Cancer Clinical Trials in San Diego, CA

In this proposal, the investigators introduce advanced diffusion and volumetric imaging techniques along with innovative, automated image parcellation methods to identify critical brain regions, incorporate into cognitive-sparing SRS, and analyze biomarkers of radiation response. This work will advance the investigators' understanding of neurocognitive changes after brain SRS and help create interventions that preserve cognitive-function in brain metastases patients. Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to compare the effects (good and bad) on women and their cancer using proton radiation therapy. This study is being done to see if proton radiation therapy will prove to be beneficial for women with early stage breast cancer. A clinical study is necessary to compare the results (good or bad) of proton radiation therapy. Read Less

COMPRENDO (ChildhOod Malignancy Peer Research NavigatiOn) is a multi-site randomized clinical trial (RCT) that uses a Hybrid Type 1 design, to test the effects of a clinical intervention on patient-level outcomes, while exploring multilevel implementation factors that can inform real-world setting implementation. This study will test the impact of COMPRENDO, a peer-navigation intervention, vs. usual care on accrual to childhood cancer therapeutic clinical trials and parental informed consent outcomes. COMPRENDO will be delivered by trained peer navigators in 4 visits. A mixed methods (surveys, individual interviews) implementation evaluation will examine implementation factors that can inform the use of peer navigation in clinical practice, integrating data from clinicians, navigators, administrators, and parents pre and post the RCT. Read Less

ARGONAUT is a longitudinal, prospective, observational study that will enroll up to 5,000 advanced-stage cancer patients of diverse racial backgrounds to collect data used to develop precision microbiome medicines and for the identification of clinically actionable cancer-specific biomarkers to guide therapeutic decisions. Four types of solid tumor cancers will be profiled including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and pancreatic cancer. Healthy control subjects without a cancer diagnosis will also be studied, comprised of individuals at high risk for CRC and healthy individuals at low risk for CRC. Risk assessment will be based on family history or past neoplastic findings during CRC screening. Data collected from this study will be used to develop the most effective new therapies, via microbiome optimization, all to the benefit of patients and the physicians treating them. Stool and blood samples will be collected longitudinally and analyzed to determine the impact of gut microbiome composition and function on the immune system and efficacy of the treatment. Currently enrolling the CRC, high risk, and low risk cohorts. Subjects who meet the entry criteria will provide up to 5 samples each of blood and stool over a 2-year period. Approximately 10%-20% of the subjects will provide colon tissue samples, either from research biopsies during Standard of Care (SOC) screening colonoscopy or retained surgical tissue from colectomy. Electronic health records will be obtained at various times for up to 8 years, to collect tumor imaging results and any other updated medical data, with no additional samples collected. In select cases, stool and blood samples will be collected beyond 2 years. Read Less

Partial nephrectomy (PN) is the standard treatment for localized renal masses and should be preferred in clinical T1 (\<7 cm tumor diameter) renal tumors over radical nephrectomy (RN) whenever technically feasible. Nonetheless, indications, approaches, techniques for PN, and correct reporting of outcomes, are still a matter of great debate within the urology community. Concurrently, case-report series suggested that alternative strategies for the treatment of localized renal tumors (ablation techniques (AT), watchful waiting (WW), active surveillance (AS)) could be feasible with acceptable oncologic outcomes in particular settings of patients with localized renal tumors. In this complex clinical scenario, the role surgeon-related and environmental factors (such as surgical experience, hospital resources, countries' social background and performance of health system) are important to address the best personalized approach in patients with renal tumors. In the light of current evidence, many unsolved questions still remain and many unmet needs must be addressed. In particular, 1) the risk-benefit trade-offs between PN and RN for anatomically complex renal localized tumors; 2) the definition of evidence-based strategies to tailor the management strategy (AT vs WW vs AS vs surgery) in different subset of patients with particular clinical conditions (i.e. old, frail, comorbid patients); and 3) the definition of evidence-based recommendations to adapt surgical approach (open vs laparoscopic vs robotic) and resection techniques to different patient-, tumor-, and surgeon-specific characteristics. To meet the challenges, to overcome the limitations of current kidney cancer literature (such as the retrospective study design, potential risk of biases, and heterogeneous follow-up of most series), and to provide high-quality evidence for future development of effective clinical practice Guidelines, we designed the international REgistry of COnservative or Radical treatment of localized kiDney tumors (i-RECORD) Project. The expected impact of the i-RECORD project is to provide robust evidence on the leading clinical and environmental factors driving selection of the management strategy in patients with kidney cancer, and the differential impact of different management strategies (including AS, WW, AT, PN and RN) on functional, perioperative and oncological outcomes, as well as quality of life assessment, at a mid-long term follow-up (5-10 years). Read Less