyzed from baseline until 52 weeks as well. Both groups will receive standard exercise recommendations after 24 weeks and will be followed-up by clinical examination after 52 weeks. Echocardiographic variables (at rest and during exercise), quality of life, CPET, SPPB, strength testing, burden of AF, and cardiac biomarkers will be assessed. Changes between the end of the intervention period 24 weeks after diagnosis and the end of follow-up after 52 weeks will be analyzed. In addition, changes in variables between baseline and 52 weeks will be analyzed. As an exploratory endpoint the incidence of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) and immune-checkpoint inhibitor- associated myocarditis (ICI-myocarditis) will be assessed after 24 and 52 weeks.

Aim 3, Adapting and Implementing Evidence-based Breast Cancer Follow-up in Primary Care

This mixed methods study evaluates the effectiveness of an organizational intervention to enhance implementation of strategies to increase breast cancer survivorship symptom and risk management.

Unified Barlow Protocol (UP) in Cancer Survivors for Cognitive Impairments

Background: Cognitive impairment appears frequently in cancer survivors, negatively affecting the quality of life and emotional well-being of patients. This study compares the effectiveness of a well-established treatment (cognitive rehabilitation) with the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) to alleviate these cognitive deficits and evaluate its effect on anxiety-depressive symptoms and the quality of life of survivors. Methods: A three-arm randomized superiority clinical trial, with a pre-post and follow-up repeated measures and intergroup design with a 1:1:1 allocation ratio will be carried out. A hundred and twenty-three breast cancer survivors with mild to moderate cognitive impairment will be randomly assigned to one of the interventions of the study: cognitive rehabilitation intervention group, an intervention group with UP intervention, or a control group on the waiting list. The primary outcome is to observe a significant improvement in cognitive function and quality of life in both intervention groups and a significant decrease in emotional impairments in comparison with the waitlist group. These results will be maintained at six months of follow-up. Discussion: The aim of this work is to test the efficacy of the Unified Barlow Protocol in reducing cognitive deficits in breast cancer survivors. The results of this trial may be useful in reducing the presence of cognitive problems in survivors and improving their emotional state and quality of life.

Older Breast Cancer Patients: Risk for Cognitive Decline

The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of systemic therapy on cognition in older breast cancer patients, explore change in APE, LM and Cognition domains, measure associations between cognitive decline and QOL, and describe how genetic polymorphisms, inflammatory biomarkers, sleep and physical measures moderate cognitive outcomes. This study is being done nationally, with recruiting sites at Georgetown University, Montgomery General Hospital, Virginia Cancer Specialists, Washington Hospital Center, Reston Breast Care Specialists, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Moffitt Cancer Center, City of Hope National Medical Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Indiana University and University of California, Los Angeles.

Integrated Patient Avatars for Guiding Systemic Therapy Treatments in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

The investigators propose to use clinically validated patient avatar technology ("PDXovo") that can test multiple drugs against patients' cancers to identify the most promising systemic therapy for each individual.

Family History App in Personalized Medicine

A complete family history (FH) may identify persons at high risk for certain conditions. They can be offered genetic testing and life-saving screening and treatment. In practice, complete FH is rarely collected or entered into the electronic medical record (EMR). The Family History Screening Questionnaire is a survey patients complete to tell whether they are at increased risk of specific cancers, heart disease or diabetes. We will test a new way to record FH that includes an app to improve use of FH by family physicians and patients. The strategy includes education for patients and physicians about the importance of FH; patient completion of the FH questionnaire prior to appointments; and prompts in the EMR. We expect this to help family physicians and patients interpret FH and make the best decisions. We will assess the proportion of patients with new EMR FH information. We will explore if the strategy increases appropriate referrals for screening and genetic consultation for those at increased FH risk. We will also obtain patients' and physicians' feedback on this strategy. This new approach may improve FH information exchange between patients and physicians, encourage shared decision-making and reduce cancer deaths and chronic disease burden.

Quest to Analyze One Thousand Humans Meditating

This study will be focused on assessing the molecular, physiological, and emotional correlates of an intensive meditation experience in the context of a retreat setting in a large 2000 plus-person cohort comprised of healthy and clinical populations.

Exercise to Prevent AnthraCycline-based Cardio-Toxicity Study 2.0 (EXACT2)

Although great progress has been made in treating breast cancer, long-term health may be impaired by cancer therapy. For example, some chemotherapy drugs (e.g., anthracyclines) are known to cause declines in heart health. While the impact can vary, some will experience substantial heart damage that may lead to heart failure and death. As these treatments are highly effective, there is a need to find ways to reduce the damaging effects while not interfering with its anticancer potential. As it is well-known that regular exercise can improve heart health, the purpose of this study is to explore the role of exercise as a heart protective therapy for breast cancer patients receiving heart damaging chemotherapy.

Exercise Effect on Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathic Pain

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) continues to be a serious healthcare concern. It is painful, persistent, resistant to conventional pain therapies, and results in long-term suffering and decreased quality of life for many cancer survivors. The role of exercise to decrease CIPN-related neuropathic pain (CIPN-NP) will be investigated, with the goal of identifying the mechanisms associated with this therapeutic approach to manage CIPN-NP.

FAST-FORWARD vs HAI5

Randomized comparison between the FAST-FORWARD schedule and the HAI5 schedule for breast cancer radiotherapy in 5 fractions.

VISION: Triple Negative Breast Cancer Sample and Clinical Data Acquisition Study

Background: Despite improvements in the treatment of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), the cancer returns in half of the women and shockingly 40% are dead within 5 years of their initial cancer diagnosis. There is an urgent need to identify reliable biomarkers of response for chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Study Aims: To update Concr's existing predictive algorithms specifically for use in women newly diagnosed with TNBC. The plan is develop technology which will predict which drug the cancer will respond best to, treatment A vs. treatment B AND how the individual's prognosis could change if treatment A is chosen overtreatment B. Study Design: The VISION study is a clinical study looking back in time (retrospective study), specifically focusing on women who were previously diagnosed with early Triple Negative breast cancer and received chemotherapy followed by curative breast surgery. The plan is to collect historical clinical data and previously collected cancer biopsy samples from up to 200 women in order to update Concr's existing treatment prediction algorithms. Hence there are no extra research biopsies needed in order to participate in the Study. Study Sites: UK and Australia Study Funding: This study is funded by the a Techbio company called Concr with support from Innovate UK (UK Government funding).