In a clinical trial, people with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) assigned to stop taking imatinib (Gleevec) after a period of stable disease had a more rapid worsening of their cancer, a shorter time until resistance, and did not live as long as people who continued the therapy uninterrupted.
An NCI trial shows that giving patients pembrolizumab (Keytruda) after surgery for high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer doubles the median length of time that they remain cancer free, compared with observation alone after surgery.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved afami-cel (Tecelra) to treat metastatic synovial sarcoma, a type of soft tissue sarcoma. The approval is for patients who have already received chemotherapy and whose tumors are positive for MAGE-A4, a protein found in some cancer cells. Afami-cel is the first T-cell receptor therapy approved for cancer.
In 2020, Justin enrolled in an NCI clinical trial testing a five-drug combination treatment called ViPOR for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the NIH Clinical Center. Four years later, his doctor describes Justin as likely cancer free.
Clinical Trials Information for Patients and Caregivers
Clinical trials are designed to work in phases that follow strict guidelines, including who can participate. Learning how clinical trials work can help you decide if you want to join one.
This phase 3 trial is testing a drug called levocarnitine (Carnitor) to prevent liver damage in adolescents and young adults getting certain types of chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Asparaginase is a standard treatment for ALL, but it may harm the liver, especially in younger patients. Doctors want to see if adding levocarnitine to standard chemotherapy will help reduce the chance of developing severe liver damage from asparaginase.
This phase 2 clinical trial is testing whether atezolizumab (Tecentriq) alone or in combination with selinexor (Xpovio) works to shrink tumors in patients with alveolar soft part sarcoma. Doctors will also determine if the study drugs work better than the standard treatments for this cancer.
This phase 1 trial will test CAR T-cell therapy that targets a protein called GPC3 found on the surface of advanced liver cancer cells. People with liver cancer that test positive for GPC3 and have not improved with chemotherapy will undergo CAR T-cell treatment. Doctors will assess the safety of CAR T-cell therapy using T cells genetically modified to recognize GPC3.
