Central nervous system cancer

This study tests a personalized DNA vaccine for children and young adults (ages 12-25) with central nervous system tumors that have come back or not responded to treatment. The vaccine is made from each patient's unique tumor DNA to train the immune system to fight the cancer. Th…

This early-phase trial is testing whether combining an immunotherapy drug (pembrolizumab) with targeted radiation before surgery is safe and feasible for people with recurrent glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Ten participants will receive the drug and radiation, then und…

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine are testing whether patients with brain metastases can safely skip immediate surgery or radiation and instead have their tumors monitored with regular imaging, cognitive tests, and quality-of-life questionnaires. All participant…

This early-stage trial tests a radioactive drug (Lu-177 edotreotide) in children aged 2 to 17 with cancers that have a specific marker (SSTR-positive). The goal is to find the right dose and check safety. About 20 children whose cancer has returned or not responded to prior treat…

This study tests an oral drug called NEO212 in people with specific brain tumors (astrocytoma, glioblastoma) or cancers that have spread to the brain. The goal is to find the safest dose and see if it helps control tumor growth. About 134 adults will take NEO212 alone or with sta…

This early-phase trial tests a nasal spray called NEO100 (a purified natural compound) in 12 children with certain aggressive brain tumors. The goal is to see if it's safe, find the best dose, and check if the drug reaches the tumor. Participants will receive increasing doses, an…

This study tests two drugs—tarlatamab and temozolomide—in adolescents and adults with high-grade brain tumors that have a specific marker called DLL3. The goal is to see if the combination is safe and can shrink tumors. About 70 participants will be enrolled across multiple cente…

This study tests a new drug called CBL0137 in children and young adults (ages 1 to 21) whose solid tumors, brain tumors, or lymphoma have returned or stopped responding to treatment. The goal is to find the best dose, check side effects, and see if the drug can shrink tumors. The…

This study tests a combination of two drugs, elacestrant and abemaciclib, in people with a specific type of breast cancer (ER-positive, HER2-negative) that has spread to the brain. The goal is to see if the combination can shrink or control brain tumors. The trial involves about …

Researchers are testing a radioactive drug called rhenium-186 obisbemeda in adults whose solid-tumor cancer has spread to the leptomeninges, the tissues lining the brain and spinal cord. The drug is a nanoliposome carrying rhenium-186, a radioactive isotope, and it is given throu…

This study tests a drug called repotrectinib in children and young adults (up to age 25) with advanced solid tumors, lymphoma, or brain tumors that have specific gene changes (ALK, ROS1, or NTRK1-3). The goal is to find the safest dose and see if the drug shrinks tumors. Particip…

This early-stage trial tests whether a specially engineered herpes virus (G207) is safe to inject directly into the brain tumors of children whose cancer has returned. Up to 24 children aged 3 to 21 will receive the virus, and some will also get a small dose of radiation to help …

This early-phase study tests the safety of a new cell therapy called B7-H3 CAR T cells for children and young adults whose brain tumors have come back or are growing despite standard treatment. The therapy uses the patient's own immune cells, modified to target a protein (B7-H3) …

This study tests a drug called mirdametinib for people with certain brain or spinal cord tumors (gliomas). The goal is to see if it is safe and can shrink tumors or improve symptoms. About 26 adults will take part, and the drug targets tumors with specific genetic changes.

This early-phase trial is testing a new drug called PHST001, which helps the immune system attack cancer cells by blocking a protein called CD24. The study will first test PHST001 alone, then in combination with standard chemotherapy, in adults with advanced solid tumors (includi…

This study tests a new drug, TLX101-Tx, that delivers radiation directly to glioblastoma cells. It is combined with standard chemotherapy (lomustine) and compared to chemotherapy alone in 50 adults whose brain cancer has returned after initial treatment. The goal is to see if the…

This study tests a new treatment called BCB-276 for children and young adults with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and aggressive brain tumor. BCB-276 is made from a patient's own immune cells, which are modified in a lab to recognize and attack the cancer. The tr…

This study tests a new drug called LMP744 in people whose glioblastoma has come back after standard treatment. The drug is designed to kill cancer cells by blocking a key growth signal and interfering with DNA repair. Participants will receive the drug through a vein for 5 days e…

This phase II trial is testing whether continuing targeted therapy or immunotherapy based on a tumor's molecular profile can benefit patients with advanced solid tumors that have stopped responding to prior treatment. After an initial treatment period, patients whose disease is s…

This early-stage trial is testing a drug called ASTX727 in adults with a type of brain tumor (glioma) that has an IDH mutation and has come back or is growing. The drug combines two substances to try to stop cancer cells from growing. The main goal is to find the highest safe dos…

This study is testing a drug called Lutathera in children and young adults (ages 4 to 39) whose brain tumors have come back or are growing despite treatment. The drug delivers radiation directly to tumor cells that show up on a special PET scan. The goal is to find the safest dos…

This phase 2 trial tests a personalized cell therapy called zamtocabtagene autoleucel (MB-CART2019.1) for people with B cell lymphomas that have come back or not responded to standard treatments. Participants receive their own immune cells that have been genetically modified to r…

This early-phase trial tests a new drug called ONC206 in children and young adults with diffuse midline glioma or other recurrent brain tumors. The drug aims to kill cancer cells by causing stress in them, without harming healthy cells. Researchers are looking for the safest dose…

This phase 2 trial tests the drug avapritinib in 50 adults with advanced solid tumors that have mutations in the CKIT or PDGFRA genes. The drug blocks enzymes that help cancer cells grow. The main goal is to see how many patients' tumors shrink or disappear. Researchers will also…

This study tests the drug cabozantinib in 24 people with meningioma that has come back or worsened after standard treatments like surgery or radiation. The main goal is to see if the drug can stop the tumor from growing for at least 6 months. Participants must have a Karnofsky sc…

This study tests the drug entrectinib in children under 3 with certain brain tumors (NTRK or ROS1 gene fusions). The goal is to see if the drug can shrink tumors and delay the need for chemotherapy. About 52 children will take entrectinib by mouth, and doctors will monitor tumor …

This early-phase trial is testing a combination of three treatments for children whose brain tumors have come back or not responded to standard care. The experimental drug SGT-53 delivers a normal TP53 gene to tumor cells, and is given alongside the immunotherapy Nivolumab and ra…

This early-phase trial tests a four-drug combination—vorinostat plus three chemotherapy drugs—in children, teens, and young adults up to age 30 whose solid tumors or brain cancers have returned or not responded to standard treatment. The main goal is to find the safest dose of vo…

This early-phase study tests whether a new type of immunotherapy, called B7-H3 CAR T cells, can be safely given directly into the brain or spinal fluid of children and young adults with aggressive brain tumors like DIPG, DMG, or other recurrent central nervous system cancers. The…

This study looks at whether proton therapy can safely treat cancers that return after standard radiation. Proton beams are more targeted than traditional X-rays, so they may deliver stronger doses to the tumor while sparing healthy tissue. Researchers will track side effects and …

This study tests whether a machine learning tool can identify patients at high risk for surgical site infection after brain or spinal tumor surgery. High-risk patients will receive extra preventive care, like stronger antibiotics and nutrition support. The goal is to see if this …

This trial tests whether giving children and teens with advanced solid tumors, brain tumors, or lymphomas drugs that match their tumor's genetic profile can help. About 90 participants will receive one of four drug combinations based on their tumor's molecular features. The goal …

This early study tests whether focused ultrasound can safely open the blood-brain barrier in children with progressive diffuse midline glioma (DMG), a rare and aggressive brain tumor. Ten children aged 4–21 will receive oral etoposide chemotherapy after ultrasound treatment to al…

This early-stage study tests an oral drug called ONC206 in adults with brain tumors that have come back. The main goal is to find the safest dose and check for side effects. About 102 participants will take the drug once or several times a week.

This study tests whether using two contrast agents (gadolinium and ferumoxytol) in one MRI session can improve the detection and diagnosis of brain and central nervous system abnormalities. About 150 participants with neurological symptoms or known brain lesions will undergo imag…

This program offers a special PET scan using a radioactive tracer called methionine to help doctors better see and manage central nervous system (brain, spine) and head/neck tumors in children and young adults. The scan provides extra information that can guide treatment decision…

This study tests whether a special PET/MRI scan using a radioactive tracer called Ga68-DOTATATE can better detect certain brain tumors (like meningioma) and tell them apart from changes caused by past treatments. About 200 adults with these tumors will get the scan alongside stan…

This pilot trial is testing a shorter, 5-day course of radiation for children and young adults (up to age 21) with incurable central nervous system cancers. The main goal is to see if this approach is safe and does not cause severe side effects. Researchers will also track qualit…

This study is testing a new technology called SmartMatch that analyzes tumor tissue from people with recurrent brain or spinal cord tumors. The goal is to see if SmartMatch can quickly identify which drugs might work best for each person's specific tumor. About 80 participants ag…

This study asks brain cancer patients about their experience with telemedicine compared to in-person visits. Researchers want to learn if patients feel they receive good care through virtual appointments. The goal is to improve how care is delivered to people with brain tumors.

This study tests whether tumor tissue removed during surgery can be grown in the lab and used to measure how well different drugs might work against it. Researchers will collect samples from 50 adults and children with central nervous system tumors. The goal is to see if this pla…

This study collects extra blood, urine, and tumor samples from children and adults with certain cancers to build a large tissue repository. Researchers will analyze these samples to learn more about the genetic and molecular makeup of these tumors. The goal is to support future s…

This study is a large registry that collects health information and leftover tumor or blood samples from up to 75,000 children and young adults with cancer. The goal is to track outcomes and gather data to help doctors find better ways to treat and care for these patients over ti…

This study is collecting and analyzing the complete genetic information (genomes) of up to 2,500 children with cancer. The goal is to learn how gene changes cause different tumors and affect treatment outcomes. This is a non-therapeutic study, meaning it does not test a new treat…

This study is building a huge registry of information and biological samples from adults with or at risk for many types of cancer, as well as healthy volunteers. Researchers will use this resource to study what causes cancer and how to better prevent, detect, and treat it. The re…

This study follows about 50,000 people who survived childhood cancer (diagnosed before age 21 between 1970 and 1999) and 10,000 of their siblings. Researchers want to understand how cancer treatments like radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery affect health years later. By comparin…

This study is collecting information on side effects from proton therapy in 5,000 adults with many types of cancer. Researchers will track both short-term and long-term side effects and link them to the details of each patient's treatment plan. The goal is to better predict who m…

This study follows 600 childhood cancer survivors aged 8-18 to understand why symptoms like fatigue, pain, and depression often occur together. Researchers will use questionnaires and stool samples to see if gut bacteria and their byproducts play a role. The goal is to find bette…

This study creates a worldwide registry for children diagnosed with Embryonal Tumor with Multilayer Rosettes (ETMR), a rare and aggressive brain tumor. Researchers will collect medical records, tumor tissue, and treatment outcomes from up to 100 patients of any age. The goal is t…

This study is testing whether a 15-minute app called Brainlab Cognition can be used in busy brain tumor clinics to track memory, attention, and other thinking skills. Researchers will also collect quality-of-life reports electronically from patients. The goal is to see if this ap…

This study is testing a new radioactive tracer called [C-11]-CS1P1 that lights up inflammation in brain tumors during a PET scan. Researchers will scan 104 adults with primary or secondary brain cancers before and after treatment to see how inflammation patterns change. The goal …

This study collects cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 400 adults with brain or spinal cord tumors to identify biomarkers—measurable signs of disease. Researchers hope these samples will help develop new strategies to diagnose, monitor, and treat brain tumors more effectively. Partic…

This study is looking at how cancer genetic testing works in people from different ethnic backgrounds. Researchers will collect blood samples and genetic information from 1,800 adults with various solid tumors. The goal is to find cancer-related gene mutations and see if current …

This study will analyze the genes of 25,000 adults who have cancer or are at risk for it. Researchers will use advanced testing to find genetic changes linked to cancer and track health records over time. The goal is to learn more about cancer biology and discover new ways to per…

This study is testing whether a mobile app called 'Iskhaa' can help brain tumor patients perform their own neurological exams at home. Six hundred participants will use the app to record videos of tasks like speaking and walking, which an AI will analyze. The goal is to see if th…

This study looks at the bacteria and fungi in the gut and tumors of 100 children aged 3–18 who are suspected of having a brain tumor. Researchers want to see if changes in these microbes are linked to the tumor's presence or growth. The goal is to learn more, not to test a new tr…

This study is testing whether a dye called sodium fluorescein can help surgeons better see and remove aggressive brain tumors during surgery. The dye is injected into the bloodstream and collects in tumors where the blood-brain barrier is broken, making them glow under a special …

This study at Mayo Clinic looks at how tiny organisms in your gut might influence the growth of brain tumors. Researchers will collect stool, blood, urine, saliva, and tissue samples from 100 people with brain tumors to build a special biobank. The goal is to understand the conne…

This study collects brain tumor tissue samples from 4,000 children and adults undergoing brain surgery. The samples are stored in a tissue bank at the University of Florida for future research. The goal is to help scientists find better treatments and cures for brain tumors.

This study looks at whether platelets—small blood cells that help with clotting—are found inside brain and spinal cord tumors. Researchers want to see if the presence of platelets in these tumors is linked to how long patients survive. The study will involve 50 adults who are hav…

This study collects leftover brain and spinal cord tumor tissue from 500 patients during surgery or autopsy. Researchers will use the tissue to create cell lines and models to test how different drugs work. The goal is to better understand these tumors and find new ways to treat …

This pilot study is looking at 25 pairs of identical twins where only one twin has a childhood brain tumor. Researchers will collect blood and saliva samples to search for small genetic differences, called somatic mosaicism, that might explain why one twin got sick and the other …

This study is testing whether an artificial intelligence (AI) tool can help match cancer patients with the right clinical trials. Researchers will enroll up to 50,000 people with various cancers to see if the AI improves trial enrollment rates and patient outcomes. The goal is to…