Behavioral Neurology Trials

The Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute (NBTI) currently uses an electronic database to collect and store information about patients who come to the NBTI for evaluations, including diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and/or to obtain additional opinions. This database is called the Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute Database or NBTIDB, and it was developed to replace older paper methods for collecting and storing information.

The purpose of this study is to allow researchers involved with the NBTIDB to use data stored in it for future research studies and projects. The NBTIDB also allows researchers to track whether or not patients have agreed to allow their information to be linked to their leftover tissue samples, which are kept in the hospital’s pathology department, for future research studies.

The purpose of this study is to compare any good and bad effects of using proton therapy to using photon

therapy. Photon therapy is the usual treatment approach for brain cancer. Proton therapy uses a beam of

proton particles to send radiation inside the body to the tumor. This study will allow the researchers to know

whether proton therapy is better, the same, or worse than the usual approach. Proton therapy may have less

negative effects on brain function than photons because less brain is exposed to radiation when proton therapy

is used. However, proton therapy might also be associated with more frequent tumor recurrences.

The purpose of this study is to test good and bad effects of different drugs against metastatic brain tumors with altered genes. This trial is trying to see if tumor genetic testing would be helpful at guiding treatment in patients such as you. Researchers have looked at the DNA material (genes) that can be affected in brain metastases and have found several genes that are altered, or mutated. There are medications that target these genes.

We are doing this study because we want to find out if this approach is better or worse than the usual approach for your metastatic cancer. The usual approach is defined as care most people get for your metastatic cancer.

Eligible patients will undergo craniotomy for tumor resection. During the tumor resection and when possible, an initial low dose of albumin-bound paclitaxel will be given following sonication. In select patients, the sonication procedure may occur immediately after the test dose of chemotherapy is administered. The sonication device will be implanted at the end of the procedure. In phase 1, about two weeks after surgery, patients will undergo sonication and albumin-bound paclitaxel administration with MRI to quantify extent of blood brain barrier opening. Sonication and administration of albumin-bound paclitaxel will continue every 3 weeks until disease progression. The planned albumin-bound paclitaxel starting dose is 40 mg/m2, to be escalated in the absence of significant toxicity up to 260 mg/m2. Blood samples for circulating tumor DNA will also be collected before and after each sonication. In phase 2, pre-sonication carboplatin at AUC 5 will be added to the regimen, with a safety run-in for the first 6 patients.

The purpose of this study is to compare the usual treatment of SRS alone to SRS plus HA-WBRT

(whole brain radiation therapy with hippocampus avoidance) and memantine for patients with cancer

that has spread to the brain and come back in other areas of the brain after earlier treatment with SRS.

The addition of HA-WBRT and memantine to the usual treatment could better control your brain cancer.

This study will help the study doctors find out if this different approach is better, the same,

or worse than the usual approach.

Memantine is FDA approved for treating dementia and is commonly used off-label

(that is, for a purpose for which it is not FDA approved) for patients receiving whole-brain

radiation therapy for cancer that has spread to the brain.

This study has 2 study groups. You will be told which group you are in.

Group 1

If you are in this group, you will get the usual treatment, SRS. In addition to the usual

SRS treatment, you will also receive HA-WBRT. You will also be given the drug memantine,

which has also been shown to preserve memory function. Memantine will be taken for up to 6 months.

Group 2

If you are in this group, you will get the usual treatment of SRS.

After you finish your treatment, your doctor and study team will watch you for side effects and

follow your condition. They will check you every 2 to 3 months for at least 1 year after you finish

SRS. If you are receiving memantine, your doctor will continue to see you in the clinic as needed.

Studyparticipants are being treated with Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) formalignant glioma. The TTFields device uses low-intensity electrical fields totreat cancer, and this type of therapy can cause skin side effects, such asitching, sores, or infections. Researchers want to know if using clindamycingel and triamcinolone topical (on the skin) lotion before these side effectsoccur may be able to prevent their appearance, so that TTFields can be usedwith less need for interruptions