Cancer Clinical Trials in Des Moines, IA

This phase III trial compares the addition of an immunotherapy drug (durvalumab) to usual chemotherapy versus usual chemotherapy alone in treating patients with MammaPrint High 2 Risk (MP2) stage II-III hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as durvalumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide 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. There is some evidence from previous clinical trials that people who have a MammaPrint High 2 Risk result may be more likely to respond to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Adding durvalumab to usual chemotherapy may be able to prevent the cancer from returning for patients with MP2 stage II-III hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer. Read Less

This phase III ALCHEMIST trial tests the addition of pembrolizumab to usual chemotherapy for the treatment of stage IIA, IIB, IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer that has been removed by surgery. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, pemetrexed, carboplatin, gemcitabine hydrochloride, and paclitaxel, 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 pembrolizumab with usual chemotherapy may help increase survival times in patients with stage IIA, IIB, IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

This ComboMATCH patient screening trial is the gateway to a coordinated set of clinical trials to study cancer treatment directed by genetic testing. Patients with solid tumors that have spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) or have spread to other places in the body (advanced) and have progressed on at least one line of standard systemic therapy or have no standard treatment that has been shown to prolong overall survival may be candidates for these trials. Genetic tests look at the unique genetic material (genes) of patients' tumor cells. Patients with some genetic changes or abnormalities (mutations) may benefit from treatment that targets that particular genetic mutation. ComboMATCH is designed to match patients to a treatment that may work to control their tumor and may help doctors plan better treatment for patients with locally advanced or advanced solid tumors. Read Less

This phase II ComboMATCH treatment trial evaluates the effectiveness of palbociclib and binimetinib in treating patients with RAS-mutated cancers. Palbociclib and binimetinib are both in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. They work by blocking the action of abnormal proteins that signals cancer cells to multiply. This trial may help researchers understand if giving the combination of palbociclib and binimetinib can help improve the amount of time before the cancer grows in patients with patients with low grade serous ovarian cancer who have certain changes in the tumor DNA. This trial may also help researchers understand if giving the combination of palbociclib and binimetinib can help improve outcomes among patients with low grade serous ovarian cancer who have previously received a MEK inhibitor. For patients with other tumors, with the exception of lung cancer, colon cancer, melanoma and low grade serous ovarian cancers, this trial may help researchers understand if giving the combination of palbociclib and binimetinib can improve the clinical outcome of survival without progression in patients who have certain changes in their tumor's DNA. Read Less

This phase II trial studies whether adding pembrolizumab to olaparib (standard of care) works better than olaparib alone in treating patients with pancreatic cancer with germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic). BRCA1 and BRCA2 are human genes that produce tumor suppressor proteins. These proteins help repair damaged deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and, therefore, play a role in ensuring the stability of each cell's genetic material. When either of these genes is mutated, or altered, such that its protein product is not made or does not function correctly, DNA damage may not be repaired properly. As a result, cells are more likely to develop additional genetic alterations that can lead to some types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Olaparib is an inhibitor of PARP, a protein that helps repair damaged DNA. Blocking PARP may help keep tumor cells from repairing their damaged DNA, causing them to die. PARP inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy. The addition of pembrolizumab to the usual treatment of olaparib may help to shrink tumors in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Read Less

This phase III trial compares the usual chemotherapy treatment to eribulin plus gemcitabine in treating patients with urothelial cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Chemotherapy drugs, such as eribulin, gemcitabine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, and sacituzumab govitecan 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. This trial aims to see whether adding eribulin to standard of care chemotherapy may work better in treating patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Read Less

This phase II trial studies the good and bad effects of the combination of drugs called cabozantinib and nivolumab in treating patients with melanoma or squamous cell head and neck cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced). Cabozantinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. 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. This trial may help doctors determine how quickly patients can be divided into groups based on biomarkers in their tumors. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in the blood, other body fluids, or in tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process or a sign of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition. The two biomarkers that this trial is studying are "tumor mutational burden" and "tumor inflammation signature." Another purpose of this trial is to help doctors learn if cabozantinib and nivolumab shrink or stabilize the cancer, and whether patients respond differently to the combination depending on the status of the biomarkers. Read Less

This phase II ComboMATCH treatment trial compares the usual treatment of modified leucovorin, fluorouracil and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) chemotherapy to using binimetinib plus mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy to shrink tumors in patients with biliary tract cancers that have spread to other places in the body (advanced) and had progression of cancer after previous treatments (2nd line setting). Fluorouracil is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells in the body. Oxaliplatin is in a class of medications called platinum-containing antineoplastic agents. It works by killing tumor cells. Leucovorin may help the other drugs in the mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy regimen work better by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drugs. Binimetinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of the abnormal protein that signals tumor cells to multiply. This helps to stop or slow the spread of tumor cells. Giving binimetinib in combination with mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy may be effective in shrinking or stabilizing advanced biliary tract cancers in the 2nd line setting. Read Less

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding chemotherapy to immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) versus immunotherapy alone in treating patients with stage IIIB-IV lung cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs 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 pembrolizumab and chemotherapy may help stabilize lung cancer. Read Less

This phase II/III trial compares the addition of radiation therapy to the usual treatment (immunotherapy with or without chemotherapy) versus (vs.) usual treatment alone in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) whose tumor is also negative for a molecular marker called PD-L1. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, ipilimumab may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. The addition of radiation therapy to usual treatment may stop the cancer from growing and increase the life of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who are PD-L1 negative. Read Less

This phase III trial compares the effect of bevacizumab and osimertinib combination vs. osimertinib alone for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer that has spread outside of the lungs (stage IIIB-IV) and has a change (mutation) in a gene called EGFR. The EGFR protein is involved in cell signaling pathways that control cell division and survival. Sometimes, mutations in the EGFR gene cause EGFR proteins to be made in higher than normal amounts on some types of cancer cells. This causes cancer cells to divide more rapidly. Osimertinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking EGFR that is needed for cell growth in this type of cancer. Bevacizumab is in a class of medications called antiangiogenic agents. It works by stopping the formation of blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to tumor. This may slow the growth and spread of tumor. Giving osimertinib with bevacizumab may control cancer for longer and help patients live longer as compared to osimertinib alone. Read Less

This trial collects multiple tissue and blood samples, along with medical information, from cancer patients. The "Cancer Moonshot Biobank" is a longitudinal study. This means it collects and stores samples and information over time, throughout the course of a patient's cancer treatment. By looking at samples and information collected from the same people over time, researchers hope to better understand how cancer changes over time and over the course of medical treatments. Read Less