Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding levocarnitine to standard chemotherapy versus (vs.) standard chemotherapy alone in protecting the liver in patients with leukemia or lymphoma. Asparaginase is part of the standard of care chemotherapy for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL), and mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL). However, in adolescent and young adults (AYA) ages 15-39 years, liver toxicity from asparaginase is common and often prevents delivery of planned chemotherapy, thereby potentially compromising outcomes. Some groups of people may also be at higher risk for liver damage due to the presence of fat in the liver even before starting chemotherapy. Patients who are of Japanese descent, Native Hawaiian, Hispanic or Latinx may be at greater risk for liver damage from chemotherapy for this reason. Carnitine is a naturally occurring nutrient that is part of a typical diet and is also made by the body. Carnitine is necessary for metabolism and its deficiency or absence is associated with liver and other organ damage. Levocarnitine is a drug used to provide extra carnitine. Laboratory and real-world usage of the dietary supplement levocarnitine suggests its potential to prevent or reduce liver toxicity from asparaginase. The overall goal of this study is to determine whether adding levocarnitine to standard of care chemotherapy will reduce the chance of developing severe liver damage from asparaginase chemotherapy in ALL, LL and/or MPAL patients.

This study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Orca-T in participants undergoing reduced intensity or non-myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) for hematologic malignancies. Orca-T is an allogeneic stem cell and T-cell immunotherapy biologic manufactured for each patient (transplant recipient) from the mobilized peripheral blood of a specific, unique donor. It is composed of purified hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), purified regulatory T cells (Tregs), and conventional T cells (Tcons).

This phase II trial studies the effect of pembrolizumab alone compared to the usual approach (chemotherapy \[cisplatin and carboplatin\] plus radiation therapy) after surgery in treating patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that has come back (recurrent) or patients with a second head and neck cancer that is not from metastasis (primary). Radiation therapy uses high energy radiation or protons to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Carboplatin is also in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving pembrolizumab alone after surgery may work better than the usual approach in shrinking recurrent or primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The goal of this trial is to see if active surveillance monitoring and hormonal therapy in patients diagnosed with ductal cell carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early stage of breast cancer, can be an effective management of the disease.

Participants will be asked to receive control hormonal therapy or an investigational hormonal therapy treatment. Participants will be asked to return for evaluation with MRI at three months and six months. Depending on the evaluation participants will have the option to continue on the treatment. If the evaluation suggests surgery is recommended, the participant will discontinue the study treatment and will undergo surgery. In addition to the treatment and MRI evaluation, participants will be asked to provide blood sample to understand their immune status, provide saliva sample for genetic testing, provide the study with a portion of the tissue or slides generated from tissue removed during surgery performed as part of their standard of care.

This phase III trial compares the effect of giving triptorelin vs no triptorelin in preventing ovarian damage in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer receiving chemotherapy with an alkylating agents. Alkylating agents are part of standard chemotherapy, but may cause damage to the ovaries. If the ovaries are not working well or completely shut down, then it will be difficult or impossible to get pregnant in the future. Triptorelin works by blocking certain hormones and causing the ovaries to slow down or pause normal activity. The triptorelin used in this study stays active in the body for 24 weeks or about 6 months after a dose is given. After triptorelin is cleared from the body, the ovaries resume normal activities. Adding triptorelin before the start of chemotherapy treatment may reduce the chances of damage to the ovaries.

Recent comparative data suggest that EUS gastroenterostomy offers more durable patency than enteral stents for treatment of malignant GOO, leading some endoscopists to suggest that EUS gastroenterostomy should be the preferred endoscopic treatment approach.

EUS gastroenterostomy and surgical gastrojejunostomy have been compared in retrospective cohort analysis, suggesting a high technical success rate a shorter hospital length of stay for the endoscopic approach \[4\]. Comparison of these techniques has not been reported in controlled prospective fashion. A prospective trial is necessary in order to define the optimal interventional management option for treatment of malignant GOO in the context of the contemporary and rapidly evolved range of available endoscopic and surgical treatment options.

Persons with secondary arm and/or upper quadrant lymphedema following cancer therapies commonly are prescribed complete decongestive therapy as a course of management of their lymphedema. The investigators will perform a repeated-measures cross-over trial to test the hypothesis that mobilization of protein enriched hardened tissue using graded negative pressure therapy in conjunction with complete decongestive therapy (CDT) is more effective to standard CDT alone for secondary lymphedema management.

This phase III trial compares the combination of four drugs (daratumumab, bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone) to the use of a three drug combination (daratumumab, lenalidomide and dexamethasone). Bortezomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Chemotherapy drugs, such as lenalidomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Daratumumab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as dexamethasone lower the body's immune response and are used with other drugs in the treatment of some types of cancer. Adding bortezomib to daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone may be more effective in shrinking the cancer or preventing it from returning, compared to continuing on daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone.

This research study will determine the proportion of patients with lowest minimal residual disease (MRD) response obtainable after receiving 6 cycles of study treatment. Minimal residual disease is multiple myeloma cells below the level of 1 cancer cell out of 100,000 in the bone marrow.

For patients who become MRD "negative" (i.e. less than 1 cancer cell out of 100,000) at the end of 6 cycles of therapy, this study will study if that good response can be maintained with 3 additional cycles of treatment instead of use of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT).

For patients who are MRD "positive" at the end of 6 cycles of therapy, this study will answer whether more patients can become and remain MRD "negative" with AHCT plus teclistamab in combination with daratumumab when compared with patients who undergo AHCT followed by lenalidomide (an established anti-myeloma drug) plus daratumumab.

This study is being done to answer the following questions:

Can we lower the chance of your gastric cancer from growing or spreading by administering paclitaxel chemotherapy directly into your abdominal cavity in addition to chemotherapy given through a vein in your arm? Will administering paclitaxel chemotherapy directly into your abdominal cavity, in addition to chemotherapy given through a vein in your arm help you live longer? We are doing this study because we want to find out if this approach is better or worse than the usual approach for your gastric cancer. The usual approach is defined as care most people get for gastric cancer.

If you decide to take part in this study, you will first receive a surgical procedure called a diagnostic laparoscopy. This will help the study doctors learn more about your gastric cancer. Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgery for which you will be placed under general anesthesia. Then the surgeon will make small incisions (5mm) on your belly through which a camera and thin instruments are introduced to evaluate the abdomen. This procedure takes about 1 hour to complete. Your study group will be assigned during the surgery. The study groups are described further in the 'What are the study groups?' section below.

If you are placed into the study group 1, you will not have an intraperitoneal port (a small device which is placed under the skin and fat of your upper abdomen and a tube that is placed into the abdomen).

If you are placed into the study group 2, you will have an intraperitoneal port placed. The reason is that in addition to standard chemotherapy, which is given through a vein in your arm, this port will be used to deliver the medication paclitaxel directly inside your abdomen when you are ready to start study treatment.

It is important to know that you will not know your study group until after the surgery is over. This is because information that is learned during the surgery will help determine which study group you are put in.

Once you have fully healed from this surgery, you will start study treatment. Depending on which study group you are assigned, you will either receive a standard chemotherapy regimen (the regimen will be chosen by you and your doctor) if you are in study group 1, or paclitaxel through a tube in your belly plus chemotherapy given through a vein in your arm if you are in study group 2. All participants will get treatment for three (3) months after which you will undergo reevaluation. If the disease is under control or responding to treatment, you may continue the assigned treatment until your disease gets worse, the side effects become too severe, or you may be offered a surgical procedure to remove the cancer if the amount of disease is low and can be completely removed as determined by a surgeon.

There is a very small chance that during the laparoscopy surgical procedure, the doctor might find something called "intra-abdominal adhesions". These are areas where the stomach has healed previously and created scar tissue. If this scar tissue prevents the surgeon from being able to place a port in the correct area, you would be ineligible to receive the study treatment. If this happens, you may still receive standard of care therapy after your surgery, but you will not be able to continue on the study. If you have more questions about this, you can ask your surgeon or the study team to help.

After you finish your study treatment, your doctor or study team will watch you for side effects. They will continue to follow your condition every three (3) months during the first two (2) years, then every six (6) months until year 5. You may be reevaluated with Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis scans every three-six (3-6) months for up to five (5) years if decided by your doctor.