Clinical Research Directory

Combining Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy to Help Patients Avoid Bladder Removal After Treatment Shrinks Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, BRIGHT Trial

This phase II trial tests the effect of giving pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy after chemotherapy in preventing surgery to remove the bladder in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Standard of care therapy includes chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) to shrink or get rid of the tumor. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the tumor, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Photon beam radiation therapy is a type of radiation therapy that uses x-rays or gamma rays that come from a special machine called a linear accelerator. The radiation dose is delivered at the surface of the body and goes into the tumor and through the body. Giving pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy may help prevent surgical removal of the bladder in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Testing the Role of DNA Released From Tumor Cells Into the Blood in Guiding the Use of Immunotherapy After Surgical Removal of the Bladder, Kidney, Ureter, and Urethra for Urothelial Cancer Treatment, MODERN Study

This phase II/III trial examines whether patients who have undergone surgical removal of bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra, but require an additional treatment called immunotherapy to help prevent their urinary tract (urothelial) cancer from coming back, can be identified by a blood test. Many types of tumors tend to lose cells or release different types of cellular products including their DNA which is referred to as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) into the bloodstream before changes can be seen on scans. Health care providers can measure the level of ctDNA in blood or other bodily fluids to determine which patients are at higher risk for disease progression or relapse. In this study, a blood test is used to measure ctDNA and see if there is still cancer somewhere in the body after surgery and if giving a treatment will help eliminate the cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and relatlimab, can help the body's immune system to attack the cancer, and can interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine if ctDNA measurement in blood can better identify patients that need additional treatment, if treatment with nivolumab prolongs patients' life and whether the additional immunotherapy treatment with relatlimab extends time without disease progression or prolongs life of urothelial cancer patients who have undergone surgical removal of their bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra.

Testing Shorter Duration Radiation Therapy Versus the Usual Radiation Therapy in Patients Receiving the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment for Bladder Cancer, ARCHER Study

This phase III trial compares the effect of decreased number of radiation (ultra-hypofractionated) treatments to the usual radiation number of treatments (hypofractionation) with standard of care chemotherapy, with cisplatin, gemcitabine or mitomycin and 5-fluorouracil for the treatment of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Hypofractionated radiation therapy delivers higher doses of radiation therapy over a short period of time. Ultra-hypofractionated radiation therapy delivers radiation over an even shorter period of time than hypofractionated radiation therapy. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of tumor cells. Gemcitabine is a chemotherapy drug that blocks the cells from making DNA and may kill tumor cells. Chemotherapy drugs, such as mitomycin-C and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 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 ultra-hypofractionated radiation may be equally effective as hypofractionated therapy for patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Neoadjuvant Intravesical Nadofaragene Firadenovec With Gemcitabine, Cisplatin and Durvalumab for the Treatment of Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, TRIFECTA Trial

This phase II trial tests the effect of intravesical nadofaragene firadenovec in combination with gemcitabine, cisplatin and durvalumab before (neoadjuvant) radical cystectomy (RC) in treating patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. The combination of gemcitabine, cisplatin and durvalumab are already considered standard of care in the treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer. This trial attempts to determine whether the addition of nadofaragene firadenovec to the current standard regiment is safe and can improve oncological outcomes for those with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Nadofaragene firadenovec, a type of intravesical gene therapy, is a weakened adenovirus that carries a copy of the gene for interferon alfa-2b. This medication gets absorbed by the bladder and stimulates the bladder to naturally create interferon alfa-2b, which is thought to kill bladder cancer. Nadofaragene firadenovec is given in a solution that is placed directly into the bladder (intravesical) using a thin tube called a catheter. It is a medication that is already FDA approved for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Gemcitabine is a chemotherapy drug that blocks the cells from making deoxyribonucleic acid and may kill tumor cells. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of tumor cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as durvalumab, may help the body's immune system attack the tumor, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread.

Enfortumab Vedotin Plus Pembrolizumab With Selective Bladder Sparing for Treatment of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer

Patients with MIBC will receive 3 cycles (C1-C3) of induction enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab followed by restaging including MRI of the bladder, urine cytology, and cystoscopy with TURBT of any visible tumor and/or resection site plus random biopsies using a recommended template. Patients achieving a stringently defined cCR (clinical complete response) will receive 14 cycles of "maintenance" treatment. Enfortumab vedotin will be administered during the first 6 cycles (C4-C9) of "maintenance" treatment and pembrolizumab will be given all 14 cycles (C4-C14). Patients with any residual disease at clinical restaging (i.e., \>cTa disease) will undergo cystectomy.

Increasing Pre-Surgical Identification of Muscle Invasive Tumor Evaluations Prior to Planned Cystectomy (INSITE)

This trial aims at investigating the diagnostic ability of a combined diagnostic panel including systematic endoscopic evaluation (SEE), blood-based ctDNA assay, and urine-based cfDNA assay to predict the presence of residual tumor remaining in the bladder at cystectomy. Patients who are planned for cystectomy due to bladder cancer will be considered for enrollment based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Pan-tumor MRD Study

The purpose of this observational study is to collect clinical information, blood, and tumor tissue samples from participants diagnosed with stage I, stage II, or operable stage III cancer in select solid tumors. The information collected will be used to develop tests to better understand cancer, for example, to improve cancer detection and to assess the risk of cancer coming back. Participants will receive routine standard of care from their doctor and their involvement is expected to last for approximately five and a half (5.5) years.

Surveillance of the Genetic Signature in Circulating Tumor DNA for Guiding Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Urothelial Carcinoma

Urothelial carcinomas are one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. Postoperative patients carry a poor prognosis with an estimated five-year disease-specific survival rate of 50%. To improve overall survival and reduce the recurrent risk, chemotherapy is recommended as a standard of care. However, currently in Hong Kong, neoadjuvant (preoperational) chemotherapy and adjuvant (postoperative) chemotherapy are not commonly or regularly provided due to the concern of the potential harm from both physicians and patients. Recently, genetic signature from circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is emerging as a pivotal biomarker for detecting caner in early stage and molecular residual disease (MRD). With strengths of non-invasive and superior sensitivity, ctDNA is hopefully to serve as a cancer-agnostic surrogate analyte for risk stratification of tumor recurrence, thereby guiding individually tailored treatment. Therefore, this study is proposed to exploratively assess the benefit of ctDNA-guided approach for postoperative adjuvant therapy.

Study on the Quality of Life and Pathological State in Patients Who Underwent Radical Cystectomy

Observational study on the quality of life and pathological state of patients underwent radical cystectomy.