View clinical trials related to Neurotoxicity.
Filter by:In this study investigators will use a multi-modal imaging approach of MRS and fMRI to comprehensively assess the biological changes in the brain associated with EFV-based regimen (EFV/FTC/TDF), specifically alterations in the brain circuitry, function and local neurochemistry, and their correlation with neuropsychological function. In a cohort of HIV-infected patients who are clinically stable on the commonly use regimen of EFV/emtricitabine (FTC)/truvada (TDF) or Atripla, investigators propose to replace the EFV component with an integrase inhibitor, Raltegravir (RAL), given as the RAL and FTC/TDF to evaluate the EFV-related neural alterations. This is a multidisciplinary study which will be lead by Dr. Nina Lin, in collaboration with the research teams of Dr. Alexander Lin, Director of the Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, and Dr. Emily Stern, Director of the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, both members of the Brigham and Women's Department of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, as well as Dr. Jane Epstein, a researcher in Dr. Stern's research group. Dr. Epstein is a staff psychiatrist at Brigham and Women's hospital with extensive experience and expertise in research on abnormalities of affective and motivational processing in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders. Investigators will utilize the established clinical research platform in the Infectious Disease outpatient clinical practice at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, where there is currently have many ongoing HIV-related studies and a large panel of HIV-infected patients motivated to be involved in clinically relevant research. Investigators propose to use advanced neuroimaging to measure biologically changes in the brain associated with long-term EFV use with the following specific aims: 1. Determine changes in neurometabolites measured by MRS in the brain associated with long-term EFV use 2. Assess for alterations in neural activity correlated with affective symptoms associated with EFV vs RAL use using fMRI, and their associations with changes in neurometabolites assessed by MRS, and with changes in cognition assessed by Trail Making and Digit Substitution Tests. 3. Determine changes in emotion, cognition and sleep quality after switching from EFV to RAL, and how they correlate with subject treatment preference. This clinical study will extend our current understanding of EFV neurotoxicity by further defining the nature of these biological changes. Further elucidation of the neurobiological underpinnings of EFV-induced CNS toxicity will have clinical relevance in improving the quality of life and drug adherence of HIV-infected patients on ART, especially among older patients or those with baseline neuropsychiatric disorders, whom at baseline are more vulnerable to neurocognitive decline from long-term HIV infection.
Many patients with cancer that are treated with a drug called oxaliplatin. This drug is used with other drugs to treat cancer. The drug can cause problems with the nerves in the hands and feet called peripheral neuropathy (a side effect of the drug). Peripheral neuropathy may make the hands and feet feel like they are tingling, have a burning feeling, and can cause pain. Almost all patients who receive oxaliplatin as part of their cancer treatment have peripheral neuropathy. Patients who do have this side effect usually have to take a lower dose of or stop taking the oxaliplatin even if the drug is helping their cancer. So far there is not a lot of information about how to make this side effect better or help it go away completely. There is some information that low levels of Vitamin D in the blood might be linked to problems or diseases of the nervous system like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's Disease. It is even thought that Vitamin D may help protect the cells in the nervous system. Because of this information, researchers want to see if giving patients Vitamin D while they are receiving the drug oxaliplatin to see if it helps prevent the side effect peripheral neuropathy. Patients taking oxaliplatin who want to be in this study will take one Vitamin D capsule each day while they take oxaliplatin. Being in this study will not affect how the patient's cancer is treated. There are blood tests in the study to check Vitamin D levels and for a protein called nerve growth factor (NGF). The study team will carefully monitor the patients for any signs of oxaliplatin-related neurologic toxicity during the study.
This trial studies the natural history of brain function, quality of life, and seizure control in patients with brain tumor who have undergone surgery. Learning about brain function, quality of life, and seizure control in patients with brain tumor who have undergone surgery may help doctors learn more about the disease and find better methods of treatment and on-going care.
RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Others interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as bendamustine hydrochloride, also work in different ways to kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing. Bortezomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Lenalidomide may stop the growth of mantle cell lymphoma by blocking blood flow to the cancer. It is not yet known whether giving rituximab together with bendamustine and bortezomib is more effective than rituximab and bendamustine, followed by rituximab alone or with lenalidomide in treating mantle cell lymphoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial studies rituximab, bortezomib, bendamustine, and lenalidomide in treating previously untreated older patients with mantle cell lymphoma.
RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Others interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as methotrexate, vincristine sulfate, procarbazine hydrochloride, and cytarabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high energy x rays to kill cancer cells. It is not yet know whether rituximab and combination chemotherapy are more effective when given with or without radiation therapy in treating patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial studies how well giving rituximab and combination chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy works in treating patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.
RATIONALE: Modafinil may help improve memory, attention, and fatigue caused by cancer treatment. PURPOSE: This phase II randomized trial studies how well modafinil works in treating children with memory and attention problems caused by cancer treatment for a brain tumor.
RATIONALE: Stereotactic radiosurgery may be able to send x-rays directly to the tumor and cause less damage to normal tissue. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x rays to kill tumor cells. It is not yet known whether stereotactic radiosurgery is more effective than whole-brain radiation therapy in treating patients with brain metastases that have been removed by surgery. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial studies how well stereotactic radiosurgery works compared to whole-brain radiation therapy in treating patients with brain metastases that have been removed by surgery.
Recent data suggests that anesthetics can have prolonged effects on gene expression, protein synthesis and processing as well as cellular function in ways that the investigators are only beginning to understand, especially in the very young and the elderly. Within moments to days of emerging from anesthesia - cardiac or non-cardiac - some patients experience mild to very severe disorientation and changes in memory and thinking ability without apparent cause. For the vast majority of patients, this Post-Operative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD), generally subsides, but for some with "diminished cognitive reserve" - especially the elderly, those with less education or prior CNS events such as stroke or early dementia - changes in memory and executive function may persist. If prolonged for more than three months, POCD has been linked to an increased risk of death. In 1-2% of elderly patients, the problem may ultimately continue for more than a year, leading to a loss of ability to care for themselves and early demise. Though this may seem like a small percentage, seniors will comprise up to 40% of the 50-75 million surgical procedures performed annually over the next 20-30 years. This amounts to 70,000 - 200,000 elder affected, and for them and their families, the cost of POCD in longer-term care, lost wages, and extended suffering will remain very high.
Background: - Docetaxel, the most commonly used drug for the treatment of invasive breast cancer, has been shown to prolong the lives of women with breast cancer and prevent the cancer from spreading or returning. However, docetaxel is known to cause nerve damage, including numbness, tingling, and pain, in 50 to 90 percent of breast cancer patients. This nerve damage is called peripheral neuropathy, and can be so severe that treatment with docetaxel may need to be stopped. Researchers are interested in studying docetaxel-related nerve damage to determine whether certain genetic factors may predispose women to developing this condition, and to more closely investigate the specific effects of docetaxel on the nervous system Objectives: - To examine nerve damage in women with breast cancer who are being treated with docetaxel. Eligibility: - Women at least 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and are scheduled to have docetaxel treatment. Design: - Participants will be screened with a full medical history and physical examination, as well as blood and urine tests and imaging studies. - This study requires seven visits, one before the start of chemotherapy and six after the scheduled treatment visits. Study procedures at each visit will take 30 to 45 minutes and will be done in parallel with scheduled chemotherapy visits. - At the first visit, participants will provide blood samples; complete questionnaires to rate and describe any existing pain, numbness, or tingling in hands and feet before the start of chemotherapy; have nerve conduction tests; and have a skin biopsy. - At each visit following docetaxel treatment, participants will complete questionnaires to rate and describe any pain, numbness, or tingling during the course of chemotherapy. Participants will provide blood samples at every visit and have nerve conduction tests during the second, fourth, and sixth visits. Participants will also have a second skin biopsy, either from a site that appears to be experiencing nerve damage or (for those who are not developing nerve damage symptoms) from a site near the first biopsy location.
This randomized phase III trial studies how well combination chemotherapy plus bevacizumab with or without oxaliplatin works in treating older patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to other places in the body. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, may block tumor growth in different ways by targeting certain cells. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy plus bevacizumab is more effective with or without oxaliplatin in treating colorectal cancer.