Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This study compares therapy within the bladder (intravesical therapy) and surgery as treatment options for patients with bladder cancer. Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, but not enough research is available to help patients decide between the two most common treatments: medical therapies or bladder removal. The purpose of this study is to compare how the two treatments affect patient clinical outcomes and patient and caregiver experiences. This study may help researchers improve the decision-making process about bladder cancer treatments for patients and their caregivers.

This trial tests the use of a disposable perfusion phantom (P4) to decrease errors in calculating the blood flow of a tissue with DCE-MRI. DCE-MRI is used calculate blood flow of various tissues including tumors. Blood flow often serves as a critical indicator showing a disease status. For example, a pancreatic tumor has typically low blood flow, so it can be used as an indicator to identify the presence of a pancreatic tumor. In addition, an effective therapy may result in the increase of blood flow in a pancreatic tumor during the early period of treatment. Therefore, DCE-MRI may be used to determine whether the undergoing therapy is effective or not by measuring the change of blood flow in the pancreatic tumor and may help doctors decide whether to continue the therapy or try a different one. Unfortunately, the measurement of blood flow using DCE-MRI is not accurate. The use of an artificial tissue, named "phantom" or P4, together with a patient may help to reduce errors in DCE-MRI because errors will affect the images of both the patient and the phantom. Because it is known how the blood flow of the phantom appears when no errors are present, the phantom may be used to detect what kinds of errors are present in the image, how many errors are present in the image, and how to remove errors from the image.

This phase I trial evaluates the safety and effectiveness of using two imaging techniques, indium In 111 panitumumab (111In-panitumumab) with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) and panitumumab-IRDye800 fluorescence imaging during surgery (intraoperative), to detect disease in patients with head and neck cancer. 111In-panitumumab is an imaging agent made of a monoclonal antibody that has been labeled with a radioactive molecule called indium In 111. The agent targets and binds to receptors on tumor cells. This allows the cells to be visualized and assessed with SPECT/CT imaging techniques. SPECT is special type of CT scan in which a small amount of a radioactive drug is injected into a vein and a scanner is used to make detailed images of areas inside the body where the radioactive material is taken up by the cells. CT is an imaging technique for examining structures within the body by scanning them with x-rays and using a computer to construct a series of cross-sectional scans along a single axis. Panitumumab-IRDye800 is an imaging agent composed of panitumumab, a monoclonal antibody, linked to a fluorescent dye called IRDye800. Upon administration, panitumumab-IRDye800 targets and binds to receptors on tumor cells. This allows the tumor cells to be detected using fluorescence imaging during surgery. Adding 111In-panitumumab SPECT/CT imaging to intraoperative panitumumab-IRDye800 fluorescence imaging may be more effective at detecting disease in patients with head and neck cancer.

This phase I trial tests the safety and effectiveness of indium In 111 panitumumab (111In-panitumumab) for identifying the first lymph nodes to which cancer has spread from the primary tumor (sentinel lymph nodes) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) undergoing surgery. The most important factor for survival for many cancer types is the presence of cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes (metastasis). Lymph node metastases in patients with head and neck cancer reduce the 5-year survival by half. Sometimes, the disease is too small to be found on clinical and imaging exams before surgery. 111In-panitumumab is in a class of medications called radioimmunoconjugates. It is composed of a radioactive substance (indium In 111) linked to a monoclonal antibody (panitumumab). Panitumumab binds to EGFR receptors, a receptor that is over-expressed on the surface of many tumor cells and plays a role in tumor cell growth. Once 111In-panitumumab binds to tumor cells, it is able to be seen using an imaging technique called single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT). SPECT/CT can be used to make detailed pictures of the inside of the body and to visualize areas where the radioactive drug has been taken up by the cells. Using 111In-panitumumab with SPECT/CT imaging may improve identification of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer undergoing surgery.

This phase II trial investigates the effect of avelumab or hydroxychloroquine sulfate with or without palbociclib in treating patients with stage II-III breast cancer that is positive for disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) after curative therapy. DTCs are breast cancer cells that are asleep (dormant) in the bone marrow. There are multiple ways in which these cells stay alive, and three of these mechanisms are inhibited by the drugs in this trial. First, dormant cancer cells need a protein signal pathway involving CDK 4/6 to start dividing once they wake up in order to survive as an active cancer cell. Palbociclib works by blocking the CDK 4/6 protein and by doing so may limit the dormant cancer cell from being able to survive. In addition, palbociclib may also help both of the other drugs in the trial to work better. Second, dormant cancer cells also use a process called autophagy to generate their own nutrition, which can allow them to stay asleep. Hydroxychloroquine has been shown to block autophagy, which leads to starvation of the cells. Third, dormant cancer cells are able to hide from the bodys immune system. The immune system sends a type of cell called T cells throughout the body to detect and fight infections and diseasesincluding cancers. One way the immune system controls the activity of T cells is through the PD-1/PD-L1 (programmed cell death protein-1) pathway. However, some cancer cells hide from T-cell attack by taking control of the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and this stops T cells from attacking cancer cells. Avelumab is an antibody designed to block the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and helps the immune system in detecting and fighting dormant cancer cells. Because palbociclib, hydroxychloroquine, and avelumab work on the mechanisms that keep the dormant cells alive, taking one or a combination of these drugs may be able to eliminate DTCs.

This phase II trial studies how well acalabrutinib works in treating patients with chronic graft versus host disease. Acalabrutinib may be an effective treatment for graft-versus-host disease caused by a stem cell transplant.

This phase II trial tests whether designing radiation to avoid bone marrow in the spine (vertebral bone marrow) leads to less reduction of white blood cell counts (lymphopenia) in patients with lung cancer. This sparing technique could lead to better disease control and outcome.