Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

The goal of this study is to investigate whether the therapeutic response of pancreatic tumors can be accurately assessed using quantitative DCE-MRI, when the inter/intra-scanner variability is reduced using the Point-of-care Portable Perfusion Phantom, P4. The intra-scanner variability over time leads to errors in therapy monitoring, while the inter-scanner variability impedes the comparison of data among institutes. The P4 is small enough to be imaged concurrently in the bore of a standard MRI scanner with a patient for real-time quality assurance. The P4 is safe, inexpensive and easily operable, thus it has great potential for widespread and routine clinical use for accurate diagnosis, prognosis and therapy monitoring.

This study has identified two arms, one arm is healthy individuals that will undergo DCE MRI at three different MRI locations to establish baseline results. The healthy volunteers will undergo these MRIs prior to the second arm, which contains patients with pancreatic cancer. The pancreatic cancer patients will only have DCE MRI done at one location.

High-grade gliomas (HGGs) are among the most aggressive and treatment-resistant brain tumors. Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors like nivolumab has shown promise, but its efficacy remains variable and poorly understood in this patient population. This clinical trial investigates a novel imaging-enabled formulation of nivolumab-IRDye800 (nivo800) which incorporates a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye to enable real-time visualization of drug distribution within tumor tissue.

The goal of this study is to provide access to brexucabtagene autoleucel for patients diagnosed with a disease approved for treatment with brexucabtagene autoleucel, that is otherwise out of specification for commercial release.

The goal of this study is to provide access to axicabtagene ciloleucel for patients diagnosed with a disease approved for treatment with axicabtagene ciloleucel, that is otherwise out of specification for commercial release.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment and work by blocking protein interactions that normally prevent the immune system from recognizing and destroying cancer cells. However, these agents, now approved for over 15 types of cancers and for both early-stage and metastatic disease, are capable of causing inflammation in any organ system of the body that can lead to organ damage, dysfunction, and even death in rare cases. Some patients may suffer acute and treatable complications like joint pain, but some may have irreversible complications like hypothyroidism that requires daily, life-long medication. It is therefore important to fully understand the different types of damage ICIs can cause to better monitor patients receiving ICI therapy.

A rising concern from recent reports in the literature is that ICIs may weaken bone and increase the risk of fractures. In this study, the investigators aim to characterize how ICIs impact the bone by examining several factors in patients undergoing curative-intent ICI treatment either alone or in combination with chemotherapy: bone mineral density, bone volume, and markers of bone turnover in the blood. The study will use two imaging techniques to assess bone mineral density and volume. DXA (dual X-ray absorptiometry) imaging uses low-dose X-rays to measure how dense (or strong) bones are and is often used to diagnose or assess the risk of osteoporosis. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) is a 3D imaging technology that can quantify bone structure and volume and offers high resolution that can be used to assess bone in smaller bones of the peripheral skeleton.

The investigators hypothesize that ICI treatment will weaken bones and increase the risk of fractures. As ICI therapy is relatively new, a rising number of patients may be at risk of fractures or have low bone density that is not being monitored because there are no guidelines in place notifying physicians of this potential risk to patients. This is study will provide important preliminary data that will be the basis for larger studies in the future aiming to better monitor and potentially treat bone weakening in patients treated with ICIs to reduce the pain, inconvenience, and complications from fragility fractures.

The goal of this clinical study is to learn more about the long-term safety, effectiveness and prolonged action of Kite study drugs, axicabtagene ciloleucel, brexucabtagene autoleucel, KITE-363, KITE-753, KITE-197, and anitocabtagene autoleucel in participants of Kite-sponsored interventional studies.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a standardized lymphedema and fibrosis self-management program (LEF-SMP) to improve LEF self-management and reduce LEF-associated symptom burden, functional deficits, and improve quality of life in head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors.

This clinical trial evaluates how well two surgical procedures (bilateral salpingectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) work in reducing the risk of ovarian cancer for individuals with BRCA1 mutations. Bilateral salpingectomy involves the surgical removal of fallopian tubes, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy involves the surgical removal of both the fallopian tubes and ovaries. This study may help doctors determine if the two surgical procedures are nearly the same for ovarian cancer risk reduction for women with BRCA1 mutations.

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.