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Nintedanib in Treating Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma That Is Recurrent

September 14, 2016
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Purpose: This phase II trial studies how well nintedanib works in treating patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma that has come back. Nintedanib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

Pleurectomy/Decortication Followed By Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy to the Pleura in Patients With Locally Advanced Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

September 7, 2016
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Purpose: For patients with this type of cancer, the standard of care is treatment with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is typically not used. This is because radiation to the entire lining of the lung has many side effects that are often severe including damage to the lung (pneumonitis). There is a new radiation technique using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) that has been shown to reduce many of the side effects of standard radiation therapy. This type of radiation therapy specifically targets the lining of the lung, where you have your cancer, and reduces the risk of damaging the lung itself. The purpose of this study is to test the safety and implementation of standard pleurectomy/decortication (removal of the surface lining of the lung) performed at other centers. Patients will undergo pleurectomy/decortication followed by chemotherapy then hemithoracic pleural IMRT to the pleura in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Accelerated Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy Immediately Before Surgery in Treating Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

August 31, 2016
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Purpose: This pilot phase 0 trial studies accelerated hypofractionated radiation therapy immediately before surgery in treating patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (cancer in the thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and lines the interior wall of the chest cavity). Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Hypofractionated radiation therapy is a type of radiation therapy in which the total prescribed dose of radiation is divided into fewer but larger doses as compared to conventional radiation therapy. Giving accelerated hypofractionated radiation therapy immediately before surgery may improve survival, and may also reduce side effects experienced by patients with pleural mesothelioma.

A Pilot Window-Of-Opportunity Study of the Anti-PD-1 Antibody Pembrolizumab in Patients With Resectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

August 24, 2016
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Purpose: This is a single institution, single-arm, window of opportunity pilot trial of pembrolizumab in patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. All patients will undergo a pretreatment PET/CT scan for clinical staging and a VATS procedure to acquire pretreatment tissue. Three cycles of pembrolizumab will then be administered (200 mg IV every 21 days). A PET/CT scan will then be repeated to assess response to pembrolizumab and then surgical resection will be performed via an extended/pleurectomy decortication at least 4 weeks after the third dose of pembrolizumab. Standard adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and pemetrexed for 4 cycles (every 21 days) will be given starting about 6-8 weeks following surgery, after a new baseline CT scan is obtained. Restaging CT scans will be obtained to assess response after every two cycles of chemotherapy. After the completion of standard chemotherapy, optional adjuvant treatment with pembrolizumab will be given to eligible patients for 1 year post-surgery.

Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Amatuximab in Combination With Pemetrexed and Cisplatin in Subjects With Unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM). (ARTEMIS)

August 10, 2016
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PurposeThis is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study, using a placebo control or amatuximab 5 mg/kg, administered weekly, designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of amatuximab in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin in subjects with unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma who have not received prior systemic therapy

Pembrolizumab in Treating Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma

July 20, 2016
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Purpose:This phase II trial studies how well pembrolizumab works in treating patients with malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the linings around the lungs (pleura) or abdomen (peritoneum). Monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, work by blocking a protein called programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) which may stimulate an immune response and kill tumor cells.

Tissue Procurement and Natural History Study of Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma

June 1, 2016
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Purpose:Malignant mesothelioma is a malignancy arising from the mesothelial cells of the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, or tunica vaginalis.Mesothelioma accounts for 0.10% of deaths annually in the United States. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most common of these, comprising of 80% of the cases with an annual incidence of about 2,500 in the United States.The median survival from diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma is approximately 12 months. The majority of patients present with stage III or IV disease with 85-90% of patients considered unresectable at diagnosis. Peritoneal mesothelioma has a better prognosis than pleural mesothelioma; nevertheless, patients undergoing therapy for peritoneal mesothelioma have few well-studied treatment options due in large part to the rarity of the disease.

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

April 14, 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.

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.