Advanced Physician Search: Brain Tumors

With modern therapy, the survival rate for pediatric brain tumor patients has significantly improved, with over 70% of patients surviving their disease. However, this progress often comes at the cost of substantial morbidity, with cognitive deficits being the primary obstacle to independent living. Robust predictors of cognitive decline and a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of cognitive injury remain elusive. This study will prospectively investigate alterations in brain resting state networks following radiation therapy using functional imaging. The hypothesis is that radiation therapy leads to dose-dependent alterations in functional connectivity in the networks associated with higher level cognition, ultimately leading to cognitive decline.

Other: Cognitive testing, Device: Resting State MRI/Precision functional mapping

This phase III trial tests two hypotheses in patients with low-risk and average-risk medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the back of the brain. The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer coming back after treatment. Subjects with low-risk medulloblastoma typically have a lower chance of the cancer coming back than subjects with average-risk medulloblastoma. Although treatment for newly diagnosed average-risk and low-risk medulloblastoma is generally effective at treating the cancer, there are still concerns about the side effects of such treatment. Side effects or unintended health conditions that arise due to treatment include learning difficulties, hearing loss or other issues in performing daily activities. Standard therapy for newly diagnosed average-risk or low-risk medulloblastoma includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy (including cisplatin). Cisplatin may cause hearing loss as a side effect. In the average-risk medulloblastoma patients, this trial tests whether the addition of sodium thiosulfate (STS) to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy reduces hearing loss. Previous studies with STS have shown that it may help reduce or prevent hearing loss caused by cisplatin. In the low-risk medulloblastoma patients, the study tests whether a less intense therapy (reduced radiation) can provide the same benefits as the more intense therapy. The less intense therapy may cause fewer side effects. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. The overall goals of this study are to see if giving STS along with standard treatment (radiation therapy and chemotherapy) will reduce hearing loss in medulloblastoma patients and to compare the overall outcome of patients with medulloblastoma treated with STS to patients treated without STS on a previous study in order to make sure that survival and recurrence of tumor is not worsened.

Procedure: Audiometric Test, Procedure: Auditory Brainstem Response, Procedure: Biospecimen Collection, Drug: Cisplatin, Drug: Cyclophosphamide, Drug: Lomustine, Procedure: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment, Radiation: Radiation Therapy, Drug: Sodium Thiosulfate, Other: Survey Administration, Drug: Vincristine

The current study assesses the tolerability and efficacy of monotherapy with pan-RAF-kinase (Tovorafenib) inhibition for the treatment of children and young adults with craniopharyngioma.

Drug: Tovorafenib

This is a pilot phase Ib study of the safety of dapagliflozin (in addition to standard of care treatment) for the treatment of pediatric patients with recurrent brain tumors and relapsed/refractory solid tumors. The primary hypothesis is that dapagliflozin is well-tolerated and safe to use in this patient population. The investigators also hypothesize that dapagliflozin will be efficacious as an adjunct to front-line chemotherapy assessed by decreased tumor markers mediated by its pleiotropic metabolic effects.

Drug: Dapagliflozin, Drug: Topotecan, Drug: Cyclophosphamide

This phase I/II trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of selinexor given in combination with standard radiation therapy in treating children and young adults with newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) or high-grade glioma (HGG) with a genetic change called H3 K27M mutation. It also tests whether combination of selinexor and standard radiation therapy works to shrink tumors in this patient population. Glioma is a type of cancer that occurs in the brain or spine. Glioma is considered high risk (or high-grade) when it is growing and spreading quickly. The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer coming back after treatment. DIPG is a subtype of HGG that grows in the pons (a part of the brainstem that controls functions like breathing, swallowing, speaking, and eye movements). This trial has two parts. The only difference in treatment between the two parts is that some subjects treated in Part 1 may receive a different dose of selinexor than the subjects treated in Part 2. In Part 1 (also called the Dose-Finding Phase), investigators want to determine the dose of selinexor that can be given without causing side effects that are too severe. This dose is called the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). In Part 2 (also called the Efficacy Phase), investigators want to find out how effective the MTD of selinexor is against HGG or DIPG. Selinexor blocks a protein called CRM1, which may help keep cancer cells from growing and may kill them. It is a type of small molecule inhibitor called selective inhibitors of nuclear export (SINE). Radiation therapy uses high energy to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. The combination of selinexor and radiation therapy may be effective in treating patients with newly-diagnosed DIPG and H3 K27M-Mutant HGG.

Procedure: Biopsy Procedure, Procedure: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Radiation: Radiation Therapy, Drug: Selinexor

This study is a clinical trial to determine the safety of inoculating G207 (an experimental virus therapy) into a recurrent or refractory cerebellar brain tumor. The safety of combining G207 with a single low dose of radiation, designed to enhance virus replication, tumor cell killing, and an anti-tumor immune response, will also be tested. Funding Source- FDA OOPD

Biological: G207

This phase II trial determines if the combination of ONC201 with different drugs is effective for treating participants with diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs). Despite years of research, little to no progress has been made to improve outcomes for participants with DMGs, and there are few treatment options. This trial will utilize an adaptive platform design in that the different treatment arms for each cohort will be opened and closed based on ongoing preclinical investigation as well as evolving outcome data from the trial. Novel agents will be continuously added to this study as pre-clinical data emerge to suggest additive or synergistic activity when combined ONC201. Should a novel agent not have an RP2D at the time of incorporation into this study, a phase 1 lead-in will be performed prior to initiation of combination therapy (via study amendment).

Drug: DNX-2401

The current study will use a new treatment approach based on the molecular characteristics of each participant’s tumor. The study will test the feasibility in the pilot phase of performing real-time drug screening on tissue taken during surgery in patients with relapsed medulloblastoma or ependymoma and of having a specialized tumor board assign a treatment plan based on the results of this screening and genomic sequencing. The aim of this trial is to allow every child and young adult with relapsed medulloblastoma and ependymoma to receive the most effective and least toxic therapies currently available and will pave the way for improved understanding and treatment of these tumors in the future. Moreover, if successful, it could serve as a paradigm for personalized medicine programs for other types of cancer.

Other: Specialized Tumor Board Treatment Plan, Other: Combinations