Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This phase II/III trial compares the effect of immunotherapy with atezolizumab in combination with standard chemotherapy with a platinum drug (cisplatin or carboplatin) and etoposide versus standard therapy alone for the treatment of poorly differentiated extrapulmonary (originated outside the lung) neuroendocrine cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). The other aim of this trial is to compare using atezolizumab just at the beginning of treatment versus continuing it beyond the initial treatment. 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. Cisplatin and carboplatin are in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds that work by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Etoposide is in a class of medications known as podophyllotoxin derivatives. It blocks a certain enzyme needed for cell division and DNA repair, and it may kill cancer cells. Giving atezolizumab in combination with a platinum drug (cisplatin or carboplatin) and etoposide may work better in treating patients with poorly differentiated extrapulmonary neuroendocrine cancer compared to standard therapy with a platinum drug (cisplatin or carboplatin) and etoposide alone.

This phase III trial studies rituximab after stem cell transplant and to see how well it works compared with rituximab alone in treating patients with in minimal residual disease-negative mantle cell lymphoma in first complete remission. Immunotherapy with rituximab, may induce changes in bodys immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant helps kill any cancer cells that are in the body and helps make room in the patients bone marrow for new blood-forming cells (stem cells) to grow. After treatment, stem cells are collected from the patient's blood and stored. More chemotherapy is then given to prepare the bone marrow for the stem cell transplant. The stem cells are then returned to the patient to replace the blood-forming cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy. Giving rituximab with or without stem cell transplant may work better in treating patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

This phase II/III trial compares the effect of adding chemotherapy before and after surgery versus after surgery alone (usual treatment) in treating patients with stage II-III gallbladder cancer. Chemotherapy drugs, such as gemcitabine and cisplatin, 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. Giving chemotherapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller; therefore, may reduce the extent of surgery. Additionally, it may make it easier for the surgeon to distinguish between normal and cancerous tissue. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. This study will determine whether giving chemotherapy before surgery increases the length of time before the cancer may return and whether it will increase a patients life span compared to the usual approach.

This phase II trial studies whether adding pembrolizumab to olaparib (standard of care) works better than olaparib alone in treating patients with pancreatic cancer with germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic). BRCA1 and BRCA2 are human genes that produce tumor suppressor proteins. These proteins help repair damaged deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and, therefore, play a role in ensuring the stability of each cells genetic material. When either of these genes is mutated, or altered, such that its protein product is not made or does not function correctly, DNA damage may not be repaired properly. As a result, cells are more likely to develop additional genetic alterations that can lead to some types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. 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. Olaparib is an inhibitor of PARP, a protein that helps repair damaged DNA. Blocking PARP may help keep tumor cells from repairing their damaged DNA, causing them to die. PARP inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy. The addition of pembrolizumab to the usual treatment of olaparib may help to shrink tumors in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

This phase III trial studies how well lenalidomide and dexamethasone works with or without daratumumab-hyaluronidase in treating patients with high-risk smoldering myeloma. 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. 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. Daratumumab-hyaluronidase is a monoclonal antibody, daratumumab, that may interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread, and hyaluronidase, which may help daratumumab work better by making cancer cells more sensitive to the drug. Giving lenalidomide and dexamethasone with daratumumab-hyaluronidase may work better in treating patients with smoldering myeloma.

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 I trial evaluates the usefulness of an imaging agent (zirconium Zr 89 panitumumab [89Zr panitumumab]) with positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing primary tumors and/or the spread of disease from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastasis) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. 89Zr panitumumab is an investigational imaging agent that contains a small amount of radiation, which makes it visible on PET scans. PET is an established imaging technique that utilizes small amounts of radioactivity attached to very minimal amounts of tracer, in the case of this research, 89Zr panitumumab, to allow imaging of the function of different cells and organs in the body. CT utilizes x-rays that traverse the body from the outside. CT images provide an exact outline of organs and potential disease tissue where it occurs in patients body. The combined PET/CT scanner is a special type of scanner that allows imaging of both structure (CT) and function (PET) following the injection of 89Zr panitumumab. This 89Zr panitumumab PET/CT may be useful in diagnosis of primary tumors and/or metastasis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

This trial collects data on response to low-dose skin electron therapy in patients with stage IB-IIIA mycosis fungoides that does not respond to treatment (refractory) or has come back (relapsed). Collecting data on patient's response to therapy, both in terms of changes in the skin and in terms of quality of life following treatment, may help doctors better predict response to therapy.