Saddle Brook

Researchers are evaluating aglatimagene besadenovec combined with valacyclovir in men with localized, intermediate-risk prostate cancer who plan to receive external beam radiation therapy EBRT. This phase 2a, open-label, multi-center study aims to assess how the treatment spreads in the body and its effects on immune activation. The study compares this combination therapy plus EBRT to EBRT alone in two groups of participants. Participants in the treatment group will receive three intraprostatic injections of aglatimagene besadenovec, each followed by a 14-day course of oral valacyclovir. EBRT will begin after the second injection. The control group will receive standard or moderately hypofractionated prostate-only EBRT alone. Biospecimens including blood, urine, and semen will be collected at specific times before and after injections or treatments to measure viral presence and immune response. Throughout the study, safety will be monitored continuously by tracking treatment-emergent adverse events and lab results. Researchers will measure the biodistribution of aglatimagene besadenovec up to three months after the last injection. They will also evaluate immune activation biomarkers and tumor-related proteins during this period. Participation includes regular sample collection and clinical assessments, with the total study duration extending up to three months post-treatment.

Researchers are comparing the rates of surgical and minimally invasive interventions, as well as any harms, in Medicare beneficiaries treated with the MILD procedure versus those treated with interspinous process decompression IPD for lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication. This observational study uses Medicare claims data to follow patients for 24 months after their initial procedure starting from January 1, 2017. The purpose is to evaluate outcomes between these two types of procedures without requiring prior patient enrollment or consent. The study includes two groups patients who received MILD, which is a percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression performed under fluoroscopic guidance through a dorsal approach to the spine, and patients who received IPD, a different device-based decompression procedure. Data on reoperations and complications will be collected for both groups over a 24-month follow-up period using Medicare claims. Enrollment continues until the sponsor decides to stop. Participants involvement is passive as the study uses existing Medicare claims data. Researchers will monitor rates of harms related to the initial procedure and subsequent surgical or minimally invasive interventions over two years. No direct patient visits or interventions are conducted, and the study is exempt from institutional review board oversight. The total study duration extends to December 2026, covering cases treated since early 2017.