Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSApr 3
Researchers are looking for 100 people with rare types of joint inflammation to better understand how these conditions develop and damage joints. Some of these inflammatory arthritides occur alongside rare autoimmune diseases like systemic sclerosis, while others develop as side effects from cancer immunotherapy drugs. By studying tissue samples and immune cells from patients, scientists hope to discover why these conditions happen and potentially develop better treatments.
WHY IT MATTERSIf you have rare inflammatory arthritis, systemic sclerosis with joint involvement, or developed joint inflammation after cancer immunotherapy, this trial could help researchers understand your condition better and may lead to more targeted treatments in the future.
Clinical trialUNITERAREApr 3
Researchers are testing a new combination treatment for advanced kidney cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. The treatment combines two immunotherapy drugs (nivolumab and ipilimumab) with an experimental live biotherapeutic product called EXL01. This Phase 1 trial is now accepting patients to see if adding EXL01 to the standard immunotherapy improves outcomes.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients access to a novel combination approach that may enhance the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies by incorporating a live biotherapeutic product.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSMar 26
Researchers are testing a combination of two immunotherapy drugs in patients with four types of rare cancers: neuroendocrine tumors, biliary tract cancers, ovarian clear cell carcinoma, and tumors with high microsatellite instability. This Phase 2 trial involves 240 patients and is based on earlier research showing these cancers may respond well to this type of treatment.
WHY IT MATTERSPatients with these rare cancers now have access to a targeted immunotherapy combination that showed promise in earlier studies, potentially offering a new treatment option for cancers that historically have limited therapeutic choices.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSMar 26
Researchers are testing whether combining three cancer drugs—nivolumab, ipilimumab, and cabozantinib—can help treat rare cancers of the bladder, kidney, prostate, and other urinary system organs. This phase 2 trial is actively recruiting 314 patients to see if this drug combination works better than current treatments. The study is being run by the National Cancer Institute.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers patients with rare genitourinary cancers (like collecting duct carcinoma, kidney medullary carcinoma, and rare bladder variants) access to a novel three-drug combination that may be more effective than standard treatments currently available.
Clinical trialCLINICALTRIALSMar 26
Researchers are testing a combination of two cancer-fighting treatments called talimogene laherparepvec and nivolumab in patients with rare lymphomas (blood cancers) and skin cancers that didn't respond to previous treatments. Talimogene laherparepvec is a modified virus that helps the immune system fight cancer cells, while nivolumab is an immunotherapy drug that removes the brakes on the immune system. This study involves 68 patients and is currently enrolling participants.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers a potential new treatment option for patients with refractory (treatment-resistant) rare lymphomas like mycosis fungoides and Merkel cell carcinoma, which have very limited options after standard therapies fail.