Clinical Research Directory

Stereotactic Brain-directed Radiation With or Without Aguix Gadolinium-Based Nanoparticles in Brain Metastases

The purpose of this study is to determine whether AGuIX (Activation and Guidance of Irradiation by X-ray) gadolinium-based nanoparticles make radiation work more effectively in the treatment of patients with brain metastases that are more difficult to control with stereotactic radiation alone.

Combined Gamma Knife/Linac Radiosurgery for Large Brain Tumors / Metastases

When cancer spreads to the brain, doctors often use a precise type of radiation therapy called stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to treat these tumors. This treatment can effectively control brain tumors while helping protect healthy brain tissue. However, when brain tumors or the areas where tumors were surgically removed are larger, treatment outcomes in terms of side effects and tumour control can become worse. Specifically, standard SRS on larger areas can have lower tumour control and higher risk of side effects, particularly a condition called radiation necrosis, which can cause swelling and damage in nearby healthy brain tissue. Currently at Sunnybrook, large brain tumors are typically treated with SRS spread over 5 daily treatments using a machine called a linear accelerator. While this approach works well for many patients, it may be possible to improve results by combining two different types of radiation therapy machines - the linear accelerator and another specialized machine called the Gamma Knife. In this study, the investigators want to test a new treatment approach where patients first receive 4 daily treatments using the linear accelerator, followed by a 1-2 week break, and then a final treatment using the Gamma Knife. The break between treatments allows the study doctors to take new scans and precisely target any remaining tumor, which may shrink during the break, thereby potentially reducing the amount of healthy brain tissue exposed to radiation. The Gamma Knife is also particularly good at delivering very precise radiation while sparing nearby healthy tissue. Lastly, there may be unique biological mechanisms between the two technologies that could be taken advantage of, by combining the technologies in the participant's treatment plan, to improve cancer control. The investigators believe this combined approach might help achieve better tumor control while reducing the risk of side effects compared to using just the linear accelerator. This study will help the investigators understand if this new treatment strategy is safe and effective for patients with large brain tumors or surgical cavities, and whether it leads to better outcomes than the current treatment approach.

SRS/SRT/Hypo-RT Versus HA-WBRT for No More Than 10 Brain Metastases in SCLC

This phase III trial compares the effect of stereotactic radiosurgery and whole brain radiation therapy that avoids the hippocampus (the memory zone of the brain) for the treatment of small cell lung cancer that has spread to the brain.

Efficacy of the RayerKnife X Stereotactic Radiotherapy System in the Treatment of Brain Metastases

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of stereotactic radiotherapy in the treatment of brain metastases. The main question it aims to answer is: Did stereotactic radiotherapy improve LC rate in the treatment of brain metastases? Participants will be recorded for local control rates during follow-up.

Quality of Life (HRQoL) of AIS Patients Who Require Bracing or Surgery Using SRS-22 Questionnaire

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is an unexpected curvature of spine at teenage. AIS causes mainly unpleasant appearance, and sometime comes with pain and difficult to locate or move around. When the spinal curve, or "Cobb angle", increases with time, the investigators call it severe condition when the Cobb angle is 60 degrees or above. The severe suffering patients need to be operated to correct their spinal curve by using metallic rods and metallic screws (implants) to fix the spine. In order to avoid this surgery, the investigators use "brace", a hard fitting case, trying to control the spinal curve degree by using forces from outside. (bracing) to intervene the spinal curve progression is highly recommended for patients with particular clinical characteristics. However, bracing is not always a present experience apart from function restriction. Clinical recommendation requires the patients to brace over 20 hours everyday, which means the patients have to be "braced" around the clock. Patients' perception on being "braced" all day, apart from discomforts under bracing, self-image and mental health after bracing are also important psycho-social factors which have yet to be addressed. Based on our clinical experience, 1-2% of AIS patients, undergoing bracing or not (i.e. at observation stage), require surgical intervention due to rapid spinal progression in a short period of time. By definition, surgery will be arranged for patients with major spinal curve ≥50. The use of health-related-quality-of-life (HRQoL) questionnaires allow clinical professionals to explore many different kinds of interests on patients, including the patient's feeling on his/her medical condition and satisfaction with provided care. Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) patient outcome tool has been a well-accepted HRQoL questionnaire to look for the perception of patients with spinal problems of their status. The SRS-22 questionnaire that has been well accepted as its trustworthy on the score results and SRS-22 is good to be used in patients under different conditions across the disease. This is very important to obtain and compare the scores over time in order to look for any consistent changes. Apart from AIS patients requiring bracing, surgical cases are also very important group of patients to monitor their quality of life before and after surgery, and every follow-up visit after surgery.

Measuring and Mapping Cognitive Decline After Brain Radiosurgery

Background Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a localised radiotherapy treatment for patients with brain metastases or other benign tumours in the brain, like meningiomas. The Investigators do not currently know if, or how much, SRS affects brain function. Patients with brain tumours do not get tested routinely for their brain function. Understanding short- and long-term side-effects is important for SRS. Brain metastases patients have short life expectancies (6-months to 1-year). However, meningioma patients can live 10 years or more. SRS is used to treat both. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment will be used to test the participants' brain function. Quality-of-life questionnaires QLQ-C30 and BN20 will also be used to assess the participants' physical and mental wellbeing . These are specific for patients with brain cancer. Why is it important This study aims to identify areas in the brain that relate to changes in brain function after SRS. These areas can then have the radiation dose reduced to them in future patients, hoping to minimise side-effects. Research Question Which regions of the brain contribute to a decline in brain function following SRS. Study Design This is a single centre observational study with prospective and retrospective collection of data. This study will look at two groups of patients: Group1: Patients will complete the MoCA and two quality-of-life questionnaires before the treatment and every 3 months for a year. Group2: Patients will complete the MoCA and two quality-of-life questionnaires once. The investigators will use these tests, MRI scans and the SRS treatment plan to identify areas of the brain that are responsible for any problems with the participants' brain function. The participants for Group 1 will be recruited from the SRS Clinics, at City Campus, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. The participants for Group 2 will be identified through the Mosaiq Oncology Information System. This pilot study is funded by the Midlands Mental Health and Neurosciences Network.