Clinical Trials

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) and Li-Fraumeni-like (LFL) Syndrome are cancer predisposition syndromes due to germline aberrations in the TP53 gene. Patients with classical LFS have a lifetime malignancy risk between 80-90%, with 21% of those cancers occurring by the age of 15 years. There are established guidelines for screening patients with LFS that have led to earlier detection and treatment of cancer in this population. There are a number of important issues facing patients identified to have germline TP53 variations. First, with the advent of massively parallel sequencing, increasing numbers of patients are now being identified with a wide range of clinical phenotypes associated with germline TP53 mutations, and the natural history of these patients is less well understood. Second, surveillance for malignancy in LFS and other TP53-associated syndromes involves frequent laboratory and radiologic studies that are imperfect measures of disease onset; therefore, more specific, less invasive biomarker-driven screening methods are needed. Finally, studies to date have not yet identified whether tumors which form in LFS or other germline TP53-associated tumors have unique aberrations or signatures that could be exploited in precision medicine treatment of these patients. In order to study these important issues in LFS, this protocol will establish a TP53 Clinical Database and Biobank. The Investigator plans to use this biobank to study genotype-phenotype correlations in patients with LFS and other germline TP53-associated syndromes, mechanisms of tumor formation, and novel methods of cancer screening in this high risk population.

This study is evaluating the impact of prenatal sequencing on the management of fetuses with ultrasound abnormalities. The hypothesis is that a significant subset of fetal abnormalities have a genetic cause that can be identified by sequencing and that prenatal knowledge of this information will improve prenatal care, reduce unnecessary diagnostic testing, reduce the cost of care, and improve the quality of life for both the child and the family.

This prospective observational cohort study, will investigate the platelet phenotype, platelet genetic composition, and role of platelets as effector cells in women and men with myocardial infarction (MINOCA or MI-CAD) and controls. This study, which will take place at NYU and Bellevue Medical Center, and participating external sites. May have concurrent enrollment with the HARP Main Imaging (NCT02914483). Additionally, a sex, group of age and race matched disease controls 'CATH-NOCA' composed of women and men with stable angina referred for cardiac catheterization, will be enrolled. Blood obtained during the initial catheterization and 2 months post-MI will be utilized for platelet testing.

This pilot trial studies how well serial liquid biopsies work in detecting microsatellite instability in participants with stage IV colorectal cancer. Serial liquid biopsies may help doctors learn better methods to track cancer in the bloodstream and how to use these to improve cancer treatments.

Patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery will be included prospectively. Informed consent will be obtained. Preoperatively baseline health data is collected and a skin swab and rectal swab for baseline skin and gut microbiota is taken. During the surgery additional clinical data and additional samples will be obtained. Additional samples include: rectal swab, biopsies of the resected specimen (lymph node, peritoneum, intestinal content, mucosa), venous blood sample (7.5ml) at the end of the operation, liver biopsy and skin biopsy. Postoperative health data is recorded. If a surgical site infection occurs a swab is taken too. With 16 sRNA (small ribonucleic acid) based sequencing the investigators will quantify the abundance of the different bacterial species in all samples. Primary outcome will be to assess a difference of 16sRNA signal in the liver and lymph node biopsies between patients with and patients without surgical site infection. Secondary outcomes include variables predicting the occurence of surgical site infections and a model describing the way bacteria may take to cause wound infection.

This research study provides genetic testing to men with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic prostate cancer) and will look for inherited genetic mutations in about 30 cancer-risk genes. The researchers seek to learn about the participant's opinions and concerns about genetic testing, to determine if this is an acceptable way to deliver testing and to potentially help guide the participant's treatment. Neither treatment nor any decisions related to treatment will take place on this study, but researchers will share each participant's genetic testing results with that participant.

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are the most common healthcare-associated infection in children and are associated with morbidity and mortality. This study will attempt to identify the source of bloodstream infections (BSIs) in children with CLABSI because we hypothesize that many of the BSIs that are currently classified as CLABSIs are actually laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infections (LCBI) that may be a result of mucosal barrier injury (MBI), also known as MBI-LCBI. In order to study this, we will isolate bacteria from multiple body sites of children that have BSI in order to compare these bacteria to the strain growing in their blood using whole-genome DNA sequencing. We will also evaluate biomarkers of MBI of the respiratory tract and GI tract.

Background: - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. It causes more than one million deaths every year. Researchers want to gather tissue samples from people with lung and thymic cancers to understand the disease better. This may lead to new ways to diagnose and treat it. Objective: - To collect tissue samples for use in the study of lung cancers. Eligibility: - Adults over age 18 with non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, extra pulmonary small cell cancer, pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors, and thymic epithelial tumors. Design: - Participants will be screened with a medical history, physical exam, and blood tests. They will be asked about how they perform their daily tasks. - Participants may be asked to give urine and blood samples. They may give a saliva sample if they cannot give blood. They will also give a sample of their tumor from a biopsy they had. They may also be given the option to undergo a biopsy. - Participants may have MRI, CT, and/or PET scans of the body. They will lie in a machine that takes pictures of the body. - After visits to the Clinical Center end, researchers will contact participants by phone every year to check on their health.

The goal of this laboratory research is to look for genetic and epigenetic markers that can predict which patients with stage III colorectal cancer will benefit from fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis (PS) are chronic, relapsing dermatological disorders with a high rate of psychiatric co-morbid pathology represented with depression. Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) belongs to the neurotrophin family and widely studied in pathophysiology of psychiatric and dermatological disorders. A biological stress response system by altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as well hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis may contribute to dermatoses and psychiatric disorders development. Various factors including gender, genetic, psychological stress, socioeconomic factors also affect the course of dermatoses. A 10-week, case-control study evaluate clinical, psychological and biochemical parameters in AD and PS patients, and healthy control volunteers (HC) depending on gender and BDNF rs6265 gene polymorphism. All parameters are evaluated twice: at disease exacerbation (study baseline) and week 10. The following methods are conducted: assessment of dermatological status, using Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI); assessment of depression and anxiety according to DSM-V criteria and with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and with Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A); analysis of serum BDNF (ng/ml), cortisol (nmol/L), testosterone (ng/dL) and IgE levels (IU/ml, AD only); DNA extraction and genotyping of BDNF variants.The study will last during 4-5 months.

The purpose of this study is to determine if there are markers in plasma that can be used to develop a diagnostic panel for early detection and diagnosis of high grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer.

In this research study, the investigators are looking to see if the circulating tumor DNA (genetic material), also known as ctDNA, in the blood will help them predict whether the participant's cancer will come back.

The purpose of this research study is to determine the amount of a protein named thymidine synthase that is being made by cancer and to develop laboratory models called PDX (patient derived xenografts) to learn more about SCLC (small cell lung cancer) and to begin testing new treatments.

The development of next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques, including whole genome (WGS), exome (WES) and RNA sequencing has revolutionized the ability of investigators to query the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor formation. Through the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP), investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH) have successfully used NGS approaches to evaluate more than 1,000 pediatric cancers ranging from hematologic malignancies to central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS solid tumors. From these and related studies, it has become clear that genomic approaches can accurately classify tumors into distinct pathologic and prognostic subtypes and detect alterations in cellular pathways that may serve as novel therapeutic targets. Collectively, these studies suggest that by characterizing the genomic make-up of individual tumors, investigators will be able to develop personalized and potentially more effective cancer treatments and/or preventive measures. This protocol was initially enacted to usher NGS approaches into routine clinical care. During the initial phase of the G4K protocol, 310 participants were recruited and enrolled onto the study. Tumor and/or germline sequencing was completed on all 310 patients, with 253 somatic reports generated (representing 96% of the 263 participants for whom tumor tissue was available and analyzed) and 301 germline reports generated (100% of the 301 participants who agreed to the receipt of germline results). Analyses of the study data are ongoing with plans to prepare initial manuscripts within the next several months. Due to the successful initial execution of the G4K protocol, clinical genomic sequencing of tumor and germline samples is now offered as part of standard clinical care for pediatric oncology patients at St. Jude. The G4K protocol has now been revised. With the revision, the study team will record, store and analyze germline and tumor genomic information. Through the collection of these data, we will examine how germline mutations in 150 cancer predisposition genes influence clinical presentation, tumor histology, tumor genomic findings, response to therapy and long-term outcomes. The overall goals of this research are to further define the prevalence, spectrum and heritability of germline variants in these genes and to decipher how germline mutations influence the phenotypes of an expanding array of cancer predisposition syndromes. These studies allow us to provide more accurate genetic counseling and management strategies to future children harboring mutations in these genes. This remains a non-therapeutic study. Investigators anticipate a sample size of approximately 2500 patients who will be recruited over the next 7 years.

To compare the sensitivity and specificity estimates of Colvera with that of a commercially available CEA test for detection of recurrent disease in CRC subjects who are undergoing surveillance for recurrence.

To compare the sensitivity and specificity estimates of Colvera with that of a commercially available CEA test for detection of recurrent disease in subjects with colorectal cancer that have documented recurrence or no evidence of recurrence by CT.

This is a molecular epidemiological investigation aiming to identify microsatellite instability status from circulating tumor DNA in Chinese patients with refractory advanced solid tumors.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of replacing usual snacks with alternative snack foods on gut health in a population of habitual snackers with low fibre intake.

Aim of this project is the building-up of an integrated model of multidisciplinary research tools to support large-scale and high-quality disease-based studies.

Background: - Laboratory investigators who are studying common childhood cancers are interested in developing a tissue repository to collect and store blood, serum, tissue, urine, or tumors of children who have cancer or adults who have common childhood cancers. To develop this repository, additional samples will be collected from children and adults who have been diagnosed with common childhood cancers such as leukemia and tumors of the central nervous system. Objectives: - To collect and store blood, serum, tissue, urine, or tumor samples of children who have cancer or adults who have common childhood cancers. Eligibility: - Individuals who have been diagnosed with a common childhood cancer (e.g., leukemia) regardless of patient age. - Children, adolescents, and adults who have been diagnosed with a type of cancer more commonly found in adults. Design: - Extra blood, serum (the liquid part of blood), tissue, urine, or tumor samples will be collected from participants at a time when sampling is required for medical care or as part of a research study. - No additional procedures will be performed for the sole purpose of obtaining additional tumor tissue, aside from what is required for clinical care.