New Approaches for the Diagnosis of Lymphoma and Multicentric Castleman Disease

August 25, 2026 updated by: Matthew Painschab, Indiana University
Persons living with HIV (PLWH) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), lymphadenopathy often portends one of a number of life-threatening diseases including tuberculosis, lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). Overcoming these delays and missed diagnoses requires new approaches to identify lymphoma and MCD.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

To address the need for new approaches to diagnose lymphoma and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD), investigators have developed an assay based on nucleic acid measurement that has the potential to be delivered at the point of clinical care. It has demonstrated the ability to detect Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) from fine needle aspirations (FNA) and from tumor cells using the Tiny Isothermal Nucleic acid Amplification System (TINY) device, employing primers for EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBER). The method takes advantage of the now well-established finding that Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is nearly entirely sensitive (though not specific) for the diagnosis of MCD.

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.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
500

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Matthew Painschab, MD
  • Phone Number: (317) 278-0626
  • Email: mapain@iu.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Malawi
      • Lilongwe, Malawi
        • Recruiting
        • Lighthouse Trust HIV Centers of Excellence
        • Contact:

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥1 year old and body weight of ≥ 10 kg.
  • HIV-infected.
  • Unexplained lymphadenopathy with at least one lymph node ≥2 cm that is amenable to biopsy.
  • Willing and able to give informed consent if the subject is 18 years of age or older, adolescent assent and legal guardian consent for subjects 15-17 years of age, pediatric assent and legal guardian consent for subjects 7-14 years of age, or legal guardian consent for pediatric subjects less than 7 years of age.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cannot or is not willing to follow study procedures.
  • Subjects with a previous history of cancer in the last five years with the exception of subjects with Kaposi sarcoma (i.e. history of Kaposi sarcoma is allowed in the study).

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

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: HIV-infected patients with unexplained lymphadenopathy
HIV-infected patients in routine clinical care with unexplained lymphadenopathy
Procedure: Lymph Node or Core Needle Biopsy
DNA isolation to be tested by nucleic acid amplification using the TINY device
Procedure: Fine Needle Aspiration
The sample will be eluted into two tubes, one for Gene Xpert testing and one for storage for EBV and KSHV testing by qPCR and TINY.
Diagnostic test: Tiny Isothermal Nucleic acid Amplification System (TINY)
Tiny Isothermal Nucleic acid Amplification System (TINY)

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of patients with diagnoses
Time Frame: Enrollment
Proportion of patients diagnosed with each of the following by histopathology and immunohistochemistry: tuberculosis, lymphoma, MCD, other diagnosis, or non-diagnostic.
Enrollment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics
Time Frame: Enrollment
HIV viral load (the number of copies of HIV RNA per milliliter of blood plasma, copies/mL)
Enrollment
Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics
Time Frame: Enrollment
CD4 count
Enrollment
Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics
Time Frame: Enrollment
complete blood count
Enrollment
Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics
Time Frame: Enrollment
creatinine and liver panel
Enrollment
Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics
Time Frame: Enrollment
plasma storage
Enrollment
Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics
Time Frame: Enrollment
buffy coat storage
Enrollment
Diagnostic performance of KSHV DNA quantification using TINY
Time Frame: Enrollment
Using lymph node fine needle aspiration (FNA) and tissue biopsy samples using TINY for the diagnosis of KSHV
Enrollment
Diagnostic performance of EBV DNA quantification using TINY
Time Frame: Enrollment
Using lymph node fine needle aspiration (FNA) and tissue biopsy using TINY for the diagnosis of EBV
Enrollment
Performance of KSHV DNA quantification using TINY
Time Frame: Enrollment
Using a peripheral blood sample using TINY for the diagnosis of KSHV
Enrollment
Performance of EBV DNA quantification using TINY
Time Frame: Enrollment
Using peripheral blood sample using TINY for the diagnosis of EBV
Enrollment

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.
Indiana University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

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: Michael Painschab, MD, IUSCCC

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.
March 17, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2028

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).
July 17, 2026

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 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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 28, 2026

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.
August 28, 2026

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.
August 25, 2026

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.
August 1, 2026

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.
  • IUSCCC2308

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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