Clinical Research Directory

Paclitaxel Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Cancer Patients

The goals of this prospective, observational cohort study are to determine the feasibility of implementing paclitaxel therapeutic drug monitoring for cancer patients and explore the relationship between paclitaxel drug exposure and the development of neuropathic symptoms. This trial studies if paclitaxel can be consistently measured in the blood of patients with solid tumors undergoing paclitaxel treatment. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Nerve damage is one of the most common and severe side effects of paclitaxel. The ability to consistently measure paclitaxel in the blood may allow doctors to control the dose of paclitaxel, so that enough chemotherapy is given to kill the cancer, but the side effect of nerve damage is reduced.

Phase I Study of Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) in Combination With Cabozantinib or With Pembrolizumab and Nab-Paclitaxel in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors Involving the Abdomen or Thorax

This phase Ib trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of tumor treating fields therapy in combination with either cabozantinib or nab-paclitaxel and atezolizumab in treating patients with solid tumors involving the abdomen or thorax that have spread to other parts of the body (advanced). Tumor treating fields therapy on this study utilizes NovoTTF systems that are wearable devices that use electrical fields at different frequencies that may help stop the growth of tumor cells by interrupting cancer cells' ability to divide. Cabozantinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals tumor cells to multiply. This helps slow or stop the spread of tumor cells. Chemotherapy drugs, such as nab-paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as atezolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving tumor treating fields therapy in combination with either cabozantinib, or with nab-paclitaxel and atezolizumab may help control advanced solid tumors involving the abdomen or thorax.

Measuring the Effects of Talazoparib in Patients With Advanced Cancer and DNA Repair Variations

This phase II trial studies if talazoparib works in patients with cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) and has mutation(s) in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage response genes who have or have not already been treated with another PARP inhibitor. Talazoparib is an inhibitor of PARP, a protein that helps repair damaged DNA. Blocking PARP may help keep cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA, causing them to die. PARP inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy. All patients who take part on this study must have a gene aberration that changes how their tumors are able to repair DNA. This trial may help scientists learn whether some patients might benefit from taking different PARP inhibitors "one after the other" and learn how talazoparib works in treating patients with advanced cancer who have aberration in DNA repair genes.

A Study Comparing Cancer Imaging Approaches in People With Lobular Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study to compare two types of cancer imaging scans to see which is better at detecting and monitoring metastatic ILC. This study will compare PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) scans using the radiotracer fluorine 18 (18F)-fluoroestradiol (FES) with a standard imaging approach for detecting and monitoring ILC, PET/CT scans using the radiotracer 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). These scans will be referred to as FES PET/CT scans and FDG PET/CT scans.

Testing the Safety of the Combination of Anti-Cancer Drugs CX-5461 (Pidnarulex) and Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (T-DXd) for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2)-Positive Solid Tumors and Breast Cancer

This phase I trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of pidnarulex in combination with trastuzumab deruxtecan in treating patients with breast cancer and other solid tumors that express varying levels of a protein called HER2 and that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic), that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable), or that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced). Pidnarulex is an enzyme inhibitor that causes cell death and prevents tumor cell growth. Trastuzumab deruxtecan is in a class of medications called antibody-drug conjugates. It is composed of a monoclonal antibody, called trastuzumab, linked to a chemotherapy drug, called deruxtecan. Trastuzumab attaches to HER2 positive tumor cells in a targeted way and delivers deruxtecan to kill them. Giving pidnarulex in combination with trastuzumab deruxtecan may be safe, tolerable and/or effective in treating patients with metastatic, unresectable, or locally advanced HER2-expressing breast cancer or other solid tumors.

Nab-Paclitaxel in Treating Older Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

This phase II trial studies the side effects of nab-paclitaxel in treating older patients with breast cancer that has spread from where it started to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) or to other places in the body (metastatic). Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as nab-paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading.

A Study on Adding Precisely Targeted Radiation Therapy (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy) to the Usual Treatment Approach (Drug Therapy) in People With Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study is to see if using Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy/SBRT to treat a single metastatic site where cancer has worsened may be an effective treatment for people with oligometastatic breast cancer. Participants will stay on their usual drug therapy while they receive SBRT. This combination of SBRT to a single metastatic site and usual drug therapy may prevent participants' cancer from worsening in other metastatic sites or spreading.

Testing Whether Treating Breast Cancer Metastases With Surgery or High-Dose Radiation Improves Survival

This randomized phase II/III trial studies how well standard of care therapy with stereotactic radiosurgery and/or surgery works and compares it to standard of care therapy alone in treating patients with breast cancer that has spread to one or two locations in the body (limited metastatic) that are previously untreated. Standard of care therapy comprising chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and others may help stop the spread of tumor cells. Radiation therapy and/or surgery is usually only given with standard of care therapy to relieve pain; however, in patients with limited metastatic breast cancer, stereotactic radiosurgery, also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy, may be able to send x-rays directly to the tumor and cause less damage to normal tissue and surgery may be able to effectively remove the metastatic tumor cells. It is not yet known whether standard of care therapy is more effective with stereotactic radiosurgery and/or surgery in treating limited metastatic breast cancer.

Using FDG-PET/CT to Assess Response of Bone-Dominant Metastatic Breast Cancer, FEATURE Study

This phase II trial studies how well FDG-PET/CT works in assessing the response of patients with breast cancer that has spread to the bones or mostly to the bones (bone-dominant metastatic breast cancer). Diagnostic procedures, such as FDG-PET/CT, may work better in measuring breast cancer activity before and after treatment compared to other standard imaging tests.

Cyclophosphamide and Veliparib in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of cyclophosphamide and veliparib when given together in treating patients with breast cancer that has spread from where it started to nearby tissue or lymph nodes or to other places in the body. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Veliparib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving cyclophosphamide together with veliparib may work better in treating breast cancer.

Immunotherapy Using Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Patients With Metastatic Cancer

Background: The NCI Surgery Branch has developed an experimental therapy that involves taking white blood cells from patients' tumors, growing them in the laboratory in large numbers, and then giving the cells back to the patient. These cells are called Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes, or TIL and we have given this type of treatment to over 200 patients with melanoma. Researchers want to know if TIL shrink s tumors in people with digestive tract, urothelial, breast, or ovarian/endometrial cancers. In this study, we are selecting a specific subset of white blood cells from the tumor that we think are the most effective in fighting tumors and will use only these cells in making the tumor fighting cells. Objective: The purpose of this study is to see if these specifically selected tumor fighting cells can cause digestive tract, urothelial, breast, or ovarian/endometrial tumors to shrink and to see if this treatment is safe. Eligibility: \- Adults age 18-72 with upper or lower gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, genitourinary, breast, ovarian/endometrial cancer, or glioblastoma refractory to standard chemotherapy. Design: Work up stage: Patients will be seen as an outpatient at the NIH clinical Center and undergo a history and physical examination, scans, x-rays, lab tests, and other tests as needed. Surgery: If the patients meet all of the requirements for the study they will undergo surgery to remove a tumor that can be used to grow the TIL product. Leukapheresis: Patients may undergo leukapheresis to obtain additional white blood cells. (Leukapheresis is a common procedure, which removes only the white blood cells from the patient.) Treatment: Once their cells have grown, the patients will be admitted to the hospital for the conditioning chemotherapy, the TIL cells and aldesleukin. They will stay in the hospital for about 4 weeks for the treatment. Follow up: Patients will return to the clinic for a physical exam, review of side effects, lab tests, and scans about every 1-3 months for the first year, and then every 6 months to 1 year as long as their tumors are shrinking. Follow up visits will take up to 2 days.

An Investigational Scan (64Cu-DOTA-Trastuzumab PET/MRI) in Imaging Patients With HER2+ Breast Cancer With Brain Metastasis

This clinical trial examines an investigational scan (64Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab positron emission tomography \[PET\]/magnetic resonance imaging \[MRI\]) in imaging patients with HER2+ breast cancer that has spread to the brain (brain metastasis). Diagnostic procedures, such as 64Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET/MRI, may help find HER2+ breast cancer that has spread to the brain and determine whether cancer in the brain takes up trastuzumab, which may predict for response to trastuzumab deruxtecan (the standard of care chemotherapy).

Testing Longer Duration Radiation Therapy Versus the Usual Radiation Therapy in Patients With Cancer That Has Spread to the Brain

This phase III trial compares the effectiveness of fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (FSRS) to usual care stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in treating patients with cancer that has spread from where it first started to the brain. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. FSRS delivers a high dose of radiation to the tumor over 3 treatments. SRS is a type of external radiation therapy that uses special equipment to position the patient and precisely give a single large dose of radiation to a tumor. FSRS may be more effective compared to SRS in treating patients with cancer that has spread to the brain.

Testing Proton Craniospinal Radiation Therapy Versus the Usual Radiation Therapy for Leptomeningeal Metastasis, RADIATE-LM Trial

This phase III trial compares proton craniospinal irradiation (pCSI) to involved-field radiation therapy (IFRT) for the treatment of breast or non-small cell lung cancer that has spread from where it first started to the cerebrospinal fluid filled space that surrounds the brain and spinal cord (leptomeningeal metastasis). Patients with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) may develop multiple areas of nervous system (neurologic) impairment that can be life-threatening. Radiation therapy (RT) effectively relieves local symptoms due to LM. RT uses high energy radiography (x-rays), particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. IFRT is commonly used to treat symptoms of LM. IFRT is radiation treatment that uses x-rays to treat specific areas of LM and to relieve and/or prevent symptoms. pCSI uses protons that can be directed with more accuracy than x-rays which allows treatment of the entire central nervous system space containing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), brain, and spinal cord. The pCSI treatment could delay the worsening of LM. Giving pCSI may be better than IFRT in treating LM in patients with breast or non-small cell lung cancer.

Investigating the Feasibility and Acceptability of an Innovative Interdisciplinary Supportive Care Program: Couples Coping Together Against Cancer

This study evaluates how useful and acceptable the components of the "Couples Coping Together Against Cancer", referred to as "The Program", are to the participants with cancer.

Leuprolide and Goserelin for Ovarian Function Suppression in Pre- or Peri-menopausal Women With Breast Cancer, OFS Trial

This phase II trial compares leuprolide to goserelin for reducing estrogen production by the ovaries in pre- or peri-menopausal women with breast cancer. Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Both leuprolide and goserelin lower the amount of estrogen made by the body. This may help stop the growth of tumor cells that need estrogen to grow. This study compares lower dose leuprolide, higher dose leuprolide, and goserelin for their ability to suppress the function of the ovaries to produce estrogen. Both doses of leuprolide may be as safe, tolerable and/or effective as goserelin in suppressing ovarian function in pre- or peri-menopausal women with breast cancer.

In Situ Immunomodulation With CDX-301, Radiation Therapy, CDX-1140 and Poly-ICLC in Patients w/ Unresectable and Metastatic Solid Tumors

This phase I trial evaluates the safety and effectiveness of in situ immunomodulation with CDX-301, radiotherapy, CDX-1140 and Poly-ICLC (Cohort A) and these with intravenous (IV) pembrolizumab and subcutaneous (SC) tocilizumab (Cohort B) in treating patients with unresectable and measurable metastatic melanoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), Merkel cell carcinoma, high-grade bone and soft tissue sarcoma or HER2/neu(-) breast cancer. CDX-301 may induce cross-presenting dendritic cells, master regulators in the immune system. Radiation therapy uses high energy to kill tumor cells and release antigens that may be picked up, processed and presented by cross-presenting dendritic cells. CDX-1140 and Poly-ICLC may activate tumor antigen-loaded,cross-presenting dendritic cells, and generate tumor-specific T lymphocytes, a type of immune cells, that can search out and attack cancers. Giving immune modulators and radiation therapy may stimulate tumor cell death and activate the immune system.

Testing the Safety and Efficacy of the Combination of Two Anti-cancer Drugs, ZEN003694 and Abemaciclib, for Adult and Pediatric Patients (12-17 Years) With Metastatic or Unresectable NUT Carcinoma, Breast Cancer and Other Solid Tumors

This phase I trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of ZEN003694 when given together with abemaciclib in treating patients with NUT carcinoma, breast cancer or other solid tumors that have spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) or cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). ZEN003694 is an inhibitor of a family of proteins called the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET). It may prevent the growth of tumor cells that overproduce BET protein. Abemaciclib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving ZEN003694 and abemaciclib may help shrink or stabilize cancer in patients with NUT carcinoma, breast cancer or other solid tumors.

Hippocampal Avoidance in Craniospinal Irradiation for the Treatment of Leptomeningeal Metastases From Breast Cancer or Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

This phase II clinical trial studies how well craniospinal irradiation (CSI) with hippocampal avoidance, using proton therapy or volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), works in treating patients with breast cancer or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread from the original (primary) tumor to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord) (leptomeningeal metastases). Radiation therapy is an effective treatment in relieving localized symptoms caused by leptomeningeal metastases. However, the type of radiation therapy typically used does not prevent the spread of leptomeningeal disease. CSI (radiation therapy directed at the brain and spinal cord to kill tumor cells) may be able to target all of the areas of possible leptomeningeal tumor spread. CSI may however result in significant neurological side effects due to radiation damage to a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Hippocampal avoidance (HA) reduces the amount of radiation to the hippocampus. Proton or VMAT CSI with HA may be an effective treatment while reducing neurological side effects for patients with leptomeningeal metastases from breast cancer and NSCLC.

Testing the Combination of Two Anti-cancer Drugs, DS-8201a and AZD6738, for The Treatment of Advanced Solid Tumors Expressing the HER2 Protein or Gene, The DASH Trial

The dose escalation phase of this trial identifies the safety, side effects and best dose of ceralasertib (AZD6738) when given in combination with trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201a) in treating patients with solid tumors that have a change (mutation) in the HER2 gene or protein and have spread to other places in the body (advanced). The dose expansion phase (phase Ib) of this trial compares how colorectal and gastroesophageal cancers with HER2 mutation respond to treatment with a combination of ceralasertib and trastuzumab deruxtecan versus trastuzumab deruxtecan alone. Ceralasertib may stop the growth of tumor cells and may kill them by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Trastuzumab deruxtecan is a monoclonal antibody, called trastuzumab, linked to a chemotherapy drug, called deruxtecan. Trastuzumab attaches to HER2 positive cancer cells in a targeted way and delivers deruxtecan to kill them. Ceralasertib and trastuzumab deruxtecan may be safe, tolerable and effective in treating patients with advanced solid tumors expressing the HER2 protein or gene.

Genetic Analysis in Blood and Tumor Samples From Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Estrogen Receptor Positive and HER2 Negative Breast Cancer Receiving Palbociclib and Endocrine Therapy

This research trial studies genetic profiles in blood and tumor samples from patients with estrogen receptor positive and HER2 negative breast cancer that has spread to other places in the body who are receiving palbociclib and endocrine therapy. Examining the genetic changes associated with the cancer and comparing the genetic material from the cancer tissue with the genetic material found in the blood may help doctors to develop customized treatment for breast cancer.

177Lu-DOTATATE for the Treatment of Stage IV or Recurrent Breast Cancer

This phase II trial investigates how well 177Lu-DOTATATE works in treating patients with breast cancer that is stage IV or has come back (recurrent). 177Lu-DOTATATE may shrink or destroy the tumor or circulating breast cancer stem cells if they show evidence of the SSTR2. 177Lu-DOTATATE is a targeted therapy that uses DOTATATE, linked to a radioactive agent called 177Lu. DOTATATE attaches to tumor cells with SSTR2 and delivers 177Lu to kill them. Giving 177Lu-DOTATATE may help decrease the number and size of tumors and the number of circulating cancer stem cells in patient's blood for the treatment of patients with breast cancer positive for SSTR2.

Clinical Information and Biospecimen Collection From Patients With Recurrent or Stage IV Breast Cancer

This trial collects clinical information and tissue and blood samples from patients with breast cancer that has come back or is stage IV. Collecting clinical information and biospecimen samples to create a registry may help doctors better understand the mechanism of tumor spread and determine why people respond differently to specific cancer treatments.

Intravital Microscopy in Human Solid Tumors

This study will investigate the tumor-associated vasculature of patients with solid tumors. The investigators will use a technology known as intravital microscopy (IVM) in order to visualize in real-time the vessels associated with solid tumors. The IVM observations may determine if an individual patient's tumor vessels would be amenable to receiving systemic therapy, based on the functionality of the vessels.