Clinical Research Directory

Evaluation of Cell Changes in Blood and Tissue in Cancers of the Lung, Esophagus and Lung Lining

Background: * Chromatin is is the structural building block of a chromosome. It is found inside the nucleus of the cell and consists of a complex of DNA and protein. * Cancers of the lung, pleura (lung lining) and esophagus show profound changes in chromatin structure that may affect the course of disease in patients. * A better understanding of these diseases and the genetic changes associated with them may be helpful in developing new treatments for them. Objectives: * To evaluate people with cancer of the lung, pleura or esophagus for participation in NCI clinical trials. * To obtain biopsies (small pieces of tissue) from tumor, normal tissue and blood samples to learn more about the cellular changes in blood and tissue in tumors of the lung, esophagus and pleura and surrounding structures in the chest. Eligibility: Patients 2 years of age and older with cancer of the lung, esophagus, pleura, mediastinum or chest wall, or cancers of other origin that have invaded the lung. Note: Patients \>= 2 years of age and under 18 years of age may only participate in research sample collection. Design: * Up to 1310 patients may be included in this study. * Patients undergo standard tests for evaluating the stage of their disease and for determining eligibility for an NCI investigational treatment study. * All patients undergo bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage ("washing" with salt water) to assess their tumor and collect a sample of normal tissue. Patients whose tumor is located on the outside portion of the lung may also undergo thoracoscopy to obtain a tumor sample. For bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage a tube with a light is passed through the nose or mouth into the lungs to examine the airways. Salt water is injected through the tube and then withdrawn to obtain cells for laboratory studies. For the thoracoscopy a small tube with a light is put through a small hole in the chest to obtain the tumor sample. Both procedures are usually done under general anesthesia. The tissue is examined to identify cell characteristics of people who respond to certain therapies and to identify markers on the surface of the tissue that may be useful in future research and treatment. * Blood and urine samples are collected from patients. * Patients who are eligible for a treatment study at NCI are offered participation in the study. * Patients for whom standard surgery, radiation or chemotherapy is more appropriate may receive treatment at NCI or with their own physician. * Patients who receive treatment at NCI return for follow-up examinations 4 weeks after discharge and then every 2 to 4 months depending on the nature of their cancer.

Feasibility Study of CBCT for IGRT in Cancer Patients

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is an imaging technology that is incorporated into many modern radiation therapy systems. The quality of conventional CBCT is good enough to align patients for their daily radiation therapy but CBCT images have poor contrast and are susceptible to imaging artefacts that limit their usability for other tasks in the radiation therapy workflow. Varian Medical Systems, the sponsor of this study, has developed new CBCT imaging technology called HyperSight that so far has demonstrated increased image quality compared with conventional CBCT images. This new HyperSight CBCT imager has previously been built into Varian Halcyon and Ethos treatment machines, where the imager is enclosed in a ring that rotates around the patient. Now, HyperSight has been built into a Varian treatment machine, called TrueBeam, where the imager is mounted on a C-shaped arm that rotates around you to acquire an image. This study is being done to evaluate the image quality of HyperSight CBCT compared to conventional CBCT images, and to determine whether HyperSight CBCT can improve the process of delivering radiation treatments. The goal of this study is to collect images from this new HyperSight-TrueBeam CBCT imager from a variety of patients and locations in the body. The images will be analyzed to determine whether their quality is high enough to use for tasks other than positioning patients for treatment. For example, the study will determine whether the HyperSight images could be used to calculate a radiation plan.