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Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, Senior Vice President for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, always knew she wanted to be a physician. "Health equity was built into everything I did, even if I didn’t know it or recognize it at the time," Wilkins said. "I have always learned and believed that people are the same — everyone deserves to be healthy, and everyone should have the best opportunities to take care of themselves and their families." Click below to learn more about health equity initiatives.

https://momentum.vicc.org/2021/09/everyone-deserves-to-be-healthy/
Vanderbilt was the lead site for an NIH-funded, phase 2, multicenter influenza vaccine study in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients that may lead to a change in the current flu vaccine recommendations in this vulnerable population. Natasha Halasa, MD, MPH and colleagues recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that two doses of high-dose trivalent flu vaccine resulted in higher amounts of influenza-specific antibodies than two doses of standard dose quadrivalent vaccine.

https://news.vumc.org/2023/03/02/high-dose-flu-vaccine-beneficial-for-pediatric-stem-cell-transplant-patients/

Displaying 81 - 87 of 87

Testing the Addition of a New Drug, Daratumumab/rHuPH20, to the Usual Treatment (Lenalidomide) as Post-stem Cell Transplant Treatment for Multiple Myeloma, DRAMMATIC Study

Multiple Myeloma

This phase III trial compares the effect of usual treatment (lenalidomide) to using daratumumab/rHuPH20 plus the usual treatment after stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma. This drug combination may help patients live longer after their stem cell transplant. Another purpose of this study is to learn if the presence and amount of minimal residual disease (MRD) can help doctors predict when a patients multiple myeloma will get worse. MRD is the name for the small number of cancer cells that remain in the patient even after their multiple myeloma has been treated and they have no symptoms of the disease. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as lenalidomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with daratumumab/rHuPH20, may induce changes in bodys immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving lenalidomide and daratumumab/rHuPH20 may work better in treating patients with multiple myeloma compared to lenalidomide alone.
Multiple Myeloma
III
Baljevic, Muhamed
NCT04071457
VICC-NTPCL23369

Non-Chemotherapy Treatment (Ramucirumab plus Pembrolizumab) or Standard Chemotherapy for Treatment of Stage IV or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Following Immunotherapy, Pragmatica-Lung Trial

Lung

This phase III trial compares the effect of the combination therapy with ramucirumab and pembrolizumab versus standard of care chemotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer that is stage IV or that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent). Ramucirumab is a monoclonal antibody that may prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow. 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. Chemotherapy drugs work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. This trial may help doctors find out if combination therapy with ramucirumab and pembrolizumab could help patients with stage IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer live longer compared to standard chemotherapy.
Lung
III
Iams, Wade
NCT05633602
VICC-NTTHO23073

Testing the Use of Combination Therapy in Adult Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma, the EQUATE Trial

Multiple Myeloma

This phase III trial compares the combination of four drugs (daratumumab-hyaluronidase, bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone) to the use of a three-drug combination (daratumumab-hyaluronidase, lenalidomide and dexamethasone) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. 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-hyaluronidase 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 bodys immune response and are used with other drugs in the treatment of some types of cancer. Adding bortezomib to daratumumab-hyaluronidase, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone may be more effective in shrinking the cancer or preventing it from returning, compared to continuing on a combination of daratumumab-hyaluronidase, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
Multiple Myeloma
III
Baljevic, Muhamed
NCT04566328
ECOGPCLEAA181

Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Patients with Newly Diagnosed Very Low-Risk and Low Risk Fusion Negative Rhabdomyosarcoma

Pediatrics

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.
Pediatrics
III
Borinstein, Scott
NCT05304585
COGARST2032

Testing the use of Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine Compared to the Usual Treatment (Chemotherapy with Docetaxel plus Trastuzumab) for Recurrent, Metastatic, or Unresectable HER2-Positive Salivary Gland Cancer

Head/Neck

This phase II trial compares the effect of usual treatment of docetaxel chemotherapy plus trastuzumab, to ado-emtansine (T-DM1) in patients with HER2-positive salivary gland cancer that has come back (recurrent), that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body, or cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). Trastuzumab is a form of targeted therapy because it works by attaching itself to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of cancer cells, known as HER2 receptors. When trastuzumab attaches to HER2 receptors, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the cancer cell may be marked for destruction by body's immune system. Trastuzumab emtansine contains trastuzumab, linked to a chemotherapy drug called emtansine. Trastuzumab attaches to HER2 positive cancer cells in a targeted way and delivers emtansine to kill them. Docetaxel is in a class of medications called taxanes. It stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Trastuzumab emtansine may work better compared to usual treatment of chemotherapy with docetaxel and trastuzumab in treating patients with recurrent, metastatic or unresectable salivary gland cancer.
Head/Neck
II
Choe, Jennifer
NCT05408845
NRGHN010

Testing What Happens When an Immunotherapy Drug (Pembrolizumab) is Given by Itself Compared to the Usual Treatment of Chemotherapy with Radiation after Surgery for Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head/Neck

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.
Head/Neck
II
Choe, Jennifer
NCT04671667
ECOGHNEA3191

Testing the Use of Investigational Drugs Atezolizumab and/or Bevacizumab with or without Standard Chemotherapy in the Second-Line Treatment of Advanced-Stage Head and Neck Cancers

This phase II/III compares the standard therapy (chemotherapy plus cetuximab) versus adding bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy, versus combination of just bevacizumab and atezolizumab in treating patients with head and neck cancer that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic or advanced stage) or has come back after prior treatment (recurrent). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as atezolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Bevacizumab is in a class of medications called antiangiogenic agents. It works by stopping the formation of blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to tumor. This may slow the growth and spread of tumor. Cetuximab is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It binds to a protein called EGFR, which is found on some types of cancer cells. This may help keep cancer cells from growing. Cisplatin and carboplatin are in a class of chemotherapy medications known as platinum-containing compounds. They work by killing, stopping, or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Docetaxel is in a class of chemotherapy medications called taxanes. It stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. The addition of bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy or combination therapy with bevacizumab and atezolizumab may be better than standard chemotherapy plus cetuximab in treating patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancers.
Not Available
II/III
Choe, Jennifer
NCT05063552
ECOGHNEA3202