Knoxville

Researchers are evaluating the combination of CGT9486 and sunitinib compared to sunitinib alone in patients with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors GIST. This Phase 3, open-label international trial involves multiple parts, including dose confirmation, drug interaction assessments, and efficacy comparisons. The study also includes substudies focusing on drug-drug interaction potential and first-line treatment in patients with specific genetic mutations KIT exon 9. Approximately 482 patients will participate across these parts.

Researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of tenapanor in adults with Chronic Idiopathic Constipation CIC. This study is a 26-week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial followed by a 4-week treatment-free safety follow-up period. It aims to compare three different doses of tenapanor with a placebo taken twice daily to assess their impact on constipation symptoms. The study includes a 2-week screening period to confirm eligibility, followed by a 26-week randomized treatment period where patients receive either 5 mg, 25 mg, or 50 mg of tenapanor twice daily, or a matching placebo. Patients record their constipation symptoms daily in an electronic diary. After the treatment period, there is a 4-week safety follow-up without treatment to monitor any adverse effects. Participants will have regular visits every 2 to 6 weeks for safety checks including medical assessments, vital signs, ECG, and lab tests. Their symptom diaries will be reviewed throughout the study. The main outcome measured is the durable complete spontaneous bowel movements response at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes include changes in bowel movement frequency, stool consistency, and straining. The total study duration is approximately 32 weeks including all phases.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for advanced renal cell carcinoma RCC that has returned after prior therapy. The study aims to find out if the combination of belzutifan and zanzalintinib can help people with recurrent advanced RCC live longer without their cancer worsening compared to the drug cabozantinib. This is a phase 3 randomized trial evaluating these treatments in participants who have experienced recurrence during or after prior anti-PD-1L1 therapy. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either belzutifan plus zanzalintinib taken orally once daily or cabozantinib taken orally once daily. They continue their assigned treatment until certain reasons require stopping the study intervention. The study compares the effects of these treatments on cancer progression and survival among people with advanced RCC who have had disease recurrence after adjuvant therapy. During the study, participants will be regularly monitored for progression-free survival and overall survival for up to about 73 months. Researchers will also assess tumor response, duration of response, adverse events, and quality of life using questionnaires over approximately 25 months. The study involves ongoing evaluations to understand how these treatments affect symptoms, functioning, and overall health during long-term follow-up.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer ES-SCLC, a type of lung cancer that has spread widely within the lungs or to other parts of the body. This study evaluates the combination of two study medicines, gocatamig and I-DXd ifinatamab deruxtecan, with or without standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The research aims to understand the safety and tolerance of these combinations and whether they can shrink or eliminate tumors in people with ES-SCLC. Participants are assigned to one of several treatment groups. Some receive gocatamig and I-DXd during maintenance after completing standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy, while others receive these study medicines during both induction and maintenance phases. Additional groups receive gocatamig and I-DXd followed by gocatamig and atezolizumab, or standard treatment with carboplatin, etoposide, and atezolizumab followed by atezolizumab maintenance. Treatments are given intravenously and continue until disease progression or other study-specified criteria. During the study, participants will have regular assessments to monitor safety, side effects, and treatment response, including scans to measure tumor size and laboratory tests to evaluate drug levels and immune response. The study will track adverse events, treatment tolerability, and cancer control over up to approximately 58 months. Participants health status and responses to the treatments will be closely observed throughout this period, with periodic evaluations to understand long-term effects and outcomes.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for metastatic cervical cancer, which is cancer that has spread beyond the cervix, the lower part of the uterus. This study evaluates the safety and effectiveness of the antibody drug conjugate sacituzumab tirumotecan sac-TMT combined with pembrolizumab and bevacizumab. The goal is to find out if these treatments, given together or with some variations, help patients live longer or delay cancer progression compared to standard care. The study has two parts. In Part 1, participants receive sac-TMT, pembrolizumab, and bevacizumab together to assess safety. In Part 2, all participants first get standard induction treatment with pembrolizumab, paclitaxel, and cisplatin or carboplatin, possibly with bevacizumab. Those whose cancer does not worsen then enter maintenance treatment, where they are randomly assigned to receive either pembrolizumab alone or sac-TMT plus pembrolizumab, with optional bevacizumab. Participants are involved for up to about 20 months during maintenance treatment after up to 4 months of induction. The study monitors safety by tracking side effects and treatment discontinuations. Effectiveness is measured by progression-free survival and overall survival up to several years. Quality of life and physical functioning are also assessed through questionnaires. Treatments and evaluations occur through regular intravenous infusions and periodic monitoring visits.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for high-risk, early-stage breast cancer, specifically targeting two types triple-negative breast cancer TNBC and hormone receptor-low positiveHER2-negative breast cancer. These cancers are characterized by low or no HER2 protein and low hormone receptor presence. The study aims to evaluate if adding sacituzumab tirumotecan sac-TMT to pembrolizumab and chemotherapy can better reduce cancer cells in tumors and lymph nodes and improve the length of time patients live without cancer progression compared to pembrolizumab with chemotherapy alone. Participants in this trial receive one of two treatment plans. One group gets sacituzumab tirumotecan intravenously every two weeks plus pembrolizumab every three weeks for 12 weeks, followed by pembrolizumab with carboplatin and paclitaxel for another 12 weeks. After 3 to 6 weeks, surgery and optional radiation therapy take place, followed by pembrolizumab for about 28 weeks. Participants with remaining disease may receive additional treatments chosen by their doctors, including olaparib, capecitabine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, or cyclophosphamide. The other group receives chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel with pembrolizumab initially, then pembrolizumab with cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin or epirubicin, followed by surgery, optional radiation, and pembrolizumab for about 28 weeks, with similar additional options for residual disease. During the study, participants undergo core needle biopsies, receive intravenous infusions of study drugs, and have surgery and possible radiation therapy. Researchers assess outcomes such as the percentage of participants with no detectable cancer cells at surgery pathological complete response, event-free survival up to about 92 months, and overall survival up to nearly 10 years. Quality of life and side effects are monitored through questionnaires and adverse event tracking. The study lasts several years, with various assessments throughout treatment and follow-up periods to gather comprehensive data on treatment effects and safety.

Researchers are evaluating treatments for germinal center B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma GCB DLBCL, a fast-growing blood cancer affecting immature B-cells. The study compares two treatment combinations to see if more people respond to zilovertamab vedotin MK-2140 plus R-CHP versus polatuzumab vedotin plus R-CHP. This Phase 2 trial aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of these regimens in participants with newly diagnosed GCB DLBCL. Participants receive either zilovertamab vedotin along with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone R-CHP, or polatuzumab vedotin combined with R-CHP. Treatments are given by intravenous infusion on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle for up to 6 cycles, approximately 4 months, with prednisone or prednisolone taken orally for 5 days of each cycle. For participants with high-risk DLBCL, up to 2 additional cycles of rituximab or biosimilar are given. During the study, participants are monitored for response to treatment using Lugano Response Criteria, with follow-up lasting up to about 31 months for the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include progression-free survival, overall survival, event-free survival, duration of complete response, adverse events, and quality of life assessments. Safety and health status are regularly checked through exams, lab tests, and questionnaires over several years, with total study participation extending up to 7 years.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for people with high-risk, localized non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC that has been completely removed by surgery. The study aims to find out if giving one or two specific treatments after surgery can help prevent the cancer from returning. This Phase 3 trial focuses on participants with Stage I NSCLC who have certain high-risk features. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups one group receives intismeran combined with pembrolizumab coformulated with berahyaluronidase alfa, another group receives intismeran alone, and a third group receives a placebo. Intismeran is given as an intramuscular injection, while pembrolizumab with berahyaluronidase alfa is administered subcutaneously. The trial compares disease-free survival among these groups over an extended period. Throughout the study, participants will be monitored regularly with health assessments and questionnaires to evaluate quality of life and physical functioning. Researchers will track how long participants remain free from cancer and observe any side effects or adverse events. The study may last up to several years, with ongoing safety and outcome evaluations to better understand the treatments impact.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration NVAMD, a condition that affects vision. This study aims to learn if a medicine called tiespectus also known as MK-8748 or EYE201 can treat NVAMD as well as the standard treatment called aflibercept. The trial is a pivotal Phase 23 study that compares these treatments in people newly diagnosed with NVAMD. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups one group receives a low dose of tiespectus, another receives a high dose of tiespectus, and the third group receives aflibercept. Those in the tiespectus groups get three initial injections every 4 weeks, then continue injections every 8 weeks until week 48, followed by treatments at intervals based on their individual response up to week 92. The aflibercept group receives three initial injections followed by injections every 8 weeks until week 92. During the study, participants are regularly assessed for changes in their best-corrected visual acuity using ETDRS letters from baseline to one year. Other evaluations include eye imaging to measure retinal thickness and monitoring for any adverse events up to approximately 96 weeks. The study lasts over one year with ongoing visits to track treatment response and safety.

Researchers are evaluating new treatments for advanced ovarian cancer in women who have completed initial surgery and chemotherapy. The study focuses on non-HRD positive ovarian cancer, comparing a targeted therapy called sacituzumab tirumotecan sac-TMT given alone or with bevacizumab, against standard care options such as bevacizumab maintenance or observation. The goal is to see if sac-TMT with or without bevacizumab can help patients live longer without their cancer worsening. Participants in the experimental group will receive sac-TMT through intravenous infusion on days 1, 15, and 29 of every 6-week cycle until the cancer progresses, side effects become prohibitive, or other reasons for stopping arise. They may optionally receive bevacizumab on days 1 and 22 of each cycle. The comparator group will either receive bevacizumab alone every 3 weeks for up to 22 courses or be monitored without active treatment. Supportive medications like steroid mouthwash and other rescue drugs are recommended before sac-TMT infusions. Throughout the study, participants will be regularly monitored for how long they live without their disease progressing, overall survival, side effects, and quality of life using specialized questionnaires. These assessments will continue for up to approximately 78 months. The study is randomized, with single masking, and led by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. Participants can expect regular visits for treatment and monitoring during this period.