View clinical trials related to Craniopharyngioma.
Filter by:Craniopharyngioma is a rare brain tumor that affects both children and adults. It arises in a region of the brain near the pituitary gland, visual pathways, and central blood vessels. Patients often present with headache, loss of vision or delayed growth. In some instances they may present with imbalance of water and salts in the body. The treatment for craniopharyngioma may be radical surgery or a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. In some instances surgery is not required. If the tumor cannot be completely removed, radiation therapy may be required. In this study we will use the most advanced form of proton therapy which is called intensity-modulated proton therapy. This is a newer form of radiation therapy which has a number of advantages over older forms of proton therapy and conventional radiation therapy using x-rays. The main goal of this study is to learn if proton therapy will effectively treat patients with craniopharyngioma brain tumors and reduce side effects compared to more traditional forms of radiation therapy.
The purpose of this four-arm randomized controlled study is to determine whether eliminating glucocorticoids (GC) replacement in perioperative period in surgical patients with sellar lesion could result in similar or better outcomes comparing to traditional replacement therapy, regarding postoperative recovery of pituitary function and other postoperative complications (infection, pain, quality of life, recurrence). Surgical patients of our center with MRI-confirmed diagnosis of sellar lesion will be enrolled, insulin tolerance test (ITT) will be performed for assessment of the pituitary function at enrollment. Patients with normal pituitary function will be randomized into non-GC replacement group (group A) and low-dose GC replacement group (group B), while patients with impaired pituitary function will be randomized into low-dose GC replacement group (group C) and high-dose GC replacement group (group D). The primary outcome is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) -axis function of the patients, evaluated by plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels. The secondary outcomes include the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis function (TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T3, free T4), postoperative water-electrolyte balance, infection, recurrence and health-related quality of life.
The purpose of this study is to test the usefulness of imaging with radiolabeled methionine in the evaluation of children and young adults with tumor(s). Methionine is a naturally occurring essential amino acid. It is crucial for the formation of proteins. When labeled with carbon-11 (C-11), a radioactive isotope of the naturally occurring carbon-12, the distribution of methionine can be determined noninvasively using a PET (positron emission tomography) camera. C-11 methionine (MET) has been shown valuable in the monitoring of a large number of neoplasms. Since C-11 has a short half life (20 minutes), MET must be produced in a facility very close to its intended use. Thus, it is not widely available and is produced only at select institutions with access to a cyclotron and PET chemistry facility. With the new availability of short lived tracers produced by its PET chemistry unit, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (St. Jude) is one of only a few facilities with the capabilities and interests to evaluate the utility of PET scanning in the detection of tumors, evaluation of response to therapy, and distinction of residual tumor from scar tissue in patients who have completed therapy. The investigators propose to examine the biodistribution of MET in patients with malignant solid neoplasms, with emphasis on central nervous system (CNS) tumors and sarcomas. This project introduces a new diagnostic test for the noninvasive evaluation of neoplasms in pediatric oncology. Although not the primary purpose of this proposal, the investigators anticipate that MET studies will provide useful clinical information for the management of patients with malignant neoplasms.