View clinical trials related to Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.
Filter by:This study is conducted in the United States of America (USA). The aim of the study is to monitor the number of annual new adult cases of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and to establish a registry for these new cases in order to identify any possible increase related to the introduction of liraglutide, exenatide once-weekly, and other GLP-1 receptor agonists into the US market.
Background: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare malignancy, occurring either as a sporadic disease (75% of cases), or in a hereditary pattern as multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2 (MEN2A or MEN2B) or familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC). The MTC arises from the neural crest C-cells and in hereditary cases the first pathological disorder is C-cell hyperplasia (CCH) Most patients with MTC have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Chemotherapy and external beam radiotherapy have been minimally effective. Molecular targeted therapeutics (MTTs) and other receptor kinases in patients with advanced MTC have demonstrated activity. Despite some clinical responses, the collection of tumor tissues and autologous normal tissues has been virtually non-existent. Thus, laboratory studies defining affected molecular targets and downstream pathways, and molecular data providing direction for future clinical trials has yet to occur. Data from molecular studies of tumor tissue of hereditary or sporadic MTC patients will assist in predicting clinical behavior and the biology of MTC in predicting response to a given MTT, and in designing combination clinical trials. Objectives: Clarify how normal molecular pathways are altered by mutations in the RET protooncogene. Including additional genetic mutations and unidentified chromosomal translocations. Correlate results from molecular analyses of MTC tissue with patient s clinical course. Define how the molecular and clinical data will be useful in designing targeted therapy for patients with MTC. Eligibility: Patients must have confirmed diagnosis of C-cell hyperplasia, primary MTC, or metastatic MTC with archived pathology specimens available at Washington University. Design: Paraffin blocks of MTC tissues from archival samples at Washington University Department of Pathology will be selected. H&E slide from selected tissue blocks will be examined for molecular study suitability. Necessary tissue samples from blocks will have molecular studies, including, gene arrays, array comparative genomic hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and sequencing. Retrospective chart review will occur to obtain relevant clinical information.
The study is designed to study the safety and effectiveness of 123I-MIBG as a diagnostic imaging agent in evaluating patients with known or suspected neuroendocrine tumors.
Background: - The combination of anti-cancer drugs vandetanib (given orally) and bortezomib (given intravenously) has not been used in humans. However, both drugs have been studied separately. Bortezomib has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, while vandetanib is still under investigation pending FDA approval. - Both bortezomib and vandetanib are under investigation for use in treating certain kinds of cancer. Researchers hope that the combination of these two drugs will be more effective than either of them alone. Objectives: - To determine if the combination of vandetanib and bortezomib will decrease the amount of the cancer and, if it does, to determine how long the response will last. - To determine any side effects that may occur with this combination of treatments. - To determine what doses of each drug are well tolerated and safe when given together. - To study genetic mutations in tumors to better understand how tumors grow and how these drugs interact with the tumor. Eligibility: - Patients 18 years of age and older with solid tumors that cannot be surgically removed and have either recurred or shown further growth. The tumor(s) must be able to be evaluated by X-ray, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and CT (computerized tomography) scanning. - Patients who have been diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer will participate in Phase II of the study. Design: - Tumor samples may be taken at the start of the study for research purposes. - Phase I: Patient groups will be treated on an outpatient basis with vandetanib and bortezomib, given at increasing doses over four different levels to determine the maximum tolerated dose calculated by height and weight: - Doses will be given on Days 1, 4, 8, and 11 for each 28-day cycle. - Two additional levels (Level 1A and Level 1B) may be included in the study, depending on side effects at various levels. - Phase II: Patients with medullary thyroid cancer will be divided into two groups, with two patients in Group A for every one patient in Group B. No placebo will be involved in this study. - Group A: Patients will be treated with vandetanib and bortezomib at the maximally tolerated dose of the Phase I study. - Group B: Patients will be treated with bortezomib alone. - A second tumor sample may be taken. In patients with thyroid cancer, the second biopsy will be done at the 6-week evaluation (approximately 42 days after beginning). In patients with cancer other than thyroid cancer, the second biopsy will be obtained on Day 4 of either the first or second cycle, after the bortezomib infusion. - The effects of the drugs will be studied through blood samples and CT scans taken during and after various drug cycles.
Background: Resistance to cancer chemotherapy develops in patients, rendering certain treatments ineffective. Despite much research, the prevailing cause of drug resistance is not known. One mechanism for drug resistance involves a protein called P-glycoprotein, or Pgp, which reduces the effectiveness of cancer treatments by "pumping" anti-cancer drugs out of tumor cells where they are supposed to work against the disease. Objectives: To identify and evaluate more thoroughly the roles of Pgp and other substances in mediating drug resistance. Eligibility: Patients enrolled in clinical trials of cancer therapies at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Cancer Centers of Carolinas; Arizona Clinical Research Center; University of Copenhagen; and Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen who have consented to the use of blood, tissue, or tumor samples for laboratory studies. Design: Blood, tumor, and tissue samples are collected from participants and sent to the NCI for various laboratory analyses. ...
Background: - Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is common in people with a genetic disorder called multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN). - Vandetanib is an experimental drug that blocks a defective protein receptor (rearranged during transfection (RET) receptor) found on the surface of cancer cells in people with MEN. It is thought that this protein is a primary cause of MTC in people with MEN. Objectives: - To study the activity of Vandetanib in children and adolescents with MEN-related MTC by measuring the change in tumor size, in blood levels of proteins produced the tumor (calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and in tumor-related diarrhea. - To determine the safety and tolerability of Vandetanib in children and adolescents. - To study how the body handles Vandetanib in children and adolescents. - To determine the effect of Vandetanib on the survival of children and adolescents with MTC. Eligibility: -Children and adolescents 5 to 18 years of age with MTC whose tumor cannot be surgically removed or has grown back after treatment or has metastasized (spread beyond the thyroid gland). Design: - Patients take Vandetanib once a day in 28-day cycles. The first patients enrolled in the study are started on a low dose of Vandetanib to determine tolerability. - Patients have periodic blood tests, electrocardiograms, and blood pressure measurements to look for side effects of Vandetanib. - Blood tests and imaging scans (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), bone and octreoscan) are done every 8 weeks for the first 32 weeks of treatment and then every 16 weeks for the duration of the treatment period. - Patients who have tumor-related diarrhea keep a daily record of the number and consistency of bowel movements.