View clinical trials related to Neurofibromatoses.
Filter by:This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of bevacizumab and temsirolimus alone or in combination with valproic acid or cetuximab in treating patients with a malignancy that has spread to other places in the body or other disease that is not cancerous. Immunotherapy with bevacizumab and cetuximab, may induce changes in body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Temsirolimus may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as valproic acid, 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 yet known whether bevacizumab and temsirolimus work better when given alone or with valproic acid or cetuximab in treating patients with a malignancy or other disease that is not cancerous.
Background: - Plexiform neurofibromas are tumors that grow in and around nerves. The only way to treat them is with surgery. Some of these tumors cannot be completely removed. The tumors may be too large, too numerous, or in a bad location for surgery. An experimental drug called AZD6244 hydrogen sulfate may be able to prevent the tumors from growing, slow down their growth, or shrink them. This drug has been tested in adults with cancer and in children with some types of brain cancer. This study will test how well this drug works with these types of tumors. Objectives: - To study the safety and effectiveness of AZD6244 hydrogen sulfate in children and young adults with plexiform neurofibromas that cannot be completely removed by surgery. Eligibility: - Children and young adults between 12 and 18 years of age who have plexiform neurofibromas that cannot be completely removed by surgery. Design: - Patients will be screened with a physical exam, medical history, blood tests, and imaging studies. - They will take the study drug twice a day with 8 ounces of water, every day for 28-day cycles of treatment. During study visits, participants will have blood and urine tests and physical exams. They will also have imaging studies to examine the tumor sizes and locations. They will answer questions about their health. They may have other tests as needed. - Participants will continue to receive the study drug as long as they have no severe side effects and the disease is not getting worse.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a frequent autosomal dominant disorder, caused by heterozygous mutations of the NF1 tumor suppressor gene (chr.17q11.2). One of the main clinical features is the development of benign and malignant tumors. The most common benign tumors in these patients are tumors of the peripheral nerve, named neurofibromas. Every NF1 patient has a life time risk of 8-13% to develop a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) starting from a pre-existing neurofibroma. MPNSTs lead to a bad prognosis for the patient, with an overall five-year survival of less than 25%. Complete resection is the standard treatment, but this is often difficult due to the size of the tumors and the location on important nerves, moreover the tumor is frequently metastatic at the time of diagnosis. For MPNSTs, like for other cancers, the extent and the spread of the disease at time of diagnosis is an important factor in determining treatment outcome. In this regard, the analysis of tumor derived cell-free circulating DNA in plasma of NF1 patients would open up the possibility to diagnose and monitor the development and progression of MPNSTs using a small blood sample. In cooperation with P. Schöffski (UZLeuven), we plan to collect blood samples from cancer patients to optimize the DNA extraction procedure starting from plasma samples. It is known that patients with cancer have a higher amount of free circulating DNA in plasma than individuals without cancer and therefore we want to optimize the DNA extraction procedure on plasma from patients with cancer. In the meantime, matching MPNST and plasma samples from NF1 patients will be collected and sent to us from the University of Eppendorf (Victor Mautner) to optimize the array CGH protocol for the detection of copy number changes in plasma DNA of NF1 patients with MPNSTs.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a frequent, autosomal dominant disorder caused by heterozygous mutations (intragenic or microdeletion) of the NF1 tumor suppressor gene (chr.17q11.2). One of the clinical features is the development of benign and malignant tumors. The most common benign tumors in these patients are tumors of the peripheral nerve sheath, named neurofibromas (cutaneous, subcutaneous and plexiform). Every NF1 patient has a life time risk of 8 to 13% of developing a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) out of a pre-existing neurofibroma. In patients with a NF1 microdeletion (5% of NF1 patients), this risk is even twice as high compared to patients with an intragenic mutation. MPNSTs lead to a bad prognosis for the patient, with an overall five-year survival of less than 25%. To know more about the development and progression of these tumors, they will be screened by microarray comparative genome hybridization (Leuven) and full exome sequencing (Leuven). Further experiments will be done in cooperation (bidirectional) with the foreign labs of Victor Mautner (Germany), André Bernards (USA), Karen Cichowski (USA) and Yuan Zhu (USA). For all these experiments, we will make use of tumoral rest material removed from NF1 patients.
This is a second Pilot Study to determine the efficacy of Gleevec® in neurofibromatosis (NF1) patients with plexiform neurofibromas using new response assessment modalities with the secondary goals of assessing Gleevec toxicity, and characterizing markers of response. The rationale for this study arises from the response of human and murine NF1 cells to Gleevec® in vitro, the response of a NF1 patient treated with Gleevec® for airway compression by a plexiform neurofibroma with a dramatic response not previously seen in NF1 therapy, and the experience in 37 NF1 patients treated with Gleevec® in the initial pilot study. Gleevec will be dosed orally with a starting dose of 100 mg twice daily for patients with a BSA > 1.8 m2 or 55 mg/m2 twice daily for patients with BSA < 1.8 m2. For patients with a BSA > 1.8 m2 the dose will increase by increments of 100 mg bid every two weeks as tolerated up to a maximum dose of 400 mg bid. For patients with a BSA < 1.8 m2 the dose will increase by increments of 55 mg/m2 bid every two weeks as tolerated up to a maximum dose of 220 mg/m2 bid. Treatment will continue for 6 months with an option to continue for 24 months if the patient is deriving a clinical benefit.
This phase I/II trial studies the side effects and the best dose of selumetinib and how well it works in treating or re-treating young patients with low grade glioma that has come back (recurrent) or does not respond to treatment (refractory). Selumetinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.
The purpose of this study is to determine if Lapatinib has any effect on tumors found in patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2). NF2 is a condition that mainly affects the skin and nervous system. It causes non-cancerous tumors (which are known as neuromas) to grow on the nerves around a person's body. Some signs of NF2 include a gradual loss of hearing and tumors growing on the skin, the brain and the spinal cord which can lead to complications. Lapatinib is an oral drug that is approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for other types of tumors, it is not approved by the FDA for treatment of NF2 related tumors. The investigators know a lot about how well it is tolerated, but the investigators do not know if it is effective in treating your condition, therefore it is considered to be an investigational medication. This study will test whether Lapatinib may shrink tumors commonly found in patients with NF2 or stop them from growing. This will help us to decide if Lapatinib should be used to treat NF2 patients in future. Lapatinib is a drug that has been used for over 10 years to treat various forms of cancer. It has not been studied for the treatment of tumors in NF2 patients.
Background: Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder in which patients are at increased risk of developing tumors (usually non-cancerous) of the central and peripheral nervous system. The disease affects essentially every organ system. The natural course of NFI over time is poorly understood. For most patients the only treatment option is surgery. A better understanding of NF1 may be helpful for the design of future treatment studies. Objectives: To evaluate people with NF1 over 10 years in order to better understand the natural history of the disease. To characterize the patient population and to examine how NFI affects patients quality of life and function. Eligibility: Children, adolescents, and adults with NF1. Design: Participants have a comprehensive baseline evaluation including genetic testing, tumor imaging, pain and quality-of-life assessments, and neuropsychological, motor and endocrine evaluations. Patients are monitored every 6 months to every 3 years, depending on their individual findings at the baseline study. Tests may include the following, as appropriate: - Medical history, physical examination and blood tests. - Whole body and face photography to monitor visible deformities. - Neuropsychological testing, quality-of-life evaluations, motor function tests, endocrinologic evaluations, heart and lung function tests, hearing tests, bone density scans and other bone evaluations. - MRI and PET scans to detect and assess plexiform neurofibromas (tumors that arise from nerves and can cause serious problems), paraspinal neurofibromas (tumors that arise from nerves around the spine and can cause problems by compressing the spinal cord), and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (a type of cancer that arises from a peripheral nerve or involves the sheath covering the nerve). - Eye exams, MRI scans and PET scans to evaluate optic pathway gliomas (tumors arising from the vision nerves or the brain areas for vision) and the chemicals within the tumor and brain. - Eye exams and photographs to evaluate the development of Lisch nodules (non-cancerous tumors on the eye). - Photographs of dermal neurofibromas (tumors of the skin), cafe-au-lait spots (dark or pigmented areas on the skin that are often the first signs of NF1) and other skin problems. - Pain evaluations to monitor the different types of pain patients experience, causes of the pain, how often the pain occurs, effect of the pain on quality of life, and what pain medications and alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, are effective.
This phase II trial is studying how well AZD2171 works in treating patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 and plexiform neurofibroma and/or neurofibroma near the spine. AZD2171 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor.
OBJECTIVES: I. Define the growth rates and clinical course of NF2-related tumors in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2. Associate growth rate with physical function.