Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This phase III trial studies how well gemcitabine hydrochloride and cisplatin given with or without nab-paclitaxel work in treating patients with newly diagnosed biliary tract cancers that have spread to other places in the body (advanced). Chemotherapy drugs, such as gemcitabine hydrochloride, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel, 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. It is not known if giving gemcitabine hydrochloride and cisplatin with or without nab-paclitaxel may work better at treating biliary tract cancers.

This clinical trial studies how well contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging works in diagnosing liver cancer in patients with cirrhosis. Diagnostic procedures, such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, may help find and diagnose liver cancer.

This phase II trial studies how well rucaparib and nivolumab work in treating patients with biliary tract cancer that has spread to other places in the body after platinum therapy. Rucaparib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. 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. Giving rucaparib and nivolumab after platinum therapy may help kill more cancer cells that are left after chemotherapy.

This trial studies early palliative care in improving recovery and quality of life in patients with cancer undergoing abdominal surgery. Frequently people diagnosed with cancer experience physical and emotional symptoms during the course of their disease. Introduction to a team of clinicians that specialize in the lessening of many of these distressing symptoms may improve overall care. This team of clinicians is called the palliative care team and they focus on ways to improve pain and other symptom management (i.e. shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety, etc.) and to assist patients and their families in coping with the emotional, social, and spiritual issues associated with a cancer diagnosis. This study is being done to see if receiving palliative care earlier is more useful compared to receiving palliative care late in the course of illness.

This pivotal, open-label, single-arm study will evaluate the anti-cancer activity of derazantinib by Objective Response Rate (ORR) by central radiology review as per RECIST v1.1 in subjects with inoperable or advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) whose tumors harbor FGFR2 gene fusions (by FISH performed by the central laboratory) or FGFR2 gene mutations or amplifications (based on NGS testing performed or commissioned by the respective study center) and who received at least one prior regimen of systemic therapy. Subjects will be dosed orally once per day at 300 mg of derazantinib capsules.

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) versus placebo as adjuvant therapy in participants with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and complete radiological response after surgical resection or local ablation. The primary hypotheses of this study are that adjuvant pembrolizumab is superior to placebo with respect to: 1) recurrence-free survival (RFS) as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR); and 2) overall survival (OS).