300,000+ clinical trials. Find the right one.

106 active trials for Brain Metastases

Pre- Versus Post-operative SRS for Resectable Brain Metastases

The purpose of this study is to determine if performing radiotherapy (SRS) prior to surgery results in better treatment outcomes than performing surgery before radiotherapy for patients with brain metastases. Brain metastases occur when cancer cells from a primary cancer (e.g. lung, breast, colon) travel through the bloodstream and spread (metastasize) to the brain. As these new tumors grow they apply pressure and change how healthy brain tissue works. This can lead to a loss of brain function and worsening quality of life. Treatments for patients whose cancer has spread to the brain is often surgery, radiation therapy (radiotherapy) or a combination of both. Surgery is one the main treatments for brain tumors. To remove the tumor, a neurosurgeon makes an opening in the skull and attempts to the remove the entire tumor. If the tumor is too close to important brain tissue, the surgeon may attempt to remove part of the tumor. Removal of the tumor from the brain tissue is called resection. The complete or partial removal of tumor helps to relieve symptoms by reducing pressure on healthy tissues and reduces the amount of tumor that needs to be treated by radiotherapy. One type of radiotherapy used to treat brain metastases is stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). SRS uses many focused radiation beams to treat tumors within the brain. Unlike surgery, there is no incision or cut being made. Instead, SRS uses an accurate map of your brain to deliver a precise beam of radiation to the tumors. The radiation damages the tumor cells forcing them to shrink and die off. The focused radiation beams also limit damage to healthy brain tissue minimizing side effects. Surgery followed by radiotherapy is a standard treatment for brain metastases. However, there are still risks associated with the combination of treatments. This study plans to investigate whether performing surgery prior to SRS results in improved quality of life and decreased side effects.

Start: September 2020
Phase 2 Trial in Multiple Brain Metastases Outcomes With HA-SIB-WBRT

Recently, the evidence supports hippocampal avoidance with whole brain radiotherapy (HA-WBRT) as the recommended treatment option in patients with good prognosis and multiple brain metastases as it gives better neurocognitive preservation compared to historical whole brain radiotherapy controls. There is however often poor tumour control with this technique due to the low doses given. Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), a form of focused radiotherapy which is given to patients who have a limited number of brain metastases, gives a higher radiation dose to the metastases resulting in better target lesion control. With improvements in radiation technology, advanced dose-painting techniques now allow a simultaneous integrate boost (SIB) dose to lesions whilst minimising doses to the hippocampus to potentially improve brain tumour control and preserve cognitive outcomes (HA-SIB-WBRT). The Investigators believe that the SIB in HA-SIB-WBRT (experimental) will result in better functional and survival outcomes compared to HA-WBRT (control). Patients who are fit, have multiple brain metastases (5-25 lesions) and reasonable life expectancy (>6 months) will be recruited from NCCS over 2 years. Patients will be followed up the over the following year with imaging, toxicity data, quality of life, activities of daily living and cognitive measurements at set time points. The results will be compared across the 2 arms. Patients with brain metastases are living longer. Maintaining functional independence and brain metastases control is thus increasingly important. Improved radiotherapy treatment techniques could provide better control and survival outcomes whilst maintain QoL and functional capacity.

Start: June 2020
A Proof-of-principle Study of Hyperbaric Oxygen as a Radiosensitizer Prior to Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases

Patients with brain metastases who are candidates for treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) are potential study participants. SRS delivers high-energy, precisely-focused radiation to each brain metastasis to shrink the tumor, and is the standard-of-care for patients with these tumors. Oxygen enhances the damaging effects of radiation on tumor cells. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy increases oxygen levels in all kinds of tissues, including tumors. The purpose of this trial is to study whether it is feasible to treat patients with HBO just prior to receiving SRS, given the timing constraints of treating sequentially with HBO and then SRS. Patients will undergo HBO treatment followed by the placement of a Gill-Thomas-Cosman head frame then transported ,via stretcher, to receive SRS. The transfer and placement of the head frame needs to be completed within the 15minute time frame. The trial's secondary objectives are to determine whether it has any effects on outcomes and quality of life. As part of study participation patients will be asked to complete quality of life questionnaires as well as mini mental status questionnaires. These will be done prior to treatment and at follow up appointments throughout the next 3 years while participating in the study. Patients will be given the option to participate in the optional bio marker blood draw study which would require patients to have blood drawn at three time points, pre-treatment, the day after treatment and at their first follow up visit.

Start: July 2013
The Role of Brain Radiotherapy in Patients With Asymptomatic Brain Metastasis in the Era of Targeted Therapy for NSCLC

Brain metastasis is the most common neurological complication in tumor patients, and lung cancer is the most common tumor with brain metastasis. The prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastasis is poor. If not treated, the median survival time was about 1 month, the median survival time for steroid therapy was about 2 to 3 months, and the median survival time for patients receiving whole brain radiotherapy was about 3 to 6 months. Studies have shown that the incidence of brain metastasis is not only related to tumor size, N stage and tumor cell type, but also more likely to occur in NSCLC patients with sensitive gene mutation. With the rapid development of NSCLC molecular targeted therapy and precise radiotherapy, the new main therapeutic methods for NSCLC brain metastasis in recent years include stereotactic radiotherapy for (SRT),. Based on intensity modulated technique, simultaneous modulated accelerated radiation therapy for Brain(SMART-Brain) and molecular targeted therapy were carried out. However, at present, the best treatment choice for NSCLC brain metastasis, especially for asymptomatic brain metastasis patients, is still controversial. The choice and combined application mode of individualized treatment for different patients is still a problem to be explored. Based on the synergistic effect of radiotherapy and molecular targeted therapy on the basis of cell and molecule, The purpose of this study was to prospectively compare the efficacy of radiotherapy combined with targeted therapy and targeted therapy alone in patients with asymptomatic NSCLC brain metastasis with gene sensitive mutations, and subgroup analysis of different molecular targets and mutation sites. It is expected that this study will provide a basis for optimizing the curative effect of patients with NSCLC brain metastasis.

Start: December 2019