View clinical trials related to Glioblastoma.
Filter by:RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Motexafin gadolinium may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of motexafin gadolinium plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known whether SU-101 is more effective than procarbazine in treating patients with glioblastoma multiforme. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of SU-101 with that of procarbazine in treating patients with glioblastoma multiforme that has recurred.
RATIONALE: Biological therapies use different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cells from growing. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of biological therapy in treating patients with glioblastoma multiforme.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy used to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients with glioblastoma multiforme or brain stem tumors.
RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Chemotherapy uses different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy and carmustine in treating patients who have supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme.
Presently, patients with primary malignant brain tumors have a life expectancy of 15 weeks following surgery unless they receive additional types of therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and/or immunotherapy). Patients that receive additional therapy can increase life expectancy to 50 weeks. The statistics on the life expectancy and survival have increased efforts among researchers to develop new treatments for primary malignant brain tumors. This research project involves the growth and study of human brain tumor cells outside the body in the laboratory as part of an attempt to better understand these tumors and to develop more effective treatments for them.
Glioblastomas, the most frequent malignant brain tumor in adults, are widespread in the brain, despite their discrete appearance on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While this tumor tends to spread widely in the brain, unlike other tumors of the body, it rarely metastasizes, or spreads, to other organs. Approximately 10 percent of patients with glioblastoma develop metastatic disease after radiation or brain surgery. In the absence of radiation or brain surgery, few patients have developed disease spread outside the brain. During surgery to remove tumors of other organs of the body, such as the lung, prostate, kidney, or ovary, cells from these tumors are routinely found in the bloodstream. These cells are believed to be the reason for the spread of these tumors. In the case of malignant brain tumors, this process of glioma (tumor) cells shedding into circulation has not yet been investigated. This study will determine whether glioma cells can be detected in the bloodstream of patients undergoing surgery. If glioma cells are absent, it may mean they are unable to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. If they are present, they presumably can penetrate into blood vessels but they may be recognized and eliminated by the immune system, or they may escape detection yet not be able to take hold in the new microenvironment. The results of the study will add to the knowledge of the biology of these highly malignant tumors. Study participants will be admitted to the hospital for 8 to 10 days. They will undergo a complete physical and neurological exam and blood and urine tests. An electrocardiogram will be performed, and x-rays may be taken. On the morning of surgery, the patient will receive sedation intravenously. A tiny plastic tube called a catheter will be introduced into a vein in the groin through needles. The catheter will be passed through to the jugular bulb, right above the jugular vein, on the same side as the tumor. The patient will then be taken to the operating room for surgery. During surgery, not more than one quarter of a unit of blood will be removed through the catheter. The catheter will be removed before the patient enters the intensive care unit. Another MRI will be taken after surgery. The study will enroll participants for 2 years. Patients will be followed at 3 months and 6 months after the surgery to make sure the postoperative period is uneventful.