Clinical Trials

The Artemis Device is a medical device that has been cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for controlled aspiration of tissue and/or fluid during surgery of the Ventricular System or Cerebrum in combination with a Penumbra Aspiration Pump. The Penumbra Aspiration Pump is indicated as a vacuum source for the Penumbra Aspiration System. The device is commercially available in the United States.

The purpose of this study is to test good and bad effects of different drugs against metastatic brain tumors with altered genes. This trial is trying to see if tumor genetic testing would be helpful at guiding treatment in patients such as you. Researchers have looked at the DNA material (genes) that can be affected in brain metastases and have found several genes that are altered, or mutated. There are medications that target these genes.

We are doing this study because we want to find out if this approach is better or worse than the usual approach for your metastatic cancer. The usual approach is defined as care most people get for your metastatic cancer.

Eligible patients will undergo craniotomy for tumor resection. During the tumor resection and when possible, an initial low dose of albumin-bound paclitaxel will be given following sonication. In select patients, the sonication procedure may occur immediately after the test dose of chemotherapy is administered. The sonication device will be implanted at the end of the procedure. In phase 1, about two weeks after surgery, patients will undergo sonication and albumin-bound paclitaxel administration with MRI to quantify extent of blood brain barrier opening. Sonication and administration of albumin-bound paclitaxel will continue every 3 weeks until disease progression. The planned albumin-bound paclitaxel starting dose is 40 mg/m2, to be escalated in the absence of significant toxicity up to 260 mg/m2. Blood samples for circulating tumor DNA will also be collected before and after each sonication. In phase 2, pre-sonication carboplatin at AUC 5 will be added to the regimen, with a safety run-in for the first 6 patients.

Studyparticipants are being treated with Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) formalignant glioma. The TTFields device uses low-intensity electrical fields totreat cancer, and this type of therapy can cause skin side effects, such asitching, sores, or infections. Researchers want to know if using clindamycingel and triamcinolone topical (on the skin) lotion before these side effectsoccur may be able to prevent their appearance, so that TTFields can be usedwith less need for interruptions

This phase III trial compares the addition of stereotactic radiosurgery before or after surgery in treating patients with cancer that has spread to the brain (brain metastases). Stereotactic radiosurgery is a type of radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation only to the small areas of cancer in the brain and avoids the surrounding normal brain tissue. Surgery and radiation may stop the tumor from growing for a few months or longer and may reduce symptoms of brain metastases.

Note: This is only a partial description of the study. Please contact the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University if you are interested in the trial.

This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the SetPoint Medical System (study device) for the treatment of patients with active, moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to biologic or targeted synthetic Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs).