Clinical Research Directory

Development of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Assessing Tumor Visibility and Appearance Concerns in Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Qualitative Study

Background: Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a disease that causes tumors to grow along the nerves. These include plexiform neurofibromas (pNF) and cutaneous neurofibromas (cNF). Both pNF and cNF can be visible to other people. These tumors can affect a person s appearance and quality of life. Researchers want to be able to assess changes in appearance before and after treatment for NF1 tumors. Objective: To see if two questionnaires can help assess people s ratings about the appearance of their pNF and cNF tumors. Eligibility: People aged 8 years and older with pNF and people 12 years and older either with cNF or both pNF and cNF. Adult caregivers of children with pNF and cNF are also needed. Design: Participants will complete questionnaires on paper or by phone, computer, or tablet. They will answer questions about how they look, how they feel, and how they feel about the way they look. Participants will meet in at least 1 remote focus group or individual interview. The meeting will last about 1 hour. Each group will include 3 to 5 people, organized by age: 8 to 11 years, 12 to 17 years, 18 to 29 years, and over 30 years. Adult caregivers will meet in a group with other caregivers. They will discuss their NF1 symptoms; how their tumors look; how they feel about the way their tumors look; and their daily activities. They will give their opinions about 2 questionnaires about appearance. The group and individual meetings will be audio-recorded and transcribed. Information that can reveal individual identities will be removed.

Natural History Study of Patients With Neurofibromatosis Type I

Background: Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder in which patients are at increased risk of developing tumors (usually non-cancerous) of the central and peripheral nervous system. The disease affects essentially every organ system. The natural course of NFI over time is poorly understood. For most patients the only treatment option is surgery. A better understanding of NF1 may be helpful for the design of future treatment studies. Objectives: To evaluate people with NF1 over 10 years in order to better understand the natural history of the disease. To characterize the patient population and to examine how NFI affects patients quality of life and function. Eligibility: Children, adolescents, and adults with NF1. Design: Participants have a comprehensive baseline evaluation including genetic testing, tumor imaging, pain and quality-of-life assessments, and neuropsychological, motor and endocrine evaluations. Patients are monitored every 6 months to every 3 years, depending on their individual findings at the baseline study. Tests may include the following, as appropriate: * Medical history, physical examination and blood tests. * Whole body and face photography to monitor visible deformities. * Neuropsychological testing, quality-of-life evaluations, motor function tests, endocrinologic evaluations, heart and lung function tests, hearing tests, bone density scans and other bone evaluations. * MRI and PET scans to detect and assess plexiform neurofibromas (tumors that arise from nerves and can cause serious problems), paraspinal neurofibromas (tumors that arise from nerves around the spine and can cause problems by compressing the spinal cord), and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (a type of cancer that arises from a peripheral nerve or involves the sheath covering the nerve). * Eye exams, MRI scans and PET scans to evaluate optic pathway gliomas (tumors arising from the vision nerves or the brain areas for vision) and the chemicals within the tumor and brain. * Eye exams and photographs to evaluate the development of Lisch nodules (non-cancerous tumors on the eye). * Photographs of dermal neurofibromas (tumors of the skin), cafe-au-lait spots (dark or pigmented areas on the skin that are often the first signs of NF1) and other skin problems. * Pain evaluations to monitor the different types of pain patients experience, causes of the pain, how often the pain occurs, effect of the pain on quality of life, and what pain medications and alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, are effective.

Feasibility and Tolerability of IMLYGIC for the Treatment of Cutaneous Neurofibromas in Adults With NF1

This study is designed to establish the foundation for a new therapy for neurofibromatosis Type I (NF1)-related cutaneous neurofibromas (cNFs) by assessing the feasibility and efficacy of IMLYGIC in adults with NF1 and cNFs who desire local treatment of their cNF due to disfigurement, progression, pain, itching or other concerns. This is a single institutional Phase 1 study with a safety run-in to assess the feasibility and efficacy of IMLYGIC monotherapy in NF1 patients with cNFs. Each 28-day treatment cycle will be defined as intralesional administration of IMLYGIC administered on day 1 and 21 of Cycle 1 and days 7 and 21 for Cycles 2-4 for up to 4 cycles.

Non-interventional Study of Patients With PN NF1 Starting Selumetinib in Russia

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, safety of selumetinib and patient's parameters of symptomatic inoperable PN NF1 in real clinical practice in Russia

Evaluation of Percutaneous Cryotherapy in the Treatment of Plexiform Neurofibromas and Unresectable Neurofibromas in Neurofibromatosis Type 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disease affecting chromosome 17. It is manifested by a neurogenic tumor proliferation that forms cutaneous, subcutaneous or deep neurofibromas. Neurofibromas can cause functional discomfort, neurogenic pain that is difficult to treat, and severe cosmetic disorders. Treatment is essentially surgical. It is sometimes a heavy invasive surgery with complicated postoperative follow-up and significant scarring on the aesthetic level. Currently, no systemic treatment has proven its effectiveness in this pathology. Percutaneous cryotherapy is a cold thermoablation procedure using fine 17 G needles introduced into the lesion after targeting by imaging. This technique is used in the treatment of soft tissue tumors and desmoid tumors. The treatment of neurofibromas with percutaneous cryotherapy is not well known. Encouraging results (unpublished) have been observed in patients with NF1 treated with cryotherapy at the Léon Bérard Center. The beneficial effect was observed in terms of quality of life (in particular, pain) as well as a decrease in tumor size. On the basis of this first experience, it appears important to corroborate these preliminary results by a prospective study allowing the use of this technique to treat patients with unresectable or resectable neurofibromas but with mutilating surgery in a NF1 context.

Whole Body MRI to Identify Atypical Neurofibromas in Patients With NF1

This study is being conducted to determine if Whole Body MRI (WBMRI) can be used to identify Atypical Neurofibromas (ANF) in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) patients with high tumor burden. Each enrolled participant will have two (2) WBMRIs without sedation during the study period. Eligible participants must be Male or Female between the ages of 8-30 with diagnosed NF1; with one or more PN greater than 3cm in diameter and willing to comply with study procedures.