Clinical Research Directory

The Pancreas Interception Center (PIC) for Early Detection, Prevention, and Novel Therapeutics

The long-term goal of our PIC is to develop effective strategies that can be applied clinically at the point-of-care to prevent, intercept, or detect PDAC at an early stage, thereby reducing PDAC burden and saving lives.

Familial Investigations of Childhood Cancer Predisposition

NOTE: This is a research study and is not meant to be a substitute for clinical genetic testing. Families may never receive results from the study or may receive results many years from the time they enroll. If you are interested in clinical testing please consider seeing a local genetic counselor or other genetics professional. If you have already had clinical genetic testing and meet eligibility criteria for this study as shown in the Eligibility Section, you may enroll regardless of the results of your clinical genetic testing. While it is well recognized that hereditary factors contribute to the development of a subset of human cancers, the cause for many cancers remains unknown. The application of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has expanded knowledge in the field of hereditary cancer predisposition. Currently, more than 100 cancer predisposing genes have been identified, and it is now estimated that approximately 10% of all cancer patients have an underlying genetic predisposition. The purpose of this protocol is to identify novel cancer predisposing genes and/or genetic variants. For this study, the investigators will establish a Data Registry linked to a Repository of biological samples. Health information, blood samples and occasionally leftover tumor samples will be collected from individuals with familial cancer. The investigators will use NGS approaches to find changes in genes that may be important in the development of familial cancer. The information gained from this study may provide new and better ways to diagnose and care for people with hereditary cancer. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: * Establish a registry of families with clustering of cancer in which clinical data are linked to a repository of cryopreserved blood cells, germline DNA, and tumor tissues from the proband and other family members. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: * Identify novel cancer predisposing genes and/or genetic variants in families with clustering of cancer for which the underlying genetic basis is unknown.

Celecoxib for Prevention of Progression in Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome

The Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS) is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by mucocutaneous pigmentations, multiple gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps, and an elevated risk of developing malignancies. Patients with PJS often experience recurrent gastrointestinal polyps that gradually increase in number and size, requiring repeated treatments. As the disease progresses, most patients are forced to undergo multiple surgical or endoscopic treatments. Small bowel polyps develop in 60-90% of patients with PJS, and intussusception occurs in 65% of these patients. Currently, on-demand surgery or scheduled endoscopic polypectomy is the standard of care for the management of small bowel polyps, and among patients who have undergone an initial surgery, reoperation is performed in up to 40% within 5 years. In addition, 8-40% of patients develop small bowel polyp-related complications even with multiple endoscopic treatments. However, surgery and endoscopic treatments are associated with complications, including short bowel syndrome, intestinal adhesions, bowel perforation and bleeding, and health-related quality of life. These problems often lead to decreased patient compliance and even treatment resistance, which increases the risk of disease progression. Because surgical and endoscopic treatment do not completely eliminate the potential for future polyps or extraintestinal neoplasms, there is an unmet medical need for the identification and use of pharmacologic agents to delay endoscopic or surgical interventions. Cyclooxygenase (COX) is overexpressed in hamartomatous polyp tissue from PJS individuals, which may provide an avenue for possible effective chemoprevention of polyp formation and growth in PJS. Celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, has been shown to reduce polyp burden by 54% in PJS model mice. In addition, the study evaluated the treatment effect of celecoxib on six patients with PJS, two of whom experienced a reduction in gastric polyp burden after six months. These findings provide preliminary evidence that celecoxib may delay the progression of PJS as a potential pharmacological prophylaxis. Investigators plan to conduct a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of celecoxib, and they will use a time-to-event analysis with a composite efficacy end point to determine whether celecoxib can delay disease progression or reduce the need for important endoscopic or surgical procedures in patients with PJS.

Registry of Subjects at Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

IRFARPC is a multicenter national registry designed to study the diagnosis and predisposing factors of subjects with an inherited increased risk for pancreatic cancer.