Mesothelioma

Pemetrexed Disodium/Observation in Treating Patients W/ Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma w/Out Progressive Disease After 1st Line Chemotherapy

February 24, 2016
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Purpose: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well pemetrexed disodium or observation works in treating patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma without progressive disease after first-line chemotherapy.

Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma in Prior Asbestos Workers

February 18, 2016
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Purpose: Occupational exposure to asbestos is known increase the risk of developing cancer of the lungs (bronchogenic carcinoma) or of the pleura (mesothelioma). Symptoms are subtle and non-specific, diagnosis is often late and the prognosis consequently is dismal. Currently there is no accepted non-invasive tool for the early diagnosis of mesothelioma or lung cancer in asbestos-exposed subjects. In the last decade, low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been successfully developed and validated for the early diagnosis of lung cancer in high-risk smokers. Malignant mesothelioma might, in an early stage, resemble a benign pleural plaque, which is a common finding after asbestos exposure. We target to develop low-dose CT as a tool to serially image the pleural plaques, quantify their individual and overall volume, compute the growth rate with time, and, as such, identify the presence of mesothelioma early, before symptoms occur.

Do Your Genes Put You at a Higher Risk of Developing Mesothelioma

January 27, 2016
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Purpose:The purpose of this research study is to investigate the possibility that a person’s genes put a person at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma. The investigators will examine genes from DNA (genetic material) isolated from blood. This study will also examine the impact of environmental and work exposures and family history of common cancers on the development of mesothelioma. The genetic markers in this study will basically identify how a person’s body processes frequently encountered environmental pollutants and will not tell about chromosomes, specific diseases, or other potential health problems.

Combination of Gemcitabine and Imatinib Mesylate in Pemetrexed-pretreated Patients With Pleural Mesothelioma

December 3, 2014
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Purpose: This is a phase II, monocentric study of the combination of gemcitabine and imatinib mesylate in pemetrexed-pretreated patients with MPM expressing PDGFR-beta and/or C-kit by Immunohistochemistry (IHC). Treatment will be done until disease progression, or patient refusal or withdrawal of patient consent, or unacceptable toxicity.

SPECTAlung: Screening Patients With Thoracic Tumors for Efficient Clinical Trial Access

November 12, 2014
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Purpose: SPECTAlung is a program aiming at screening patients with thoracic tumors to identify the molecular characteristics of their disease. The thoracic tumors include lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, thymoma or thymic carcinoma at any stage. Once the molecular characteristics are identified, there might be the possibility to offer these patients access to targeted clinical trials.

Dendritic Cell Vaccination for Patients With Solid Tumors

November 5, 2014
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Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the immunogenicity and clinical efficacy of intradermal vaccination with autologous RNA-modified dendritic cells (DCs) – engineered to express the WT1 protein – in patients with limited spread metastatic solid tumors, i.e. breast cancers, glioblastoma grade IV, sarcomas, malignant mesothelioma and colorectal tumors. Based on the results of our previously performed phase I study with autologous WT1 mRNA-transfected DC, the investigators hypothesize that the vaccination with DC will be well-tolerated and will result in an increase in WT1-specific CD8+ T cell responses.

Effect of Fas Ligand Polymorphism on Patients With Platinum/Gemcitabine-Treated Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

October 29, 2014
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Purpose:
To Study the Effect of Polymorphism in Fas Ligand Gene Promoter Region (rs 763110) on Gemcitabine/Platinum regimens used in treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM)

Peritoneal Surface Malignancies – Characterization, Models and Treatment Strategies (PSM)

October 15, 2014
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Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify biomarkers of disease recurrence and prognosis to optimize patient selection for treatment with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and through animal models to explore different treatment strategies for peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM).

Phase I Study to Determine the Maximum Tolerable Dose of BAY94-9343 in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

October 8, 2014
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Purpose: BAY94-9343 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed against the cancer antigen mesothelin on tumor cells. This study will attempt to answer the following questions:
– What are the side effects of BAY94-9343 when given at different dose levels and schedules?
– What dose level and schedule of BAY94-9343 should be tested in future clinical research studies?
– How much BAY94-9343 is in the blood at specific times after administration?
– Does the treatment with BAY94-9343 show any effect on the tumor growth?
– Are there specific biomarkers that might be able to explain why some patients respond to treatment and others do not?

LEE011 for Patients With CDK4/6 Pathway Activated Tumors (SIGNATURE)

October 1, 2014
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Purpose: The purpose of this signal seeking study is to determine whether treatment with LEE011 demonstrates sufficient efficacy in CDK4/6 pathway activated solid tumors and/or hematologic malignancies to warrant further study.