Cancer Clinical Trials in Saint Paul, MN

This phase III trial studies how well trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and tucatinib work in preventing breast cancer from coming back (relapsing) in patients with high risk, HER2 positive breast cancer. T-DM1 is a monoclonal antibody, called trastuzumab, linked to a chemotherapy drug, called DM1. Trastuzumab is a form of targeted therapy because it attaches to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of cancer cells, known as HER2 receptors, and delivers DM1 to kill them. Tucatinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving T-DM1 and tucatinib may work better in preventing breast cancer from relapsing in patients with HER2 positive breast cancer compared to T-DM1 alone. Read Less

This phase II/III trial compares treatment with encorafenib and cetuximab to usual care (patient observation) for reducing the chance of cancer recurrence after standard surgery and chemotherapy in patients with BRAF-mutated stage IIB-III colon cancer. Encorafenib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Cetuximab is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It binds to a protein called EGFR, which is found on some types of tumor cells. This may help keep tumor cells from growing. Giving encorafenib and cetuximab after standard surgery and chemotherapy may be more effective at reducing the chance of cancer recurrence compared to the usual patient observation. Read Less

This study collects blood and tissue samples from patients with cancer and without cancer to evaluate tests for early cancer detection. Collecting and storing samples of blood and tissue from patients with and without cancer to study in the laboratory may help researchers develop tests for the early detection of cancers. Read Less

This phase II/III trial studies the best dose of duloxetine and how well it works in preventing pain, tingling, and numbness (peripheral neuropathy) caused by treatment with oxaliplatin in patients with stage II-III colorectal cancer. Duloxetine increases the amount of certain chemicals in the brain that help relieve depression and pain. Giving duloxetine in patients undergoing treatment with oxaliplatin for colorectal cancer may help prevent peripheral neuropathy. Read Less

This phase III trial compares denosumab to placebo for the prevention of breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 germline mutation. A germline mutation is an inherited gene change which, in the BRCA1 gene, is associated with an increased risk of breast and other cancers. Denosumab is a monoclonal antibody that is used to treat bone loss in order to reduce the risk of bone fractures in healthy people, and to reduce new bone growths in cancer patients whose cancer has spread to their bones. Research has shown that denosumab may also reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in women carrying a BRCA1 germline mutation. Read Less

This phase II/III trial compares the effect of the 3-drug chemotherapy combination of nab-paclitaxel, gemcitabine, plus cisplatin versus the 2-drug chemotherapy combination of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine for the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic) and a known genetic mutation in the BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2 gene. Read Less

People who have been treated for head and neck cancer (HNC survivors) can experience serious consequences from their cancer and its treatment, ongoing risks of new cancers, and other unrelated illnesses. These concerns pose challenges to the provision of comprehensive care to HNC survivors. We created HN-STAR to facilitate and tailor the ongoing care of HNC survivors. Survivors use HN-STAR on a computer or tablet to answer questions about symptoms and health concerns before a routine visit with a cancer care provider. During the clinic visit, the provider uses HN-STAR to see evidence-based recommendations for managing each concern reported by the survivor. The provider and survivor discuss recommendations and select appropriate actions (e.g., testing, referrals, prescriptions, self-management). HN-STAR produces a survivorship care plan that includes all reported concerns and the actions selected in clinic. The survivorship care plan is given to the survivor and the primary care provider. Three months, six months, and nine months later, the survivor uses HN-STAR from home (or clinic) to report their concerns again, and a new survivorship care plan is created each time. Our trial randomizes 20-36 oncology practices from the National Community Oncology Research Program to use HN-STAR or provide usual care to 298-400 recent survivors of head and neck cancer. We hypothesize that survivors in the HN-STAR arm will have greater improvement in patient-centered outcomes (including cancer-related well-being, symptoms, and patient activation) over one year compared to survivors in the usual care arm, measured by surveys at baseline and one year later. We also hypothesize that survivors in the HN-STAR arm will be more likely to receive care that is aligned with evidence-based recommendations during the year of the study than survivors in the usual care arm. Our final aim investigates the implementation of HN-STAR in clinical practice, using interviews and surveys of survivors, providers, and other clinic staff to understand the feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and other aspects of providing survivorship care to head and neck cancer survivors. Read Less

This phase III trial compares the effect of sentinel lymph node mapping to standard lymph node dissection in reducing the risk of swelling in the legs (lymphedema) in patients undergoing a hysterectomy for stage I endometrial cancer. Standard lymph node dissection removes lymph nodes around the uterus during a hysterectomy to look for spread of cancer from the uterus to nearby lymph nodes. Sentinel lymph node mapping uses a special dye and camera to look for cancer that may have spread to nearby lymph nodes. Comparing the results of the procedures may help doctors predict the risk of long-term swelling in the legs. 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 III trial studies how well letrozole with or without paclitaxel and carboplatin works in treating patients with stage II-IV low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary, fallopian tube, or peritoneum. Letrozole is an enzyme inhibitor that lowers the amount of estrogen made by the body which in turn may stop the growth of tumor cells that need estrogen to grow. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel and carboplatin, 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. It is not yet known whether giving letrozole alone or in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin works better in treating patients with low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary, fallopian tube, or peritoneum compared to paclitaxel and carboplatin without letrozole. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to develop an effective internet-delivered program to help breast cancer survivors manage cancer-related sexual concerns. This study is being done to find out if the study approach is better or worse than the usual approach to helping breast cancer survivors manage cancer-related sexual concerns. The usual approach is defined as care most cancer survivors get for their cancer-related sexual concerns. Participants will complete a questionnaire and if they qualify, they will be assigned to one of sixteen groups of participants. Groups will get access to various kinds of help through an Internet-delivered program called SHINE, which was designed and is run by researchers at the University of Virginia Center for Behavioral Health and Technology. All groups will get access to education about sexual health after cancer: either a standard education website or an enhanced education web program. Groups may also receive up to three additional web programs on: talking to your clinicians about sexual concerns, and/or talking to your partner about sexual concerns, and/or increasing intimacy. Participants are asked to complete the SHINE program within 12 weeks. After participants finish this 12-week period, the study team will ask them to complete a questionnaire to check in with the participant. The participant will be asked one additional time 12 weeks later to complete another questionnaire to see how the participant is doing. A participant will be in the study for 24 weeks. Read Less

This study will examine the association between low muscle mass (myopenia) at diagnosis and chemotherapy toxicity in older adults with newly diagnosed advanced colorectal cancer. Read Less