View clinical trials related to Thymoma.
Filter by:Although the association between thymic hyperplasia / thymoma and autoimmune myasthenia gravis has been known for some time, the question of causality remains uncertain. Recent research findings indicate, however, that especially in myasthenia patients with thymomas a non-physiological export of naive CD4 + T-cells can take place by the tumour and this could possibly play an important role in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis. The investigators want to analyse the functionality and specificity of t-cells generated in thymomas as well as the effect of thymectomy on the immune system.
Octreotide (OCT) is a somatostatin analogue (SSA) available in a long-acting formulation, conventionally administered every 28 days at the maximum dose of 30 mg. Together with lanreotide, it is considered the therapy of choice in the control of endocrine syndromes associated with neuroendocrine tumors (NET)s. A complete or partial clinical response to SSA therapy is generally achieved in at least 50% of the patients with neuroendocrine syndrome. Many studies reported a clinical response in 70-90% of functioning NETs. In about 36-50% of the patients with progressive advanced well differentiated NET (WDNET), a stabilization of disease occurs after treatment with subcutaneous OCT. By developing long-acting slow-release SSA formulation, long-acting OCT (LAR), lanreotide-SR, lanreotide-Autogel, the patient's compliance to SSA therapy was improved and escape from treatment, which was common with the subcutaneous formulation, was avoided. However, rate of objective response was not significantly improved as compared to short-acting SSA. On the other hand, it has to be remarked that long-acting SSA are being used in NET patients at doses correspondent to the low doses of short-acting formulation. The higher commercially available doses of LAR is 30 mg, which is assumed to be comparable to 300 µg of short-acting OCT in the therapy of acromegaly. Only one study was designed to investigate the use of high-dose LAR (160 mg every 28 days). In this study, objective and hormonal responses in patients with progressive metastatic ileal NET non-responder to standard doses, was significantly elevated. However, this compound has never been commercialized and, of consequence, this first preliminary observation has not been confirmed by further studies. No systematic studies were performed with the commercially available long-acting SSA used in high-dose treatments. In patients with progressive locally advanced or metastatic NET, increase of the dose or reduction of the interval between injections is a relatively common "empirical" clinical practice, but no studies have been performed to evaluate safety and efficacy of this treatment schedule.
This is a retrospective analysis of biological characteristics of thymoma and thymic carcinoma patients.
Hypothesis 1- Using IMRT, the radiation therapy (RT) dose can be safely escalated from 58 Gy to 74 Gy given as 6 fractions/week with concurrent chemotherapy. Hypothesis 2- Esophageal motion can be used to customize planning organ at risk volumes. Hypothesis 3- Biological predictors of acute esophagitis can be used to identify patients at high risk of developing esophageal toxicity from radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Our goal is to develop a reliable, physician and patient-friendly, pre-operative Thoracic Onco-Geriatric Assessment (TOGA) to predict surgical risk in geriatric oncology patients with thoracic neoplasms of the lung, esophagus, pleura and thymus, modeled upon existing CGA tools, including the Preoperative Assessment of Cancer in the Elderly (PACE)
Background: - Cisplatin-containing chemotherapy is the standard treatment for advanced tumors of the thymus that cannot be removed surgically. - New treatment options are needed for patients with advanced tumors of the thymus that do not improve with cisplatin-containing therapy. - Belinostat is a drug that inhibits enzymes called histone deacetylase. Histone deacetylase inhibitors have shown promising activity in many cancers and may be useful in treating patients with thymic tumors. Objectives: -To assess the safety and effectiveness of belinostat for treatment of malignant thymic tumors in patients who failed after standard treatment. Eligibility: -Patients 18 years of age or older with an advanced thymic tumor that has progressed after treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. Design: - Patients receive belinostat treatment in 21-day cycles. The drug is given as an infusion through a vein during days 1 through 5 of each cycle. Treatment cycles continue as long as the medicine is tolerated and the cancer does not worsen. - Patients have a physical examination and several blood tests during every cycle. - Patients have an electrocardiogram every cycle before starting the belinostat infusion and again on the last day of the infusion. - Patients undergo computed tomography (CT) or other imaging test, such as ultrasound or MRI, every two cycles to evaluate the response of the tumor to treatment. - Tumor tissue obtained from a previous biopsy is used for research purposes.
This is a phase II study for patients with thymoma or thymic carcinoma thought to be at significant risk for recurrence following surgical removal. This study involves the use of combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy prior to surgery, in hopes of increasing the chances of complete resection. The chemoradiotherapy protocol is one which has been used extensively for other diseases, and the side effects are therefore well-documented. Patients with thymomas thought to be at significant risk for recurrence (by x-ray and pathology criteria) will be allowed to participate, and will undergo combined chemotherapy with radiation to the chest followed by surgical removal of the tumor and postoperative chemotherapy. The main outcome measured will be the rate of pathological complete response (e.g. no active tumor in the resected specimen) to the preoperative treatment. Patients will receive postoperative treatment based on surgical and pathologic criteria.
RATIONALE: Printed educational materials, such as the Facing Forward Series: Life After Cancer Treatment manual, may help make the transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor easier in patients who are finishing treatment for cancer. It is not yet known if the Facing Forward Series: Life After Cancer Treatment manual and The Cancer Information Service, Questions and Answers fact sheet is more effective than the The Cancer Information Service, Questions and Answers fact sheet alone in helping to make life after cancer treatment easier and to improve quality of life in patients with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, or chest cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying how well printed education materials work in assisting patients who are finishing treatment for stage I, stage II, or stage IIIA breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, or chest cancer to make the transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor easier.
The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of response with the combination of erlotinib and bevacizumab in previously treated patients with thymoma or thymic carcinoma, and to determine potential molecular markers that may predict response to therapy in patients with thymoma or thymic carcinoma.
This study will investigate the efficacy of treatment with octroetide in patients with primary inoperable thymoma to reduce tumor size.