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Use of Virtual Reality for Surgical Planning in Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma is one of the most common extracranial solid tumors in children. It originates from cells of the neural crest, and can be located at the adrenal level, or in the sympathetic chains from the neck to the pelvis. Surgery still remains a mainstay part of the treatment and this is particularly challenging when IDRF are present. Adequate surgical planning, based on images such as CT Scans, MRI and/or nuclear medicine is crucial. This project seeks to compare; surgical time, GTR percentage and complications between standard surgical planning with biplanar 2D images vs the use of virtual reality as a planning tool, through the...
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Using Biomarkers to Help Guide Safe Immunotherapy Discontinuation in Patients With Unresectable Stage IIIB-IV Melanoma, The PET-Stop Trial
This phase II trial investigates how well biomarkers on PET/CT imaging drive early discontinuation of anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with stage IIIB-IV melanoma that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). Anti-PD-1 therapy has become a standard therapy option for patients with unresectable melanoma. This trial is being done to determine if doctors can safely shorten the use of standard of care anti-PD1 therapy for melanoma by using biomarkers seen on PET/CT imaging and tumor biopsy.
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Using MRI-Guided Laser Heat Ablation to Induce Disruption of the Peritumoral Blood Brain Barrier to Enhance Delivery and Efficacy of Treatment of Pediatric Brain Tumors
By employing a combination of advanced MRI techniques and correlative serum biomarkers of blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption, the investigators plan to develop a powerful, first of its kind clinical algorithm in pediatrics whereby the investigators can measure and identify the window of maximal BBB disruption post MLA to 1) allow for an alternative to surgery in incompletely resected tumors, 2) allow for optimal chemotherapeutic dosing to achieve the greatest benefits and the least systemic side effects and 3) distinguish subsequent tumor progression from long-term MLA treatment effects. Preliminary data in adult imaging studies ...
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Using Nivolumab Alone or With Cabozantinib to Prevent Mucosal Melanoma Return After Surgery
This phase II trial tests whether nivolumab in combination with cabozantinib works in patients with mucosal melanoma. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Cabozantinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals tumor cells to multiply. This helps stop the spread of tumor cells. Giving nivolumab in combination with cabozantinib could prevent cancer from returning.
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Using QPOP to Predict Treatment for Sarcomas and Melanomas
This is a multi-cohort proof of concept study involving patients with sarcomas or melanomas. Patient models, both two- and three-dimensional, will be derived from tumour samples. These will then be used to evaluate drug sensitivities ex vivo. Enrolled patients will undergo resections or biopsies as part of standard-of-care, which will be used to generate patient models. Patients will receive standard-of-care systemic treatment. Patient models will also be subjected up to a 14-drug screening panel. The majority of drugs in the respective drug panels has been shown to have activity in the respective cancers and would be used in the...
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Using the EHR to Advance Genomic Medicine Across a Diverse Health System
Given the expansion of indications for genetic testing and our understanding of conditions for which the results change medical management, it is imperative to consider novel ways to deliver care beyond the traditional genetic counseling visit, which are both amenable to large-scale implementation and sustainable. The investigators propose an entirely new approach for the implementation of genomic medicine, supported by the leadership of Penn Medicine, investigating the use of non-geneticist clinician and patient nudges in the delivery of genomic medicine through a pragmatic randomized clinical trial, addressing NHGRI priorities. Our...
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UTD1 Combined With Capecitabine in Metastatic HER2-negative Breast Cancer Patients With Brain Metastases
This study is a single-arm, multicenter, open-labeled clinical study of UTD1 combined with Capecitabine in metastatic HER2-negative breast cancaner patients with brain metastases. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of UDT1 combined with capecitabine in metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer patients with brain metastases.
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Utility of PET-MRI in Surveillance of Paediatric Brain Tumours
This is a pilot project to explore the utility of PET-MRI in the post-treatment surveillance of high-grade gliomas or medulloblastomas in children in our institution.
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Uveal Melanoma - Comparative Study
The progress of uveal melanoma is typically monitored with sonography by experienced onco-ophthalmologists. However, there is evidence that twodimensional measurements in color fundus photography match precisely with sonography measurements. This study aims to compare sonography and color fundus photography measurements in order to evaluate the feasibility of monitoring of uveal melanoma with color fundus photography.
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Vaccination With Autologous Dendritic Cells Loaded With Autologous Tumour Homogenate in Glioblastoma
Single arm, monocentric trial to assess the safety and the progression-free survival related to the combined treatment of dendritic cell vaccine loaded with autologous tumor homogenate and temozolomide in patients operated for glioblastoma and then treated with standard radiochemotherapy (according to Stupp regimen).
