Ependymoma clinical trials at University of California Health

This phase II Pediatric MATCH treatment trial studies how well ensartinib works in treating patients with solid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or histiocytic disorders with ALK or ROS1 genomic alterations that have come back (recurrent) or does not respond to treatment (refractory) and may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced). Ensartinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

This phase II Pediatric MATCH trial studies how well erdafitinib works in treating patients with solid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or histiocytic disorders with FGFR mutations that have spread to other places in the body and have come back or do not respond to treatment. Erdafitinib may stop the growth of cancer cells with FGFR mutations by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

This phase II Pediatric MATCH trial studies how well larotrectinib works in treating patients with solid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or histiocytic disorders with NTRK fusions that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced) and have come back (relapased) or does not respond to treatment (refractory). Larotrectinib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

The primary aim of this randomized phase III trial was to study whether the addition of maintenance chemotherapy delivered after surgical resection and focal radiation would be better than surgery and focal radiation alone. The trial also studied if patients who received induction chemotherapy and then either achieved a complete response or went on to have a complete resection would also benefit from maintenance chemotherapy. Children ages 1-21 years with newly diagnosed intracranial ependymoma were included. There were 2 arms that were not randomized. One arm studied patients with Grade II tumors located in the supratentorial compartment that were completely resected. One arm studied patients with residual tumor and those patients all received maintenance chemotherapy after focal radiation. Chemotherapy drugs, such as vincristine sulfate, carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Giving chemotherapy in combination with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells and allow doctors to save the part of the body where the cancer started.