Clinical Research Directory

Pilot Study of Mirtazapine for the Dual Tx of Depression and CINV in High-Grade Glioma Pts on TMZ

The purpose of the study is to estimate the ability of mirtazapine to reduce depression, nausea, and vomiting, and maintain weight in depressed glioma patients undergoing Temozolomide (TMZ) therapy. Of equal importance, the investigators will monitor the tolerability of Mirtazapine in these patients over the course of the study.

Clinical Benefit of Using Molecular Profiling to Determine an Individualized Treatment Plan for Patients With High Grade Glioma

This is a 2 strata pilot trial within the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC). The study will use a new treatment approach based on each patient's tumor gene expression, whole-exome sequencing (WES), targeted panel profile (UCSF 500 gene panel), and RNA-Seq. The current study will test the efficacy of such an approach in children with High-grade gliomas HGG.

A Study Utilizing Escitalopram in Glioma Patients

Glioma is a cancer of glial cells, a class of tissue supporting neuronal function in the brain. As many as 85% of glioma patients experience cognitive impairment. This is not only from direct tumor involvement, but also from therapy such as cranial radiation and chemotherapy, which degrades neuronal function. There is evidence that serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as escitalopram, improve cognition or prevent cognitive decline and may also improve outcomes critical to overall survival including functional independence, psychosocial stability, and quality of life. This pilot study will evaluate the effectiveness of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram for treating cognitive impairment in newly diagnosed grade IV glioma over a 17 week treatment period.

Oral Capecitabine and Temozolomide (CAPTEM) for Newly Diagnosed GBM

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of administering the medication capecitabine along with temozolomide when you start your monthly regimen of oral temozolomide for the treatment of your newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Capecitabine is an oral chemotherapy that is given to patients with other types of cancer. The study will evaluate whether the dosage of 1500 mg/m2 of capecitabine is tolerable after radiation, when taken along with temozolomide. It will also try to determine if the medication capecitabine helps patients respond to treatment for a longer period of time compared to just temozolomide alone, which is the standard of care.

Longitudinal Analysis of the Health-related Quality of Life in Glioma Patients

Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors, representing at least 75% of all primary malignant brain tumors. Histopathologically, gliomas are classified into different subgroups including astrocytomas (60-70%), oligodendrogliomas (10-30%), ependymomas (\<10%) and mixed gliomas (i.e. oligoastrocytomas) depending on the cell type from which they originate. The World Health Organization currently classifies gliomas based on histopathological analysis in which the presence (or absence) and the degree of specific histopathological features determines the grade of malignancy. Grade I (pilocytic astrocytoma) and grade II (diffuse astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, mixed oligoastrocytoma, and pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma) are termed low-grade gliomas (LGGs), whereas grade III (anaplastic astrocytoma, anaplastic oligodendroglioma or anaplastic oligoastrocytoma) and grade IV (glioblastoma) represent high-grade gliomas (HGGs). Given the incurable nature of gliomas, the maintenance or improvement of the patient's quality of life are extremely important. The benefits of multimodal treatment strategies, in terms of prolonged survival or delay of progression, have to be carefully balanced against the side effects of the treatment, which may adversely influence patient's functioning and well-being during his/her remaining life span. Measuring a brain tumor patients functioning and well-being goes far beyond assessing (progression-free) survival or tumor response to treatment on imaging. A more integrated way to measure patients functioning and well-being is the assessment of a patient's health-related quality of life (HRQOL). HRQOL is defined as a personal self-assessed ability to function in the physical, psychological, emotional, and social domains of day-to-day life. The main goal of this study is to perform a large-scale, prospective and long-term analysis of the HRQOL in patients diagnosed with glioma.

Glioma Microenvironment an Exploratory Study

Diffuse glioms are primary brain tumors characterized by infiltrative growth and high heterogeneity, which render the disease mostly incurable. Advances in genetic analysis revealed that molecular and epigenetic alterations predict patients´s overall survival and clinical outcome. However, glioma tumorigenicity is not exclusively caused by its genetic alterations. The crosstalk between tumor cells and the surrounding microenvironment plays a crucial role in modulating glioma growth and aggressiveness. In this sense, to understand the tumor microenvironment would elucidate potential treatment alternatives. The focus will be to evaluate myeloid cells and cytokines levels.

Azoles Targeting Recurrent High Grade Gliomas

High-grade gliomas are the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer. Scientists don't fully understand how they grow and spread, and treatments haven't improved much in recent years. However, it's been discovered that these cancers rely heavily on using glucose to maintain their cancerous traits. In lab tests, drugs from the azole class, which target a key step in glucose metabolism, have shown promise in reducing tumor growth in these cancers. Researchers now want to test two of these drugs, ketoconazole and posaconazole, in patients with recurring high-grade gliomas. A small group of these patients will receive either one or several doses of these drugs before undergoing surgery. During the surgery, doctors will measure how much of the drug is present in the brain. They will also study how the drug affects the tumor, particularly its ability to process glucose. This research aims to provide initial insights into how these drugs work in patients with this type of brain cancer, which could guide future research and treatment strategies.

Neuropsychological and Oncological Outcomes in Grade 2 or 3 Glioma Patients Undergoing Postoperative Modern Radiotherapy

Background: Infiltrative low grade gliomas (LGGs) are the most common primary central nervous system malignancies excluding the highest grade glioma, glioblastoma multiforme. Craniotomy with maximal safe tumor resection is endeavored to achieve longer survivals in LGG patients. Unfortunately, due to the infiltrative nature of gliomas and the frequent tumor location in eloquent areas, gross total resection is usually not applicable. According to National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2015 guidelines, postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) is recommended for most adult patients with low-grade infiltrative LGGs in order to enhance local control and prolong progression-free survival (PFS), except those who are no older than 40 years of age and in whom maximal safe resection is not feasible. However, brain irradiation-related neurocognitive function (NCF) sequelae are potentially and indeed a concern which should not be ignored. In terms of the time course of cranial irradiation-induced NCF decline, it might vary considerably according to the specific domains which are selected to be measured. Early neurocognitive decline principally involve impairments of episodic memory, which has been significantly associated with functions of the hippocampus. This study thus aims to investigate the impact of partial brain irradiation with using contemporary radiotherapeutic techniques on neurocognitive performances, intracranial local control, and progression-free survival in patients with intracranial high-risk grade 2 or 3 gliomas. Methods: Patients with intracranial high-risk low-grade or grade 3 gliomas will be enrolled to this study once postoperative adjuvant RT is recommended. All eligible and recruited patients should receive baseline functional brain MRI examination and baseline neurobehavioral assessment. Subsequently, partial cranial irradiation will be initiated within one month approximately after enrollment. Brain RT dose will be 5000 - 6000 cGy in 25 - 30 fraction during 5 - 7 weeks. Accordingly, a battery of neuropsychological measures, which includes 7 standardized neuropsychological tests (e.g., executive functions, verbal \& non-verbal memory, working memory, and psychomotor speed), is used to evaluate neurobehavioral functions for our registered patients. The primary outcome measure is delayed recall, as determined by the change/decline in verbal memory or non-verbal memory from the baseline assessment to 4 months after the start of postoperative adjuvant RT.