Clinical Trials Update from NCI, October 2022

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Clinical Trials
Updates from the National Cancer Institute
 
Clinical Trials News
 
Older patient with canula  

Steroids May Not Be the Best Treatment for Cancer-Related Breathing Problems


Results from a large NCI-funded clinical trial show that steroids were no better than a placebo for treating breathing problems in people with advanced cancer. And people treated with steroids were more likely to have serious side effects.


 
Illustration of the rationale for neoadjuvant therapy  

Immunotherapy before Surgery Appears Effective for Some with Melanoma


For melanoma that can be treated with surgery, a few doses of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) beforehand seems to be a good choice. In a clinical trial, people who got the immunotherapy before and after surgery were much less likely to have their cancer come back than those who only received it afterwards.

 
Child having a hearing test  

Sodium Thiosulfate Approved to Reduce Chemo-Related Hearing Loss in Children with Cancer


The chemotherapy cisplatin often causes permanent hearing loss. Sodium thiosulfate (Pedmark) is the first FDA-approved treatment that can reduce the risk of hearing loss and the severity of damage to the inner ear in children treated with cisplatin.

 
Teclistamab for multiple myeloma  

Teclistamab Shows Promise for People with Heavily Pretreated Multiple Myeloma


In a small clinical trial, nearly 40% of people with multiple myeloma who were treated with the immunotherapy drug teclistamab (Tecvayli) had all signs of their cancer disappear. The trial participants had myeloma that did not respond to or came back after three or more treatments.

 
 
Clinical Trials Information for Patients and Caregivers
 

Steps to Find a Clinical Trial


This step-by-step guide is intended to help people who are looking for clinical trials. The guide includes questions to ask about clinical trials and points to several resources for more information.

 

NIH Clinical Trials and You: The Basics


The NIH Clinical Trials and You website is a resource for people who want to learn more about clinical trials. This page provides answers to common questions about taking part in a clinical trial.

 
Clinical trials search  

Find NCI-Supported Clinical Trials


Use our search form to find a clinical trial or other research study that may be right for you or a loved one.

 
 
NCI-Supported Clinical Trials That Are Recruiting Patients 
 

Comparing Breast Cancer Screening Methods in Women with Dense Breasts

 

This imaging clinical study will compare two methods of screening women with dense breasts for breast cancer: molecular breast imaging (MBI) and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). Researchers want to see how many cancers they find with DBT alone and with DBT and MBI together, as well as how each imaging method performs individually. 

 

Adding a Targeted Drug to Chemotherapy for Cancer in the Liver


This phase 2 clinical trial will test whether adding M9241, a drug that might ramp up the immune response, to chemotherapy pumped into the liver will help shrink tumors in people with certain cancers in the liver. In the trial, people with either intrahepatic bile duct cancer or colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver will receive IV chemotherapy as well as chemotherapy and M9241 pumped into an artery that supplies blood to the liver.

 

Drug Combination for Inoperable Neuroendocrine Tumors


This phase 1/2 trial will test a combination of olaparib (Lynparza) and Lu-177-dotatate (Lutathera) in people with neuroendocrine cancers of the digestive tract or pancreas that have spread or cannot be removed by surgery. These cancers, called GEP-NETs (gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors), are relatively rare but are becoming more common. Researchers want to determine the safety of giving the drugs together and see if they cause the GEP-NETs to shrink or disappear.