Clinical Research Directory

Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of Abenacianine (VGT-309) to Identify Cancer in Subjects Undergoing Surgery for Cancer in the Lung

This is a Phase 3, multi-center, randomized and intrasubject controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of abenacianine for injection, a tumor-targeted, activatable fluorescent imaging agent, to identify cancer using NIR imaging in participants undergoing surgery for cancer in the lung. Approximately 132 partiipants will be enrolled to ensure a minimum of 115 evaluable participants receiving abenacianine and undergoing NIR imaging and a control group of 12 participants who will receive abenacianine but no NIR imaging.

Copper Cu 64-DOTA-Trastuzumab PET in Predicting Response to Treatment With Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine in Patients With Metastatic HER2 Positive Breast Cancer

This pilot clinical trial studies how well copper Cu 64-tetra-azacyclododecanetetra-acetic acid (DOTA)-trastuzumab positron emission tomography (PET) works in predicting response to treatment with ado-trastuzumab emtansine in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer that has spread to other places in the body. Copper Cu 64-DOTA-trastuzumab is a chemotherapy drug (trastuzumab) attached to a radioactive substance. Diagnostic procedures using PET may allow scanners to take pictures of where the drug travels in the body and may help doctors identify which patients may benefit from treatment with ado-trastuzumab emtansine.

Oxford Pleural Embolisation Trial

Thermal ablation is an established treatment for lung cancer. It involves insertion of a applicator under image guidance into a lung tumour and destroying it with radiofrequency, microwave or cryotherapy. One of the common side effects is pneumothorax, which is a leak of gas from the lungs when it punctured. Air leak necessitates placement of a drainage tube in more than half of patients undergoing the procedure. The drain can be associated with some morbidity including pain, reduced mobility, prolonged hospital stay and infection Pleural embolization refers to the injection of substances to the linings of the lung to seal air leakage. There is published evidence in using pleural embolization with autologous blood (blood drawn up from the patient's veins) to prevent pneumothorax in patients undergoing lung biopsies. This technique is also known as pleural blood patch (PBP). A study involving more than 4000 patients found that PBP reduced the rates of pneumothorax by 35% and drain placement by 55% in lung patients. A study using prophylactic gelfoam torpedo embolization for radiofrequency ablation showed significant reduction in chest drain rates. In this study, investigators plan to evaluate the PBP using a tandem needle technique in patients undergoing lung ablation at the Oxford Thermal Ablation Service, one of the largest units in the country performing about 200 ablations per year, mostly microwave ablations. Patients will be randomized to receive lung ablation with or without the PBP. The PBP technique is easy to learn, enjoys high technical success rates and does not expose the patient to any significant additional risk. The primary outcome is the chest drains rates in the two trial groups: 1. patients undergoing lung ablation without PBP and 2. patients undergoing lung ablation with PBP. Other outcomes that would be measured include the volume of gas leakage on Computed Tomography (CT) imaging, safety profile, length of stay, feasibility of same day discharge, patient oriented outcomes including validated pain score, and institution oriented outcomes including medical costs. A positive trial could significantly reduce the side effect profile of lung ablation and hasten the patient's recovery. There could be significant savings in healthcare costs as the procedure may become safe to perform as a day procedure as opposed to an overnight procedure.

Shared Decision Making on Radiation Dose for Lung Malignancies

A Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) is developed during a workshop in close collaboration with selected patients. The PtDA is subsequently used in the consultation between patient and physician to facilitate their shared decision on the dose of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung tumors located less than 1 cm from the thoracic wall. Hypothesis: The use of a PtDA will increase the extent of Shared Decision Making (SDM) during the consultation and result in patients being more directly involved in the planning of their treatment.

Development of Innovative Preclinical Ex Vivo Models for the Study of Sarcomas and Metastases From Solid Tumors

The goal of this observational study is to learn how tumor tissue and blood samples from patients with sarcomas or metastases can be used to create laboratory models that help researchers study cancer behavior and test new treatments. Participants diagnosed with sarcoma or with bone or lung metastases from solid tumors will donate leftover tumor tissue and blood collected during their regular medical care. These samples will be used in the lab to build 3D models of the tumor, test drugs, and identify genetic and molecular markers. No treatments or procedures will be given as part of the study.

On-treatment Biomarkers in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer for Life

By virtue of an increased strategic use of cytotoxic and biological agents, and more options for locoregional treatment, the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has improved considerably in the past decades. The personalized approach to systemic treatment is further aided by the use of complementary molecular biomarkers. However, the evolutionary dynamics of mCRC, a disease harnessed by multiple adaptive genetic alterations towards its final stages, poses a particular challenge to single-sample biomarker analyses and standardized linear treatment protocols. The aim of the On-treatment biomarkers in metastatic ColorectAL cancer for Life (On-CALL) study is to generate further knowledge on the evolutionary progression of mCRC during treatment, and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic failure still seen in a substantial number of patients. The On-CALL study is a prospective, single-arm observational study. All patients diagnosed with synchronous mCRC treated with curative intent at Skåne University Hospital will be invited to participate. Clinical and histopathological data will be compiled at study entry. An individual tissue microarray block with samples from resected primary tumours and metastases representing the full extent of the tumour spread will be constructed for each patient. Blood samples will be drawn for biomarker analyses at multiple time points prior to, during and after systemic treatment. DNA sequencing of tumour tissue and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) will be performed to define the spatial clonal landscape in primary tumours and metastases, as well as over time.

In Vivo Lung Perfusion (IVLP) for Colorectal Cancer Metastatic to Lung

This study is investigating a new technique for delivering chemotherapy directly into the lungs at the time of surgery. Delivering chemotherapy directly to the lungs could potentially kill any microscopic cancer cells that are present in the lungs at the time of surgery, while sparing other major organs in the body from the side effects of chemotherapy. This technique is called In Vivo Lung Perfusion (IVLP). At the University Health Network, this IVLP technique has been used recently in a Phase I study in patients with sarcoma, and we are now expanding on that experience to include patients with colorectal metastases. The purpose of this study is to test the safety of the IVLP technique and find the dose that seems right in humans. Participants are given oxaliplatin into one lung via IVLP and are watched very closely to see what side effects they have and to make sure the side effects are not severe. If the side effects are not severe, then more participants are asked to join the study and are given a higher dose of oxaliplatin. Participants joining the study later on will get higher doses of oxaliplatin than participants who join earlier. This will continue until a dose is found that causes severe but temporary side effects. Doses higher than that will not be given. The other lung will not be infused with anything, so that we can limit unforeseen toxicity to a single lung and see if one lung does better than the other.

Surveillance AFter Extremity Tumor surgerY

Following treatment for a primary extremity sarcoma, patients remain at risk for the development of local and systemic disease recurrence. Metastasis (distant recurrence) to the lung is the most frequent single location of disease recurrence in sarcoma patients, occurring in almost half of all patients. Therefore, careful post-operative surveillance is an integral element of patient care. However, the detection of metastases does not necessarily affect long-term survival and may negatively impact quality of life. Surveillance strategies have not been well researched and have been identified as the top research priority in the extremity sarcoma field. Using a 2X2 factorial design to maximize efficiency and reduce overall trial costs, the SAFETY trial randomized 310 extremity soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) patients to determine the effect of surveillance strategy on overall patient survival after surgery for a STS of the extremity by comparing the effectiveness of both surveillance frequency (every 3 vs. every 6 months) and imaging modality (CT scans vs. chest radiographs).

Colorectal Pulmonary Metastases: Pulmonary Metastasectomy Versus Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy

COPPER is an international, multicenter, parallel-arm, phase III randomized controlled trial comparing two local treatment strategies (SABR or metastasectomy) for patients with an indication for local treatment for limited (max. three) colorectal pulmonary metastases

AI & Radiomics for Stratification of Lung Nodules After Radically Treated Cancer

This study will assess the utility of radiomics and artificial intelligence approaches to new lung nodules in patients who have undergone radical treatment for a previous cancer.

Comparison Between Endovascular and Bronchoscopic Tumor Marker Insertion for Real-time Stereotactic-guided Radiotherapy in Lung Cancer

The role of radiotherapy is well established in the management of early stage lung cancer or as part of a multidisciplinary approach of locally advanced lung cancer (1). Recent advances in Cyberknife© technology, which is a robotic system of stereotactic irradiation including localisation and real time lesion-tracking, has led to an increase in accuracy and potentially in efficiency of the irradiation of tumor field (2)(3). According to several studies, promising results in local control and survival rates have been achieved in patients suffering from primary lung cancer or peripheral lung metastasis treated with Cyberknife© (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Fiducial markers are implanted in or near a tumor in a configuration defining a COM (center of mass) guiding the Cyberknife for tumor localization. Tumor movement is then synchronized to respiratory cycle motion during treatment which reduces toxicity of non target lung tissue irradiation. Change in marker positioning leads to COM alterations, thus limiting detection by the tracking system. Percutaneous (9)(10)(11) (12), endovascular (12)(13) fiducial implantation or by means of bronchoscopic devices (14)(15)(16)(17)(18) are three techniques that have been validated in previous studies as feasible and safe procedures, providing accurate tracking. Few studies are currently available in the litterature comparing these modalities (19)(20). The percutaneous implantation technique will not be considered for this study because this technique is associated with a high risk of pneumothorax (9). Both the endobronchial and endovascular technique have been described in the literature with equivalent success rate (87-90%) in intention to treat (21)(22). One of the endpoints of this study is to verify that these results are reproducible in our institution where both techniques are currently available and to investigate other secondary endpoints such as fiducial marker migration after placement, complications rates and procedure time.