Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, has been named a fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.
This phase II trial tests how well nivolumab and ipilimumab immunotherapy with or without cabozantinib in treating patients with nasopharyngeal cancer that has come back (after a period of improvement) (recurrent), has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic), or for which no treatment is currently available (incurable). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and ipilimumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Cabozantinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps slow or stop the spread of cancer cells. Giving immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab and targeted therapy with cabozantinib may help shrink and stabilize nasopharyngeal cancer.
This phase II/III trial tests the role of DNA released from tumor cells into the blood in guiding the use of immunotherapy (nivolumab alone or with relatlimab) after surgical removal of the bladder for bladder cancer treatment. DNA is material found inside all of our cells that acts as a blueprint for how cells function. Tumor cells often have abnormal DNA that looks different than DNA in normal cells. A new test called Signatera has been developed that can detect bladder cancer DNA in the blood which might indicate the presence of bladder tumor cells somewhere in the body. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Relatlimab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine if the Signatera test can better identify which patients need an additional treatment with immunotherapy to help prevent bladder cancer from coming back after surgery.
This phase II trial studies the effect of hormonal therapy given after (adjuvant) combination pertuzumab/trastuzumab in treating patients with hormone receptor positive, HER2 positive breast cancer. The drugs trastuzumab and pertuzumab are both monoclonal antibodies, which are disease-fighting proteins made by cloned immune cells. Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormonal therapy, such as letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane, and tamoxifen, block the use of estrogen by the tumor cells. Giving hormonal therapy after pertuzumab and trastuzumab may kill any remaining tumor cells in patients with breast cancer.
This phase II trial studies the effect of lutetium Lu 177 dotatate compared to the usual treatment (everolimus) in treating patients with somatostatin receptor positive bronchial neuroendocrine tumors that have spread to other places in the body (advanced). Radioactive drugs, such as lutetium Lu 177 dotatate, may carry radiation directly to tumor cells and may reduce harm to normal cells. Lutetium Lu 177 dotatate may be more effective than everolimus in shrinking or stabilizing advanced bronchial neuroendocrine tumors.
This phase I/II trial studies the side effects and best dose of temozolomide and M1774 and how well they works in treating patients with cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) and may have spread to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced). Temozolomide is in a class of medications called alkylating agents. It works by damaging the cell's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and may kill tumor cells and slow down or stop tumor growth. M1774 may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Adding M1774 to temozolomide may shrink or stabilize cancer for longer than temozolomide alone.
This phase II trial studies how well TPIV100 and sargramostim work in treating patients with HER2 positive, stage I-III breast cancer that has residual disease after chemotherapy prior to surgery. It also studies why some HER2 positive breast cancer patients respond better to chemotherapy in combination with trastuzumab and pertuzumab. TPIV100 is a type of vaccine made from HER2 peptide that may help the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells that express HER2. Sargramostim increases the number of white blood cells in the body following chemotherapy for certain types of cancer and is used to alert the immune system. It is not yet known if TPIV100 and sargramostim will work better in treating patients with HER2 positive, stage I-III breast cancer.
This phase I trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of ZEN003694 in combination with the usual treatment with capecitabine in treating patients with cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) or cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) and that it has progressed on previous standard treatment. ZEN003694 is an inhibitor of a family of proteins called the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET). It may prevent the growth of tumor cells that over produce BET protein. Capecitabine is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It is taken up by cancer cells and breaks down into fluorouracil, a substance that kills cancer cells. Giving ZEN003694 in combination with capecitabine may be safe in treating patients with metastatic or unresectable solid tumors.
