Clinical Research Directory

Targeted Therapy Directed by Genetic Testing in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Advanced Solid Tumors, The ComboMATCH Screening Trial

This ComboMATCH patient screening trial is the gateway to a coordinated set of clinical trials to study cancer treatment directed by genetic testing. Patients with solid tumors that have spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) or have spread to other places in the body (advanced) and have progressed on at least one line of standard systemic therapy or have no standard treatment that has been shown to prolong overall survival may be candidates for these trials. Genetic tests look at the unique genetic material (genes) of patients' tumor cells. Patients with some genetic changes or abnormalities (mutations) may benefit from treatment that targets that particular genetic mutation. ComboMATCH is designed to match patients to a treatment that may work to control their tumor and may help doctors plan better treatment for patients with locally advanced or advanced solid tumors.

Testing the Addition of Radium Therapy (Radium-223 Dichloride) to the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment (Paclitaxel) for Advanced Breast Cancer That Has Spread to the Bones

This phase II trial studies how well radium-223 dichloride and paclitaxel work in treating patients with advanced breast cancer that has spread to the bones. Radium-223 dichloride is a radioactive drug that behaves in a similar way to calcium and collects in cancer that has spread to the bones (bone metastases). The radioactive particles in radium-223 dichloride act on bone metastases, killing the tumor cells and reducing the pain that they can cause. 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. Giving radium-223 dichloride and paclitaxel may work better in treating patients with metastatic breast cancer compared to paclitaxel alone.

A Vaccine (STEMVAC) With Standard Endocrine-Based Therapy or Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Hormone Receptor Positive, HER2 Negative Breast Cancer

This phase II trial studies how well a vaccine, STEMVAC, works in combination with standard endocrine-based therapy (ET) with a CDK4/6 targeted drug therapy, or with the chemotherapy drug capecitabine, in treating patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). STEMVAC is designed to target proteins that cancer cells use when they become more aggressive and start to spread, and it is believed to work by boosting the immune system to recognize and destroy the invader tumor cells that are causing the disease. Standard ET is treatment that adds, blocks, or removes hormones in order to slow or stop the growth of cancer. Standard CDK4/6 inhibitors, including abemaciclib, may stop the growth of tumor cells and may kill them by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Capecitabine is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It is taken up by tumor cells and breaks down into fluorouracil, a substance that kills tumor cells. Giving STEMVAC in combination with standard ET or chemotherapy may be an effective treatment for metastatic HR positive, HER2 negative breast cancer.

Personalized Neo-Antigen Peptide Vaccine for the Treatment of Stage IIIC-IV Melanoma, Hormone Receptor Positive HER2 Negative Metastatic Refractory Breast Cancer or Stage III-IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

This phase I trial studies the safety of personalized neo-antigen peptide vaccine in treating patients with stage IIIC-IV melanoma, hormone receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) or does not respond to treatment (refractory) or stage III-IV non-small cell lung cancer. Personalized neo-antigen peptide vaccine is a product that combines multiple patient specific neo-antigens. Given personalized neo-antigen peptide vaccine together with Th1 polarizing adjuvant poly ICLC may induce a polyclonal, poly-epitope, cytolytic T cell immunity against the patient's tumor.

Functional Imaging in Prediction of Response to Abemaciclib for Advanced Hormone Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

This phase II trial tests the accuracy of functional imaging (FFNP)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to predict response to abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy. Abemaciclib is a drug used to treat certain types of hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2 negative breast cancer. Abemaciclib blocks certain proteins, which may help keep tumor cells from growing. Endocrine therapy adds, blocks, or removes hormones that can cause cancer to grow. FFNP PET imaging is a form of x-ray that uses FFNP as an imaging agent that may provide more precise information about the location of tumors that "light up" with FFNP than a PET scan alone can provide.

Adaptive Therapy With Capecitabine for Treatment of Metastatic ER Positive, HER2 Negative Breast Cancer

This phase II trial evaluates the effect of capecitabine on tumor response using imaging and tumor markers to adjust dose (adaptive therapy) in patients with estrogen receptor (ER) positive, HER2 negative breast cancer that has spread from where it first started to other areas in the body (metastatic). Capecitabine is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It is taken up by tumor cells and breaks down into fluorouracil, a substance that kills tumor cells. Adaptive therapy with capecitabine based on tumor burden response may slow or stop the growth of tumor cells in patients with metastatic ER positive, HER2 negative breast cancer.

Testing the Addition of Copanlisib to Usual Treatment (Fulvestrant and Abemaciclib) in Metastatic Breast Cancer

This phase I trial studies the effects (good and bad) of adding copanlisib to the usual therapy of fulvestrant and abemaciclib in treating patients with hormone receptor positive and HER2 negative breast cancer that has spread from where it first started (breast) to other places in the body (metastatic). Some breast cancer cells have receptors for the hormones estrogen or progesterone. These cells are hormone receptor positive and they need estrogen or progesterone to grow. This can affect how the cancer is treated. Hormone therapy using fulvestrant may fight breast cancer by blocking the use of estrogen by the tumor cells. Abemaciclib and copanlisib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Adding copanlisib to the usual therapy of fulvestrant and abemaciclib may work better than giving fulvestrant and abemaciclib alone in treating patients with breast cancer.

Circulating Tumor DNA to Guide Changes in Standard of Care Chemotherapy

This phase II trial tests how well evaluating circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) works to guide therapy-change decisions in treating patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). This study wants to learn if small pieces of DNA associated with a tumor (called circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA) can be detected in investigational blood tests during the course of standard chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, and whether information from such investigational ctDNA blood testing could possibly be used as an early indication of chemotherapy treatment failure. It is hoped that additional information from investigational blood testing for ctDNA could help doctors to switch more quickly from a standard chemotherapy treatment that typically has significant side effects and which may not be working, to a different standard treatment regimen against TNBC, called sacituzumab govitecan. Sacituzumab govitecan is a monoclonal antibody, called hRS7, linked to a chemotherapy drug, called irinotecan. hRS7 is a form of targeted therapy because it attaches to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of cancer cells, known as TROP2 receptors, and delivers irinotecan to kill them. Studying ctDNA may assist doctors to change therapy earlier if needed, and may improve health outcomes in patients with metastatic TNBC.