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TMS Electrochemotherapy for Glioblastoma Multiforme

Study Purpose

The proposed project aims to develop novel electrochemotherapeutic treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Standard treatment has limited effect on survival and quality of life. Electrochemotherapy is a novel and promising treatment, which has demonstrated convincing results in the treatment of various types of carcinoma. The treatment is based on a combination of electrical current stimulation of tumor cells and simultaneous administration of chemotherapeutic drugs. Electrochemotherapy works by inducing an electrical current between implanted electrodes in the tumor tissue, causing electroporation of the cancer cell membranes, and thereby increasing the cellular permeability and drug uptake. Electrochemotherapy has proven to be an efficient way of considerably increasing the potency of the chemotherapeutic drug bleomycin in malignant cells in skin tumors and carcinoma metastases, and thereby increasing cytotoxicity of the drug locally in the tumor tissue. This allows for treatment with lower doses of chemotherapeutic drugs and more defined, local area of effect, thus decreasing systemic effects. The investigators propose to use a novel non-invasive and safe technique called focused transcranial magnetic stimulation (focused TMS) to induce electrical current in the tumor tissue. TMS is a safe and widely implemented technology used to treat multiple neurological diseases such as pain, depression and stroke. Studies have shown that effective electroporation of cell membranes can be obtained using induction of electromagnetic fields in a cell suspension, and new focused TMS further enables focused treatment of selected brain regions without surgical intervention and, thereby focusing chemotherapeutic treatment to pathological tissue and avoiding surgery related brain tissue damage. Additionally, TMS transiently increases blood-brain barrier permeability, theoretically allowing increased uptake of chemotherapeutic drugs in the target area. This addresses a significant challenge in the treatment of brain cancer, as most cytotoxic drugs have fairly limited ability to pass the blood brain barrier. The intention of this research project is to investigate the therapeutic potential of focused TMS as an alternative non-invasive source of current induction and thereby means to treat several types of brain cancer with electrochemotherapy.

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms

No
Study Type

An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes.


An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.


Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.

Interventional
Eligible Ages 18 Years and Over
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • - Newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed glioblastoma multiform.
  • - MGMT gene methylation.
  • - If age < 70, eligibility to comply with the Stupp radio chemotherapy regimen.
  • - If age > 70, eligibility for stand alone chemotherapeutic treatment.
  • - Ability to comply with the proposed TMS treatment.
  • - Use of validated anti-conception for fertile female participants in concordance with guidelines provided by the Danish Health and Medicines Authority.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • - Pregnancy or nursing.
  • - Other conditions that may contraindicate the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation.
- Implanted pacemaker or metal contraindicating MRI-scan

Trial Details

Trial ID:

This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.

NCT02283944
Phase

Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans.

Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data.

Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.

Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.

Phase 2
Lead Sponsor

The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.

University of Aarhus
Principal Investigator

The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.

Anders R Korshøj, MD
Principal Investigator Affiliation Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery
Agency Class

Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.

Other
Overall Status Withdrawn
Countries
Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.

Glioblastoma
Arms & Interventions

Arms

Experimental: TMS electrochemotherapy

Combined TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and Temozolomide chemotherapy.

Interventions

Device: - TMS

Pulsed non-invasive brain stimulation using electromagnets

Contact Information

This trial has no sites locations listed at this time. If you are interested in learning more, you can contact the trial's primary contact:

For additional contact information, you can also visit the trial on clinicaltrials.gov.