Mechanisms of Ischemic Stroke in Cancer Patients (MOST-CA)

The purpose of this study is to better understand the causes of stroke in people with cancer. Active cancer increases the risk of stroke. The investigators do not know exactly why this occurs but one possible reason is that people with cancer may have thicker blood than people without cancer. Thick blood can sometimes cause blood clots to form in the heart, which can then travel to the brain and cause stroke. This study is being done to help figure out why this and other causes of stroke occur in people with cancer. The investigators expect that information from this study will help doctors to more effectively prevent and treat stroke in individuals with cancer.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

This will be a prospective cross-sectional study to examine the unique mechanisms of ischemic stroke in cancer patients. Enrollment will occur at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH)/Weill Cornell Medical Center (WCMC) and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Measurements will occur at the NYPH/WCMC and MSKCC Neurovascular Ultrasound Laboratories, the MSKCC Central Laboratory, and the Sharp Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. Three groups of adult patients will be enrolled. Group 1 will consist of consecutive patients with active solid tumor cancer and acute ischemic stroke. Group 2 will be patients with acute ischemic stroke and no cancer. Patients in Groups 1 and 2 will be enrolled at 96 hours +/- 24 hours of stroke onset. Group 3 will include patients with active solid tumor cancer and no stroke. This group will allow us to confirm that differences between stroke patients with and without cancer are not simply incidental findings that can be expected in all cancer patients regardless of thrombotic status. Demographics, comorbidities, and stroke severity (for Groups 1 and 2 only) will be recorded on admission using a structured form. Study patients will undergo three facets of testing: 1) Transcranial Doppler (TCD) microemboli detection; 2) hematological biomarker testing; 3) peripheral blood leukocyte RNA gene expression analysis.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

150

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

    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

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

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

We plan to enroll three groups of 50 patients each. Group 1 will consist of patients with acute ischemic stroke and active solid tumor cancer, Group 2 will include patients with acute ischemic stroke and no cancer, and Group 3 will include patients with active solid tumor cancer and no stroke.

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Active solid tumor cancer (for Groups 1 and 3 only)
  • MRI confirmed acute ischemic stroke (for Groups 1 and 2 only)
  • Available for blood draw at 96 hours (+/- 24 hours) from last known well time (for Groups 1 and 2 only) or within 2 weeks of enrollment (for Group 3)
  • Available for TCD within 2 weeks of enrollment

Exclusion Criteria

  • Primary brain tumor or hematological cancer
  • Treatment with intravenous or intraarterial thrombolysis or mechanical embolectomy
  • Platelets < 50,000/mm3
  • Hemodialysis within 14 days
  • Active pregnancy
  • Infection within 14 days per Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) criteria

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
Intervention / Treatment
Group 1: Cancer and Stroke
Patients with active solid tumor cancer and acute ischemic stroke. Will undergo blood tests and transcranial Doppler microemboli detection study.

Study participants will undergo a single, peripheral blood draw. Blood specimens will be used to perform hematological biomarker testing and leukocyte RNA gene expression analysis.

Hematological biomarker testing will be performed to better elucidate the mechanisms of ischemic stroke in cancer patients and will include markers of coagulation, platelet function, and endothelial integrity. This analysis will occur at MSKCC.

Leukocyte RNA gene expression analysis will be performed to evaluate whether patients with cancer and stroke more often have cardioembolic mechanisms than patients with stroke and no cancer. This analysis will occur at the University of California, Davis where investigators have previously shown that differential RNA expression patterns can predict stroke subtypes.

Study participants will undergo a single Transcranial Doppler Microemboli Detection Study at NYPH/WCMC or MSKCC within two weeks of enrollment. Both middle cerebral arteries will be insonated for 30 minutes by a trained technician or stroke neurologist certified in neurosonology using a fixed headset to assess for the rate and laterality of microemboli.
Group 2: Stroke and No Cancer
Patients with acute ischemic stroke and no cancer. Will undergo blood tests and transcranial Doppler microemboli detection study.

Study participants will undergo a single, peripheral blood draw. Blood specimens will be used to perform hematological biomarker testing and leukocyte RNA gene expression analysis.

Hematological biomarker testing will be performed to better elucidate the mechanisms of ischemic stroke in cancer patients and will include markers of coagulation, platelet function, and endothelial integrity. This analysis will occur at MSKCC.

Leukocyte RNA gene expression analysis will be performed to evaluate whether patients with cancer and stroke more often have cardioembolic mechanisms than patients with stroke and no cancer. This analysis will occur at the University of California, Davis where investigators have previously shown that differential RNA expression patterns can predict stroke subtypes.

Study participants will undergo a single Transcranial Doppler Microemboli Detection Study at NYPH/WCMC or MSKCC within two weeks of enrollment. Both middle cerebral arteries will be insonated for 30 minutes by a trained technician or stroke neurologist certified in neurosonology using a fixed headset to assess for the rate and laterality of microemboli.
Group 3: Cancer and No Stroke
Patients with active solid tumor cancer and no stroke. Will undergo blood tests and transcranial Doppler microemboli detection study.

Study participants will undergo a single, peripheral blood draw. Blood specimens will be used to perform hematological biomarker testing and leukocyte RNA gene expression analysis.

Hematological biomarker testing will be performed to better elucidate the mechanisms of ischemic stroke in cancer patients and will include markers of coagulation, platelet function, and endothelial integrity. This analysis will occur at MSKCC.

Leukocyte RNA gene expression analysis will be performed to evaluate whether patients with cancer and stroke more often have cardioembolic mechanisms than patients with stroke and no cancer. This analysis will occur at the University of California, Davis where investigators have previously shown that differential RNA expression patterns can predict stroke subtypes.

Study participants will undergo a single Transcranial Doppler Microemboli Detection Study at NYPH/WCMC or MSKCC within two weeks of enrollment. Both middle cerebral arteries will be insonated for 30 minutes by a trained technician or stroke neurologist certified in neurosonology using a fixed headset to assess for the rate and laterality of microemboli.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hematological biomarker levels
Time Frame: At enrollment
Hematological testing will consist of a single peripheral blood draw at 96 hours (+/-24 hours). Several factors will be evaluated, including markers of coagulation (thrombin-antithrombin complex, D-dimer), platelet function (P-selectin), and endothelial integrity (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, thrombomodulin).
At enrollment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Peripheral leukocyte RNA gene expression profiles
Time Frame: At enrollment
Blood specimens will be collected at the time of enrollment in PAXgene tubes which will be frozen and stored at the Weill Cornell CTSC Core laboratory and sent in batches to the UC Davis laboratory where processing of RNA gene expression will occur.
At enrollment

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Transcranial Doppler microemboli rates
Time Frame: At enrollment
With TCD studies, both middle cerebral arteries will be insonated for 30 minutes using a fixed headset. An experienced technologist will review the recording to ensure accurate characterization of all signals and a vascular neurologist with expertise in neurosonology will determine the rate and laterality of the microemboli. TCD microemboli in bilateral vascular distributions indicates a central embolic source.
At enrollment

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Babak Navi, MD, MS, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

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)

April 8, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 11, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 11, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

November 13, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 5, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 4, 2021

Last Verified

May 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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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