Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Clot-buster may unclog lung drains and relieve breathlessness

NCT ID NCT06184321

Symptom relief Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests whether alteplase, a drug that dissolves blood clots, can improve drainage of fluid around the lungs and reduce shortness of breath in people with cancer-related pleural effusion that is not draining well. About 30 participants will receive either alteplase or a placebo through a chest tube. The main goal is to check safety and see if the drug helps control symptoms.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Early phase 1

The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Aug 2023

Expected to finish

Feb 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Referral to pulmonary services for inability to drain fully via IPC * Presence of a symptomatic septated pleural effusion * A pleural effusion of significant moderate to large volume based on: * Chest radiograph: effusion filling \>= 1/3 of the hemithorax, or * Computed tomography (CT)-scan: AP depth of the effusion \>= 1/3 of the AP dimension on the axial image superior to the hemidiaphragm, including atelectatic lung surrounded by effusion, or * Ultrasound: effusion spanning at least three intercostal spaces, with a \>= 3 cm in at least one intercostal space, while the patient sits upright * Age \> 18 * Borg score \>= 3 * Absence of a blocked IPC as demonstrated by a flush with 20 cc of saline x1 without resistance * Presence of septated effusion based on ultrasound (US) and chest CT Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to provide informed consent * Study subject has any disease or condition that interferes with safe completion of the study including: * Uncorrectable coagulopathy based on criteria followed by cardiopulmonary center for procedures. * Active bleeding * Known allergic reaction to thrombolytics * Pleural effusion is smaller than expected on bedside pre-procedure ultrasound * No septations and/or no loculations on bedside pre-procedure ultrasound * Patient is asymptomatic * Blocked IPC as determined by saline flush

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Hematopoietic and lymphoid cell neoplasm are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cancer hematopoietic and lymphoid cell neoplasm hematopoietic and lymphoid system neoplasm

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Hematopoietic and lymphoid cell neoplasm Malignant solid neoplasm

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • John Hopkins University

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States

  • M D Anderson Cancer Center

    RECRUITING

    Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.