Cancer Clinical Trials in Stanford, CA

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

Approximately one fourth of cases of endometrial cancer (EC) are diagnosed in premenopausal women, of whom approximately 40% wish to preserve their fertility. When arising in young women, EC usually presents with favorable prognostic features, as a focal, well differentiated endometrioid tumor, with minimal or absent myometrial invasion. This profile corresponds to the Type 1 EC, which correlates with the estrogen/progesterone receptor positive (ER+/PR+) pattern. On the other hand, these patients frequently present with clinical signs of a hyperestrogenism (chronic anovulation, infertility, obesity). Primary progestin therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in early well differentiated tumors and in poor operative candidates with response rates ranging from 58-100%.Currently, the therapeutic approach to an early stage EC consists of a staging laparotomy/laparoscopy, including a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAH-BSO), peritoneal washings, and lymphadenectomy (pelvic and aortic), depending on the pathological risk profile pre- and intraoperatively determined. Therefore, the current standard of surgical approach is preclusive of fertility. The worldwide experience and data on conservative management of EC are, however, still limited. Most of reports based on cases retrospectively collected, harboring potential methodological bias, using different treatments and drugs, and with insufficient follow-up. Some systematic reviews have been published in the last decade, trying to summarize the literature data. Therapeutic results seem to be promising with a regression rate of approximately 75% and relapse occurring in 25-40% of cases, with anecdotical reports of deaths of disease (DOD). The fertility outcome was, however, not satisfying with about 30% pregnancy rate in patients attempting to conceive, and an overall low rate of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) despite the subfertile clinical profile.Therefore, there is a need for a prospective, multicentre cooperative project able to systematically collect data from consecutive patients treated according to defined (not necessarily identical) protocols, concerning the oncological, as well as, the obstetrical outcomes. Moreover, this project could represent the "template" in which a pretreatment fertility counseling, psychological support, and definitive surgery are routinely included according to shared criteria. Read Less