1-877-936-8422
This phase II ComboMATCH treatment trial compares the effect of neratinib to the combination of neratinib and palbociclib in treating patients with HER2 positive solid tumors. Neratinib and palbociclib are in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. They work by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps slow or stop the spread of tumor cells. Giving neratinib and palbociclib in combination may shrink or stabilize cancers that over-express a specific biomarker called HER2.

Kimberly Dahlman elected to board of International Association of Medical Science Educators 

Submitted by vicc_news on
Kimberly Dahlman, PhD
Kimberly Dahlman, PhD

Kimberly Dahlman, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, has been elected to the board of directors of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE). 

Dahlman, who is the assistant director of Cancer Research Training and Education at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, will begin serving her three-year term upon the closing of the association’s annual conference on June 17. She serves as co-director of the third- and fourth-year undergraduate medical education curriculum at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and as co-director of the Research Education Core of the Meharry-Vanderbilt-Tennessee State University Cancer Partnership.

She is also director of the VERTICAL post-baccalaureate program, the V-EXCEL undergraduate cancer research program and the VISTO medical student research program at Vanderbilt-Ingram. Nationally, she is president of the Association of Biochemistry Educators.  

With more than 2,000 members, the IAMSE’s mission is to advance health profession education through teacher development and to ensure that the teaching and learning of medical science continues to be firmly grounded in foundational sciences and the best practices of teaching. 

The post Kimberly Dahlman elected to board of International Association of Medical Science Educators  appeared first on VUMC News.

This phase II trial tests the safety, side effects, best dose and activity of tovorafenib (DAY101) in treating patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis that is growing, spreading, or getting worse (progressive), has come back (relapsed) after previous treatment, or does not respond to therapy (refractory). Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a type of disease that occurs when the body makes too many immature Langerhans cells (a type of white blood cell). When these cells build up, they can form tumors in certain tissues and organs including bones, skin, lungs and pituitary gland and can damage them. This tumor is more common in children and young adults. DAY101 may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Using DAY101 may be effective in treating patients with relapsed or refractory Langerhans cell histiocytosis.
This study is a Phase 1/2, multicenter, dose-escalation, open-label trial to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TP-3654 in patients with intermediate or high-risk primary or secondary MF.
This phase II clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of palbociclib and binimetinib in treating patients with RAS-mutated cancers. Palbociclib and binimetinib are both in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. They work by blocking the action of abnormal proteins that signals cancer cells to multiply. This trial may help researchers understand if giving the combination of palbociclib and binimetinib can help improve the amount of time before the cancer grows in patients with patients with low grade serous ovarian cancer who have certain changes in the tumor DNA. This trial may also help researchers understand if giving the combination of palbociclib and binimetinib can help improve outcomes among patients with low grade serous ovarian cancer who have previously received a MEK inhibitor. For patients with other tumors, with the exception of lung cancer, colon cancer, melanoma and low grade serous ovarian cancers, this trial may help researchers understand if giving the combination of palbociclib and binimetinib can improve the clinical outcome of survival without progression in patients who have certain changes in their tumors DNA.

A Study of SNDX-5613 in Combination with Chemotherapy for Patients Diagnosed with Relapsed or Refractory Leukemia

This phase II trial tests the safety and best dose of SNDX-5613 (revumenib) in combination with chemotherapy, and evaluates whether this treatment improves the outcome in infants and young children who have leukemia that has come back (relapsed) or does not respond to treatment (refractory) and is associated with a KMT2A (MLL) gene rearrangement (KMT2A-R). Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, where too many underdeveloped (abnormal) white blood cells, called blasts, are found in the bone marrow, which is the soft, spongy center of the bones that produces the three major blood cells: white blood cells to fight infection; red blood cells that carry oxygen; and platelets that help blood clot and stop bleeding. The blasts crowd out the normal blood cells in the bone marrow and spread to the blood. They can also spread to the brain, spinal cord, and/or other organs of the body. The leukemia cells of some children have a genetic change in which a gene (KMT2A) is broken and combined with other genes that typically do not interact with one another; this is called rearranged. This genetic rearrangement alters how other genes are turned on or off in the cell, turning on genes that drive the development of leukemia. Patients with KMT2A rearrangement have higher risk for cancer coming back after treatment. Revumenib is an oral medicine that directly targets the changes that occur in a cell with a KMT2A rearrangement and has been shown to specifically kill these leukemia cells in preclinical laboratory settings and in animals. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vincristine, prednisone, asparaginase, fludarabine and cytarabine 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. This trial is being done to find out if the combination of revumenib and chemotherapy would be safe and/or effective in treating infants and young children with relapsed or refractory KMT2A-R leukemia.

Testing the Addition of Abemaciclib to Olaparib for Women with Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

This phase I/Ib trial identifies the side effects and best dose of abemaciclib when given together with olaparib in treating patients with ovarian cancer that responds at first to treatment with drugs that contain the metal platinum but then comes back within a certain period (recurrent platinum-resistant). Abemaciclib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Olaparib is an inhibitor of PARP, an enzyme that helps repair deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) when it becomes damaged. Blocking PARP may help keep tumor cells from repairing their damaged DNA, causing them to die. PARP inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy. Adding abemaciclib to olaparib may work better to treat recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Testing the Addition of Total Ablative Therapy to Usual Systemic Therapy Treatment for Limited Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, ERASur Trial

This phase III trial compares the addition of total ablative therapy to the usual systemic therapy versus the usual systemic therapy alone in treating patients with advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to up to 4 body sites (limited metastatic). The usual approach for patients who are not participating in a study is treatment with intravenous (through a vein) and/or oral medications (systemic therapy) to help stop the cancer sites from getting larger and the spread of the cancer to additional body sites. The ablative local therapy will consist of very focused, intensive radiotherapy called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) with or without surgical resection and/or microwave ablation, which is a procedure where a needle is temporarily inserted in the tumor and heat is used to destroy the cancer cells. The addition of ablative local therapy to the usual approach of systemic therapy could be more effective than usual chemotherapy alone by increasing the life of patients with limited metastatic colorectal cancer.

Stopping Anti-HER2 Therapy to Improve Outcomes for Exceptional Responder Patients with Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer, The STOP-HER2 Trial

This phase II trial studies how well stopping anti-HER2 therapy works in improving outcomes of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) and have experienced long-term benefit from first-line treatment (exceptional responders). Patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer are currently treated with systemic drugs indefinitely. These drugs include chemotherapy and/or biological agents targeting the HER2 protein. The first drug combination administered after diagnosis of metastatic spread (i.e., first-line treatment) usually combines chemotherapy with anti-HER2 agents (trastuzumab with or without pertuzumab). Chemotherapy is administered for a limited number of months, and anti-HER2 agents are continued indefinitely as maintenance therapy. Some of these patients experience a long-term benefit from first-line treatment without cancer growth and can be defined as exceptional responders. Nevertheless, all patients with this type of tumor typically continue maintenance treatment with anti-HER2 therapy indefinitely. Exceptional responders usually receive treatment for many years. Information learned from this trial may help researchers understand whether maintenance anti-HER2 treatment can be safely stopped in patients with exceptional response to first-line therapy.

Testing the Role of DNA Released from Tumor Cells into the Blood in Guiding the Use of Immunotherapy after Surgical Removal of the Bladder for Bladder Cancer Treatment, MODERN Study

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.
Subscribe to
NCI Designated Cancer Center
NCCN National Comprehensive Cancer Network
NCI National Clinical Trials Network