Wnt, Notch and Hedgehog Activity in Chemo-Naive Tumors Collected During Staging of Esophageal Cancer Patients

January 11, 2019 updated by: Anthony Capobianco, University of Miami

Interrogation of Wnt, Notch, and Hedgehog Activity in Chemonaive Tumors Collected During the Staging Ultrasound Endoscopies of Patients Diagnosed With Esophageal Cancer

Cancer results when undifferentiated cells grow in an uncontrolled manner, crowding out normal cells, causing morbidity and ultimately mortality. the cancer stem cell theory suggests that most tumors undergo a process of differentiation through which a relatively rare cancer stem or progenitor cell (CSC) gives rise to more differentiated populations of cells (including transiently amplifying cells) comprising the bulk of the tumor. As a result of this cellular diversity, one or more cells within the tumor are likely to be resistant to therapy. Among cells resistant to a given therapy, only CSCs can repopulate the tumor. A key feature of this resistant subset of CSCs is that they repopulate a tumor resistant to the original intervention. The cellular programs driving the uncontrolled proliferation of many solid tumors result from aberrant activity of Wnt, Shh, and/or Notch signaling pathways in esc. Thus, therapies that down-regulate the activity of these fundamental pathways in CSCs will be effective in the treatment of cancer. The investigator's research program focuses on the elucidation of signaling mechanisms, control of cellular processes and discovery of small molecules that selectively target Wnt, Shh, and Notch signaling pathways that are fundamental to CSCs. Our preliminary results identified a novel Notch associated protein NACK that functions as a transcriptional co-activator of Notch. Moreover, Nack is expressed in human solid tumors and is required for cell survival and tumor growth in notch -dependent tumor cells.

The investigator's aim is to further interrogate the link between Notch and Nack.

Specific Aims:

  • Identify and isolate the cancer stem cell populations from primary chemo naive esophageal tumor samples.
  • Interrogate the status of the Notch,( the link between Notch and Nack), Wnt and Hedghog pathways in the chemo naive esophageal tumor as well as in specific cell populations, such as the CSC.
  • Determine the degree of cross-talk between these pathways and which of these pathways is essential for the self renewal properties and tumorigenic properties of the esc population.
  • Identify critical targets for therapeutic intervention in CSC populations.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
24

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
        • University of Miami

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with an esophageal cancer and scheduled for a standard of care endoscopic ultrasound.
  • Patient must sign a consent to be a participant in this protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients not diagnosed with an esophageal cancer.
  • Patients that have undergone a previous staging endoscopic ultrasound.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Patients with Esophageal Cancer
Tumor Biopsy via Ultrasound Endoscopy
Procedure: Tumor Biopsy via Ultrasound Endoscopy
The staging ultrasound endoscopy is performed on patients previously diagnosed with esophageal cancer via diagnostic biopsy. The staging ultrasound identifies affected lymph nodes and depth of tumor to the esophageal wall. The tumor sampling is via a biopsy forcep (one pass to obtain 100 cells).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Percentage of samples with identifiable Notch, Wnt and Hedghog pathways in the chemo naive esophageal tumor as well as in cancer stem cell populations (CSC).
Time Frame: 24 months
24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Miami

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Anthony Capobianco, MD, University of Miami

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 5, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 7, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 7, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 18, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 18, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 20, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 15, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 11, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20120959

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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