Participation as a member of the CNSC will allow a limited number of institutions, under the guidance of the Program Leader and the Central Operations Office, the University of California, San Francisco, to cooperatively develop new Phase I/II clinical trials to treat newly diagnosed and recurrent malignant gliomas in adults. Currently applied therapeutic regimens are usually developed as part of large cooperative group studies or as a single institution treatment plan. Our long term goal is to create a collaborative consortium (CNSC) composed of member institutions who have ongoing established NeuroOncology Programs which include dedicated neuro-oncologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, neuropathologists, clinical research nurses, patient care coordinators, data managers and statisticians. Some member institutions will also have an active basic science brain tumor research program. Together this will provide an opportunity to accrue patients in a shortened period of time and serve as an effective mechanism to rapidly translate laboratory investigations into Phase I/II clinical trials to be performed within the confines of the participating CNSC members. Another specific objective of the CNSC is to develop a consortium tumor tissue bank to provide ready access of specimens for ongoing and newly developed laboratory investigations. This would greatly help to expedite acquisition of critical human tumor specimens necessary to conduct preclinical laboratory research prior to developing new Phase I/II clinical trials. Member institutions of the CNSC will work closely with the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) and the Radiation Research Program (RRP) to rapidly bring potentially promising new agents into Phase I/II clinical trials. Accordingly, the first trial will involve the use of Taxol as a 3- hour infusion, and oral Temozolamide. The broad, overall long term goal of the CNSC is to more effectively treat adult patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent malignant gliomas to improve clinical outcome.
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