View clinical trials related to PNET.
Filter by:Background: Primary tumors of the brain and spine are those that start in the brain or spine. These tumors are rare, accounting for <2% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States. Some of these tumors occur in less than 2,000 people per year. Researchers want to study a large group of people with this kind of tumor. They want to learn more about the tumors, including the risk factors related to how they develop in adults. Objective: To collect health and gene data to learn about what changes are associated with a rare CNS Tumors, to eventually screen for these changes or target the genes in treatment. Eligibility: Adult participants (Bullet) 18 years of age who self- identify as being diagnosed with one of 12 rare CNS tumors, including: Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT); Brainstem and midline gliomas; Choroid plexus tumors; Ependymoma; High grade meningioma; Gliomatosis cerebri; Medulloblastoma; Oligodendroglioma / Anaplastic oligodendroglioma; Pineal region tumors; Pleomorphic xanthroastrocytoma / Anaplastic pleomorphic xanthroastrocytoma; PNET (Supratentorial embryonal tumor); Primary CNS sarcoma / Secondary CNS sarcoma (Gliosarcoma). Design: (Registered Trademark)Participants will be invited to participate through an ad on the CERN Foundation website (ependymoma), information on the Neuro-Oncology Branch website and other identified advocacy and social media sites and direct mailer to those who have already participated in the EO projects. (Registered Trademark) - Interested participants will complete an enrollment form that will be sent to the study coordinator. - The coordinator will then send the participant a consent form and schedule a time for phone consent. - Participants will complete the Rare CNS tumors Outcomes Survey and once completed, the Rare CNS tumors Risk survey. (Registered Trademark) - The questions on the Outcomes Survey will include treatment history, symptoms social and clinical information and it should take about 25-35 minutes. The Risk survey will cover their demographic information, personal medical history, family medical history and environmental exposures. This should take about 52 minutes. - Participants who have physical problems can have help with the surveys and forms. - Once the surveys are completed, participants will be mailed a kit to collect saliva for germline DNA. Participants will ship the sample to the study team in a prepaid envelope - If the sample is not sufficient, participants will be contacted to give provide an additional sample.
This study is a clinical trial to determine the safety of injecting G207 (a new experimental virus therapy) into a recurrent or progressive brain tumor. The safety of combining G207 with a single low dose of radiation, designed to enhance virus replication and tumor cell killing, will also be tested.
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of the investigational anticancer drug DCR-MYC. DCR-MYC is a novel synthetic double-stranded RNA in a stable lipid particle suspension that targets the oncogene MYC. MYC oncogene activation is important to the growth of many hematologic and solid tumor malignancies. In this study the Sponsor proposes to study DCR-MYC and its ability to inhibit MYC and thereby inhibit cancer cell growth.
This study will analyze the effects of radiation given to children who have tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). Researchers want to learn more about changes in the quality of life that patients may experience as a result of radiation. Patients ages 21 and younger who have a primary CNS tumor and who have not received radiation previously may be eligible for this study. They will have a medical history and physical examination. Collection of blood (about 2-1/2 tablespoons) and urine will be done, as well as a pregnancy test. Patients will complete neuropsychological tests, which provide information about their changes in functioning over time. An expert in psychology will give a number of tests, and the patient's parents or guardian will be asked to complete a questionnaire about the patient's behavior. Also, patients will be given a quality of life questionnaire to complete and vision and hearing tests. The radiation itself is prescribed by patients' doctors and is not part of this study. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will give researchers information about the tumor and brain, through several scanning sequences . MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. Patients will lie on a table that slides into the enclosed tunnel of the scanner. They will need to lie still, and medication may be given to help them to do that. They may be in the scanner for up to 2 hours. As the scanner takes pictures, patients will hear knocking or beeping sounds, and they will wear earplugs to reduce the noise. A contrast agent will be administered, to allow images be seen more clearly. Blood and urine tests will be conducted after the first dose of radiation. MRI scans will be done 2 weeks after patients finish radiation therapy and again at 6 to 8 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, and yearly. Also at those follow-up periods, patients will undergo similar procedures as previously, including blood and urine tests and neuropsychological testing. Patients can remain in this study for 5 years.
Background: - An important new area of brain tumor research is the development of tumor and brain stem cell lines. Successful growth of these cell lines requires obtaining large volumes of fresh tumor and brain tissue, which is best accomplished by harvesting whole brains from recently deceased patients. These cell lines will help researchers understand how these tumors develop and will also help identify new targets for treatment. Researchers are interested in conducting a pilot study of planned inpatient hospice care with timely brain tumor tissue harvest at the time of death. Objectives: - To provide high-quality end of life inpatient hospice care for patients with untreatable brain tumors. - To procure brain and tumor tissue shortly after time of death in order to derive viable tumor and neural stem cell lines for research purposes. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have an untreatable primary brain or central nervous system tumor, are able to give informed consent (either their own or through a designated power of attorney), and have agreed to a Do Not Resuscitate order and Consent for Autopsy as part of the end-of-life care plan. - HIV-positive individuals or those suspected of having infectious cerebritis are not eligible because of the potential for contamination of brain tissue. Design: - Participants will be enrolled in inpatient hospice admission to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center either from home or from an outside hospital once a study investigator estimates an expected survival of less than 2 weeks. - Participants will receive palliative care at the Clinical Center. Care will be tailored to each participant depending on the information provided in the individual's end-of-life care plan. - Supportive medications such as antiseizure medications and pain relievers will be administered as appropriate. - At the time of death, researchers will follow standard procedures for notifying next of kin and will collect brain tissue and tumor samples from the deceased. - Following tissue collection, the deceased will be released for autopsy and funeral procedures.
Background: - Children with brain tumors often have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to see if the tumor has responded to therapy or to see if the tumor has grown. Sometimes, it is difficult to tell if the scan is abnormal because of tumor size or shape, swelling, scar tissue, or dead tissue. Because brain tumor biopsies require surgery, researchers are looking for more noninvasive ways of evaluating brain tumors. - Positron emission tomography (PET) scans use a radioactive sugar known as 18F-FDG to try to determine if a tumor is active or not. Active tumors generally take up more sugar than the surrounding tissue, but because normal brain tissue uses the same sugar as brain tumors, it is then difficult to tell if tumor tissue is taking up sugar or not. A different radioactive agent, 18F-FLT, is now being studied in some adults with different kinds of tumors. Researchers are interested in determining whether it is possible to use this agent as a marker of tumor activity in children. Objectives: - To determine the safety and effectiveness of 18F-FLT for pediatric glioma scans. - To compare the results of 18F-FLT studies with studies using the radioactive agents 18F-FDG and 1H-MRSI. Eligibility: - Children less than 18 years of age who are having radiation therapy to treat malignant gliomas. Design: - Participants will have scanning tests before radiation therapy, 1 to 3 weeks after radiation therapy, and if researchers suspect that the tumor is growing. - This study will involve three separate imaging tests (1H-MRSI, 18F-FDG PET, and 18F-FLT PET). - Proton spectroscopy (1H-MRSI) is a procedure that is similar to MRI and is performed in the same scanner as an MRI. Because this scan is long (2-3 hours), most children will receive medications from an anesthesiologist so that they can sleep through the procedure. - Within 2 weeks of the 1H-MRSI scan, participants will have the PET scans with both the standard contrast agent (18F-FDG) and the experimental agent (18F-FLT). These scans will last approximately 1 hour each.
Background: - An experimental drug called ABT-888 has been studied in combination with temozolomide (a type of chemotherapy) in adults who have certain kinds of cancer. ABT-88 has been shown to increase tumor sensitivity to temozolomide and improve treatment outcomes in people who have cancer. More research is needed to determine if this combination of drugs will work well as an effective treatment for children who have brain tumors. This will be the first time this combination has been studied in pediatric patients. Objectives: - To determine the maximum doses of ABT-888 and temozolomide when given in combination in children with brain tumors. - To learn how children metabolize and clear ABT-888 from their bodies so that appropriate doses of this medication can be recommended for future clinical trials of this drug. - To learn what side effects may occur when ABT-888 and temozolomide are given together. - To learn how certain tumors respond to this combination of drugs by studying the characteristics of these tumors in a laboratory. Eligibility: - Individuals less than 21 years of age who have been diagnosed with a cancer of the nervous system (including brain and brain stem tumors) that has not responded to standard therapy. Design: - Before beginning the study, participants will have a full medical history and physical examination, and may also be required to have scans of the brain and spine or provide samples of cerebrospinal fluid. - Treatment will consist of up to 13 28-day cycles of therapy, for a total of 52 weeks (1 year). Participants will receive a dose of ABT-888 twice daily for 5 days, and will receive a dose of temozolomide once daily for 5 days, every 28 days. The morning dose of ABT-888 will be given 60-90 minutes before the dose of temozolomide. - Participants will have routine blood tests at least once a week throughout the treatment cycles, and will have scans of the brain and spine performed as required by the researchers.