View clinical trials related to Radiation Injuries.
Filter by:The purpose of this project is to quantify normal and abnormal skin blood flow regionally in different areas of the body(face, extremities, over burns and wounds) at baseline and over time in response to treatment or environmental changes, such as temperature, light and pressure.
Background: Radiotherapy is a common treatment for many malignancies. Radiation-related complications developing months or years after radiation treatment are known as late radiation tissue injury (LRTI) and are estimated to effect 5%-15% of all long-term survivors who have received radiation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a well established treatment of LRTI. Most of the studies evaluating effect of HBOT on LRTI are focused on survival, resolution of tissue damage and improvement in LENT-SOMA scale. Very few studies have addressed effect of HBOT on pain in LTRI. Krahn and colleagues were the first to report the analgesic effect of HBOT in 3 cases of refractory pain in oncological patients with radiation soft tissue injury. Other studies showed significant improvement in pain intensity in patients with breast cancer and pelvic malignancies treated with HBOT for LTRI. In patients that had developed radiation- induced brachial plexopathy, HBOT elicited an increase in warm pain thresholds and a reduction in lymphoedema. A prospective case study of 16 patients with gynecological cancer found no changes with respect to pain and depression outcomes. A trial in patients with radiation induced proctopathy showed that 75% of patients with rectal pain had some improvement, although none experienced a complete resolution of pain symptoms. There are several mechanisms by which HBOT may elicit analgesic effects. There is a growing body of evidence that HBOT's analgesic effect related to nitric oxide metabolism and endogenous opioid secretion. Furthermore, the inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alph (TNF-α), the production of substance P, and the modulation of serotonergic pathways have all demonstrated a modification in the pain response following HBOT. In animal studies HBOT decreased allodynia and hyperalgesia in different models of neuropathic and inflammatory pain. The long lasting antinociceptive effect of HBOT was found to be dose-dependent in non-injured tissues. In human studies, HBOT decreased pain and edema and improved function in patients suffering from the complex regional pain syndrome, and improved pain scores and range of motion in patients with idiopathic femoral head necrosis. Women suffering from interstitial cystitis demonstrated a reduction in pelvic pain following weeks and months of HBOT treatment. In patients suffering from idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia HBOT produced a rapid reduction in symptoms and these effects were lasting for 6 months following treatment. HBOT was also found to be an effective treatment for cluster headaches and migraines and alleviated muscle and bone pains in patients with myofascial syndrome, fibromyalgia, and biphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Based on the evidence presented above and HBOT's known analgesic effect in many conditions, the investigators designed this study with the objective to evaluate if HBOT reduces pain, improves depression and impacts on patients quality of life in patients suffering from late radiation tissue injury. Study Design: Prospective observational study (n=300). Patients that have had radiation therapy for malignancy, developed late radiation injury and suffer from chronic pain.
RATIONALE: Drugs, such as lovastatin, may protect normal cells from the side effects of radiation therapy. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well lovastatin works in reducing side effects after radiation therapy in women with breast cancer.
RATIONALE: Electroacupuncture may help relieve chronic dry mouth caused by radiation therapy. It is not yet known whether electroacupuncture is more effective than a placebo in treating chronic dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying electroacupuncture to see how well it works compared with a placebo in treating chronic dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.
RATIONALE: Growth factors, such as palifermin, may lessen the severity of mucositis, or mouth sores, in patients receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. It is not yet known whether palifermin is more effective than a placebo in lessening mucositis in patients receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying palifermin to see how well it works compared to a placebo in lessening oral mucositis in patients undergoing radiation therapy and chemotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer.
The principle objective of this research is to more precisely determine the degree of benefit that hyperbaric oxygen therapy affords in the treatment of late radiation tissue injury. The study has eight* components. Seven involve the evaluation of established radionecrosis at varying anatomic sites (mandible, larynx, skin, bladder, rectum, colon, and gyn). The eighth will investigate the potential of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy to prophylax against late radiation tissue injury. *(One of the arms, HORTIS IV - Proctitis has been closed to further patient recruitment. This decision was based on an interim statistical analysis which generated sufficient evidence to support closing down this arm of HORTIS.)
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. Giving chemoprotective drugs such as amifostine may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of paclitaxel and carboplatin followed by cisplatin plus radiation therapy with or without amifostine in treating patients who have locally advanced cancer of the nasopharynx.