Purpose:Asbestos defines a group of naturally occurring mineral silicate fibers which are easily inhaled, resulting in a variety of diseases of the respiratory system including lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. Despite some advances in treatment, there has been little impact on overall survival for both lung cancer and mesothelioma in the past 20 years in great part because patients usually present with disease at an advanced and incurable stage. This study aims to develop and implement a low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening approach for lung cancer and mesothelioma in asbestos-exposed workers in Alberta.
Mesothelioma
Intrapleural Administration of HSV1716 to Treat Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Purpose:HSV1716, an oncolytic virus, is a mutant herpes simplex virus (HSV) type I, deleted in the RL1 gene which encodes the protein ICP34.5. Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive, asbestos-related tumour of the pleural and peritoneal cavities. It is a rare cancer which occurs in individuals who have been exposed to asbestos, although it typically occurs decades after exposure (10-40 years later). Malignant pleural mesothelioma forms plaques that are distributed on the surface of the pleural space in the lung. Approximately 30% of patients require an indwelling pleural catheter for drainage of pleural effusions. In this patient group, the indwelling catheter may be used to facilitate loco-regional delivery of HSV1716 to the pleural space. This study seeks to evaluate the safety and biological effects of single and multiple administrations of HSV1716 in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Efficacy and Safety of PIPAC/PITAC in Gastric,Ovarian, Colorectal Cancer and Mesothelioma With Pleural Carcinomatosis. (PIPAC/PITAC)
Purpose:Outcome measurement for patients with gastric, ovarian, colorectal, or pleural cancer/mesothelioma with peritoneal/pleural carcinomatosis undergoing pressurized intraperitoneal/intrathoracal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC/PITAC) with cisplatin and doxorubicin or oxaliplatin. Record of (partial/total) tumor response rate via survival rate, time until tumor progression (according to RECIST-criteria), peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) before and after therapy, histological tumor progression/regression, ascites/pleural affusion volume, degree of tumor cell apoptosis.
Do Your Genes Put You at a Higher Risk of Developing Mesothelioma
Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to investigate the possibility that a person’s genes put a person at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma. The investigators will examine genes from DNA (genetic material) isolated from blood. This study will also examine the impact of environmental and work exposures and family history of common cancers on the development of mesothelioma. The genetic markers in this study will basically identify how a person’s body processes frequently encountered environmental pollutants and will not tell about chromosomes, specific diseases, or other potential health problems.
Pemetrexed Disodium/Observation in Treating Patients W/ Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma w/Out Progressive Disease After 1st Line Chemotherapy
Purpose: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well pemetrexed disodium or observation works in treating patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma without progressive disease after first-line chemotherapy.
Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma in Prior Asbestos Workers
Purpose: Occupational exposure to asbestos is known increase the risk of developing cancer of the lungs (bronchogenic carcinoma) or of the pleura (mesothelioma). Symptoms are subtle and non-specific, diagnosis is often late and the prognosis consequently is dismal. Currently there is no accepted non-invasive tool for the early diagnosis of mesothelioma or lung cancer in asbestos-exposed subjects. In the last decade, low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been successfully developed and validated for the early diagnosis of lung cancer in high-risk smokers. Malignant mesothelioma might, in an early stage, resemble a benign pleural plaque, which is a common finding after asbestos exposure. We target to develop low-dose CT as a tool to serially image the pleural plaques, quantify their individual and overall volume, compute the growth rate with time, and, as such, identify the presence of mesothelioma early, before symptoms occur.
Do Your Genes Put You at a Higher Risk of Developing Mesothelioma
Purpose:The purpose of this research study is to investigate the possibility that a person’s genes put a person at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma. The investigators will examine genes from DNA (genetic material) isolated from blood. This study will also examine the impact of environmental and work exposures and family history of common cancers on the development of mesothelioma. The genetic markers in this study will basically identify how a person’s body processes frequently encountered environmental pollutants and will not tell about chromosomes, specific diseases, or other potential health problems.
Combination of Gemcitabine and Imatinib Mesylate in Pemetrexed-pretreated Patients With Pleural Mesothelioma
Purpose: This is a phase II, monocentric study of the combination of gemcitabine and imatinib mesylate in pemetrexed-pretreated patients with MPM expressing PDGFR-beta and/or C-kit by Immunohistochemistry (IHC). Treatment will be done until disease progression, or patient refusal or withdrawal of patient consent, or unacceptable toxicity.
SPECTAlung: Screening Patients With Thoracic Tumors for Efficient Clinical Trial Access
Purpose: SPECTAlung is a program aiming at screening patients with thoracic tumors to identify the molecular characteristics of their disease. The thoracic tumors include lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, thymoma or thymic carcinoma at any stage. Once the molecular characteristics are identified, there might be the possibility to offer these patients access to targeted clinical trials.
Dendritic Cell Vaccination for Patients With Solid Tumors
Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the immunogenicity and clinical efficacy of intradermal vaccination with autologous RNA-modified dendritic cells (DCs) – engineered to express the WT1 protein – in patients with limited spread metastatic solid tumors, i.e. breast cancers, glioblastoma grade IV, sarcomas, malignant mesothelioma and colorectal tumors. Based on the results of our previously performed phase I study with autologous WT1 mRNA-transfected DC, the investigators hypothesize that the vaccination with DC will be well-tolerated and will result in an increase in WT1-specific CD8+ T cell responses.
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