Cancer Clinical Trials in Phoenix, AZ

This phase III trial compares total ablative therapy and usual systemic therapy to usual systemic therapy alone in treating patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to up to 4 body sites (limited metastatic). The usual approach for patients who are not participating in a study is treatment with intravenous (IV) (through a vein) and/or oral medications (systemic therapy) to help stop the cancer sites from getting larger and the spread of the cancer to additional body sites. Ablative means that the intention of the local treatment is to eliminate the cancer at that metastatic site. The ablative local therapy will consist of very focused, intensive radiotherapy called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) with or without surgical resection and/or microwave ablation, which is a procedure where a needle is temporarily inserted in the tumor and heat is used to destroy the cancer cells. SABR, surgical resection, and microwave ablation have been tested for safety, but it is not scientifically proven that the addition of these treatments are beneficial for your stage of cancer. The addition of ablative local therapy to all known metastatic sites to the usual approach of systemic therapy could shrink or remove the tumor(s) or prevent the tumor(s) from returning. Read Less

Breast cancer patients undergoing trastuzumab-based HER2-directed therapy are at risk of heart function decline or heart failure symptoms, but it is unknown if, when, and for how long cardiovascular protective strategies, e.g. with a beta-blocker, could help. This study randomly assigns those taking curative-intent trastuzumab-based HER2-directed therapy to the beta-blocker carvedilol-either when significant heart function decline or subtle early signs of heart injury (either by elevation of a cardiac blood biomarker, i.e. cardiac troponin, or by an abnormal heart ultrasound marker, i.e. global longitudinal strain) are noted, or preventatively before beginning trastuzumab-based HER2-directed therapy. This study will further randomly assign those patients on carvedilol to either discontinuation at the end of trastuzumab-based HER2-directed therapy or continuation for another year, providing much needed clinical trial data on what the best strategy ("tactic") for those at risk of cardiotoxicity with trastuzumab-based HER2-directed therapy is. Read Less

With this greater certainty regarding prognosis, men with localized prostate cancer are now equipped with make better treatment planning decisions. This study is designed to investigate the understanding of prognostic genetic technology in African American and rural White men at risk for localized prostate cancer. Read Less

This phase III trial tests two questions by two separate comparisons of therapies. The first question is whether enhanced therapy (apalutamide in combination with abiraterone + prednisone) added to standard of care (prostate radiation therapy and short term androgen deprivation) is more effective compared to standard of care alone in patients with prostate cancer who experience biochemical recurrence (a rise in the blood level of prostate specific antigen \[PSA\] after surgical removal of the prostate cancer). A second question tests treatment in patients with biochemical recurrence who show prostate cancer spreading outside the pelvis (metastasis) by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. In these patients, the benefit of adding metastasis-directed radiation to enhanced therapy (apalutamide in combination with abiraterone + prednisone) is tested. Diagnostic procedures, such as PET, may help doctors look for cancer that has spread to the pelvis. Androgens are hormones that may cause the growth of prostate cancer cells. Apalutamide may help fight prostate cancer by blocking the use of androgens by the tumor cells. Metastasis-directed targeted radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors that have spread. This trial may help doctors determine if using PET results to deliver more tailored treatment (i.e., adding apalutamide, with or without targeted radiation therapy, to standard of care treatment) works better than standard of care treatment alone in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. Read Less

This phase II/III trial compares the effect of adding chemotherapy before and after surgery versus after surgery alone (usual treatment) in treating patients with stage II-III gallbladder cancer. Chemotherapy drugs, such as gemcitabine and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving chemotherapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller; therefore, may reduce the extent of surgery. Additionally, it may make it easier for the surgeon to distinguish between normal and cancerous tissue. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. This study will determine whether giving chemotherapy before surgery increases the length of time before the cancer may return and whether it will increase a patient's life span compared to the usual approach. Read Less

This phase III trial studies how well the addition of radiotherapy to the usual treatment (chemotherapy) works compared to the usual treatment alone in treating patients with esophageal and gastric cancer that has spread to a limited number of other places in the body (oligometastatic disease). Radiotherapy uses high energy x-rays, gamma rays, or protons to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Drugs used in usual chemotherapy, such as leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Adding radiotherapy to the usual chemotherapy may work better compared to the usual chemotherapy alone in treating patients with esophageal and gastric cancer. Read Less

This phase III trial compares the effects of shorter chemotherapy (chemo)-immunotherapy without anthracyclines to usual chemo-immunotherapy for the treatment of early-stage triple negative breast cancer. Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called anti-microtubule agents. It stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Carboplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Cyclophosphamide is in a class of medications called alkylating agents. It works by damaging the cell's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and may kill cancer cells. It may also lower the body's immune response. Docetaxel is in a class of medications called taxanes. It stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Doxorubicin is an anthracycline chemotherapy drug that damages DNA and may kill cancer cells. Pembrolizumab may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Shorter treatment without anthracycline chemotherapy may work the same as the usual anthracycline chemotherapy treatment for early-stage triple negative breast cancer. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of completing PROs among AYAs randomized to Choice PRO vs Fixed PRO. Read Less

This phase III trial compares the effect of stero-ablative radiotherapy (SAbR) followed by standard of care systemic therapy, to standard of care systemic therapy alone, in patients with kidney cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to a limited (2-5) number of places in the body (metastatic). Study doctors want to find out if this approach is better or worse than the usual approach for metastatic kidney cancer. The usual approach is defined as the care most people get for metastatic kidney cancer which includes systemic therapy such as immunotherapy (given through the veins) and/or small molecular inhibitor (tablets taken by mouth). Radiotherapy uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. SAbR uses special equipment to position a patient and deliver radiation to tumors with high precision. Giving SAbR prior to systemic therapy may kill more tumor cells than the usual approach, which is systemic therapy alone. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test if four different programs (prolonged overnighting fasting alone, exercise alone, a combination of prolonged overnight fasting and exercise, or general health education sessions alone) can reduce fatigue in women with advanced or metastatic breast cancer who are receiving a medication called a cyclin-dependent kinases-4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor. Read Less

This study is being done to see if anti-HER2 treatment be safely stopped in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) that have had exceptional response to treatment. Exceptional response" is considered as cancer progression being controlled for three years or more since starting anti-HER2 treatment. Read Less

This phase III trial studies how well standard systemic therapy with or without definitive treatment (prostate removal surgery or radiation therapy) works in treating participants with prostate cancer that has spread to other places in the body. Addition of prostate removal surgery or radiation therapy to standard systemic therapy for prostate cancer may lower the chance of the cancer growing or spreading. Read Less