Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the soft tissues in the body. This phase III trial aims to maintain excellent outcomes in patients with very low risk rhabdomyosarcoma (VLR-RMS) while decreasing the burden of therapy using treatment with 24 weeks of vincristine and dactinomycin (VA) and examines the use of centralized molecular risk stratification in the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma. Another aim of the study it to find out how well patients with low risk rhabdomyosarcoma (LR-RMS) respond to standard chemotherapy when patients with VLR-RMS and patients who have rhabdomyosarcoma with DNA mutations get separate treatment. Finally, this study examines the effect of therapy intensification in patients who have RMS cancer with DNA mutations to see if their outcomes can be improved.

This phase III trial tests how well adding dinutuximab to induction chemotherapy along with standard of care surgery radiation and stem cell transplantation works for treating children with newly diagnosed high risk neuroblastoma. Dinutuximab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a molecule called GD2, which is found in greater than normal amounts on some types of cancer cells. This helps cells of the immune system kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs such as cyclophosphamide, topotecan, cisplatin, etoposide, vincristine, dexrazoxane, doxorubicin, temozolomide, irinotecan and isotretinoin, 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. During induction, chemotherapy and surgery are used to kill and remove as much tumor as possible. During consolidation, very high doses of chemotherapy are given to kill any remaining cancer cells. This chemotherapy also destroys healthy bone marrow, where blood cells are made. A stem cell transplant is a procedure that helps the body make new healthy blood cells to replace the blood cells that may have been harmed by the cancer and/or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is also given to the site where the cancer originated (primary site) and to any other areas that are still active at the end of induction.