Abramson Cancer Center At Penn Medicine

This study is testing whether offering smokers who aren't ready to quit a choice of alternative nicotine products (like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, or nicotine pouches) helps them reduce or stop smoking cigarettes. Participants will receive a 4-week supply of their chosen produ…

This study is testing whether adding experimental drugs after CAR-T cell therapy can help control lymphoma that has returned or hasn't responded to previous treatments. The research involves 42 adults with large B-cell lymphoma who have already received CAR-T therapy. Participant…

This study is testing a specialized type of radiation therapy called proton beam radiation for women who have had surgery for cervical or uterine cancer. The main goal is to see how often this treatment causes serious stomach and bowel side effects. Researchers will also track wh…

This study aims to see if e-cigarettes or oral nicotine pouches can help persistent cigarette smokers switch away from smoking. Researchers will enroll 200 adult smokers who have tried to quit before and randomly assign them to use one of these alternatives for 6 weeks. The main …

This early-stage study is testing a new combination treatment for advanced liver cancer that cannot be cured by surgery. It combines precise, high-dose radiation (SBRT) with two immunotherapy drugs (atezolizumab and bevacizumab) to see if the body's immune system can better fight…

This study is testing whether the flavor of an e-cigarette makes it easier for long-term smokers to switch from regular cigarettes. Researchers will give 210 persistent smokers either fruit, tobacco, or menthol flavored e-cigarettes to use for six weeks instead of smoking. The go…

This study is testing whether giving cancer drugs before surgery can help the immune system fight kidney cancer. About 30 patients with high-risk kidney cancer will receive either pembrolizumab alone or pembrolizumab combined with lenvatinib before their tumor is removed. The mai…

This study is testing whether combining three existing cancer drugs—carboplatin, paclitaxel, and ramucirumab—can shrink tumors or slow their growth in people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has worsened on standard maintenance therapy. It will involve about…

This study tests whether transplanting a woman's own previously frozen ovarian tissue back into her body can restore fertility after cancer treatments caused infertility. It involves women aged 18-45 who had ovarian tissue frozen before cancer therapy and now wish to become pregn…

This study is testing whether combining two treatments—oral chemotherapy (CapTem) and a targeted radiation procedure (Y90 radioembolization)—is safe and can better control the growth of advanced neuroendocrine tumors in the liver. It is for patients whose cancer has spread to the…

This early-stage study is testing whether adding an immunotherapy drug (pembrolizumab) and special imaging-guided surgery to standard chemotherapy and surgery is safe and effective for treating malignant pleural mesothelioma. The trial will enroll 20 adults with this aggressive c…

This study is testing whether a supervised exercise program can help older adults recover better from a bone marrow transplant. Researchers will enroll up to 72 patients aged 60 and older with blood cancers. The main goal is to see if it's practical to have patients exercise befo…

This study is testing whether combining two existing drugs, tocilizumab and atezolizumab, can help control advanced non-small cell lung cancer that has stopped responding to initial immunotherapy. It will enroll about 28 adults to check if the combination is safe and if it shrink…

This study is testing whether patients with hard-to-treat multiple myeloma who respond well to the drug teclistamab can safely stop taking it for a while, instead of continuing it forever. The goal is to see if taking a break from treatment works as well as continuous therapy at …

This small, early study is checking if a ketone supplement drink is safe and tolerable for people with a type of lymphoma who are getting standard CAR-T cell therapy. Researchers want to see if taking the supplement changes the mix of bacteria in the gut or the types of cells in …

This study is testing if giving an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab before surgery helps people with a rare and aggressive skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. The goal is to see if this approach shrinks the tumor and, most importantly, reduces the risk of the cancer …

This study is testing whether a combination of two drugs, niraparib and ipilimumab, can help keep metastatic pancreatic cancer from getting worse in people whose disease has stabilized after initial chemotherapy. It will compare this two-drug approach to standard chemotherapy. Th…

This study is testing whether combining two drugs, pembrolizumab and odetiglucan, is safe and can help shrink tumors in people with colorectal cancer that has spread mainly to the liver. It is for patients whose cancer has continued to grow despite trying standard treatments. The…

This study is testing whether using advanced MRI techniques to create personalized maps for electrical therapy devices works better than standard mapping for glioblastoma brain tumors. Participants who are starting the Optune electrical therapy will receive either standard mappin…

This study is testing a practical health assessment tool designed to help doctors personalize cancer treatment for adults aged 70 and older. The goal is to see if using this tool in community cancer clinics helps doctors better adjust treatment doses to reduce severe side effects…

This study is testing the safety of adding an antibiotic called vancomycin to targeted radiation therapy for people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The cancer must have spread to only a few new spots after initial treatment. Researchers want to see if changing gut bacte…

This study is testing a new, shorter radiation schedule for men with high-risk prostate cancer. It combines two types of radiation: proton therapy to the pelvis and a high-dose internal boost. The main goal is to see if this faster approach is safe and if it effectively controls …

This study is testing whether regular screening with MRI or a special ultrasound can help find early pancreatic cancer or pre-cancerous changes in people who have a high inherited risk due to specific gene mutations (BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, or PALB2). Researchers will follow 200 parti…

This study is testing a new type of breast scan that uses a special tracer to light up estrogen-positive breast cancer. The goal is to see if this scan can create a clearer, more detailed picture of the cancer's size and location within the breast than standard imaging. About 20 …

This early study is testing whether a drug called CYTALUX, which makes cancer cells glow under a special camera, can help surgeons see endometrial cancer more clearly during surgery. The goal is to see if this helps find more cancer tissue that needs to be removed. About 10 patie…

This study is testing a special type of MRI scan to see if it can better tell the difference between cancerous and non-cancerous tumors in the salivary glands. Researchers will scan 30 people who have a newly found salivary gland tumor and have not yet started any treatment. The …

This study is testing whether a new, more precise way to measure the HER2 protein in breast cancer tumors can better predict which patients will respond to the targeted drug Enhertu (T-DXd). Researchers will enroll 200 adults with a specific type of metastatic breast cancer (HER2…

This study is testing whether a supplement called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) can slow or prevent the growth of intestinal polyps in people with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). FAP is a genetic condition that causes many polyps, which can turn into cancer, often requiring fr…

This pilot study is testing two different outreach methods to help more lung cancer patients access mental health support through telehealth. Researchers want to see if more personalized outreach leads to more patients starting and continuing with care for anxiety and depression.…

This study is testing whether a gentle, non-invasive light therapy can reduce chronic swelling (lymphedema) in people who have survived head and neck cancer. The therapy, already approved for similar swelling in breast cancer survivors, aims to improve symptoms, movement, and qua…

This study is testing whether adding a specific numbing shot (a nerve block) helps reduce pain and anxiety for adults having skin cancer removed from their face or scalp. All participants get standard numbing medicine, but half will get an extra nerve block while the other half g…

This study is testing a nerve block procedure to help people with gastrointestinal cancer who come to the emergency room with severe, hard-to-treat abdominal pain. Researchers will compare patients who receive the nerve block to similar patients who received standard pain care, l…

This study is testing a new type of PET scan to see how breast cancer uses a nutrient called glutamine. Up to 40 adults with breast cancer will receive an injection of a special tracer and undergo scans to see where it goes in the body. The goal is to gather information to help d…

This study aims to understand the differences in how younger and older adults use cigarettes and vaping devices (like e-cigarettes). Researchers will follow 100 smokers who also vape for one year, tracking their habits through a mobile app and lab visits. The goal is to learn abo…

This study aims to build a collection of prostate tissue samples to better understand how prostate cancer develops in men with inherited genetic risk factors. Researchers will collect samples from men undergoing standard biopsies or prostate removal surgery, comparing those with …

This study is testing a new radioactive imaging tracer called [18F]FTT to see how it moves through the body and collects in tumors. It aims to gather information about a specific protein (PARP-1) in ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancers. The study will involve up…

This study aims to understand how specific changes in the CTNNA1 gene affect cancer risk in families. Researchers will collect family health histories from people who carry these gene changes and their close relatives. The goal is to better define cancer risks for gastric cancer,…

This study aims to understand why some cancer patients develop autoimmune side effects when taking immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors. Researchers will collect blood samples from 600 cancer patients before and during their immunotherapy treatment to study their immu…

This study is testing new artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to help doctors make better decisions for patients with heart conditions, breast cancer, or sepsis. It will use past patient records to see if the AI can provide safe, understandable recommendations. The goal i…

This is a small, early-stage study to test a new type of PET scan for people with a rare pancreatic cancer called a neuroendocrine tumor. The scan uses a special tracer to look for a protein called PARP-1 inside the tumor. Researchers want to see if the scan results match what th…

This study is testing a new type of PET/CT scan to see if it can better detect and measure scar tissue, known as fibrosis, in the body. It will enroll 45 adults with conditions that cause fibrosis, such as certain cancers, lung disease after tuberculosis, or heart inflammation. T…

This study is testing if using telehealth methods—like video calls, phone calls, or text messages—can help more eligible people complete an important shared decision-making visit about lung cancer screening. It will enroll 6,000 adults aged 50-80 with a significant smoking histor…

This study aims to find out if the bacteria and chemicals in the vagina can help detect ovarian cancer earlier. Researchers will collect one-time vaginal swab and stool samples from 50 healthy volunteers without cancer or known genetic risk. These samples will be compared to thos…

This study is comparing two approaches for small kidney tumors: active surveillance (watching with regular scans) versus immediate treatment like surgery. Researchers want to see if carefully monitoring these small tumors is just as safe and effective as treating them right away.…

This study aims to learn more about glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, by using two types of specialized PET scans and a powerful MRI machine. Researchers will scan up to 15 adults with new or returning glioblastoma who are already scheduled for surgery. The goal is to see…

This study is exploring whether patients are interested in using telehealth and digital tools for cancer genetic counseling and testing. Researchers want to see if these remote options work as well as traditional in-person visits. The study involves 360 adults who meet guidelines…

This study is creating a large registry and sample bank to help scientists better understand cancer. It will collect health information, blood, urine, and tumor samples from up to 8,000 adults with cancer or benign tumors who are receiving radiation therapy. The goal is to build …

This study compares online genetic counseling to traditional in-person visits for people getting tested for inherited cancer risks. Researchers want to see if a self-guided website works as well as meeting with a genetic counselor for helping people understand their results and m…