About this study
Non-germinomatous germ cell tumor (NGGCT) is a rare type of brain tumor that usually affects children and young adults. Although current treatments work well for many patients, there is a chance their cancer will come back. Doctors want to find better ways to treat NGGCT based on how each person’s tumor responds to chemotherapy. This could help prevent the cancer from returning and reduce side effects for patients who are already doing well.
Everyone in the ACNS2021 clinical trial will get chemotherapy to try to shrink the tumor. After this treatment, doctors how well the tumor has responded. If it does not shrink enough, patients may need surgery to remove what is left. Then, doctors will decide the next step in treatment.
The second phase includes 2 treatment plans:
- Plan A is for patients whose tumors responded well or were removed with surgery. They will get radiation to parts of their brain and spine.
- Plan B is for patients whose tumors did not respond well. They will get stronger chemotherapy, a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant, and radiation to the whole brain and spine.
Doctors also want to know where the cancer comes back if it returns. In earlier studies using radiation given only to part of the brain, the cancer often returned in the spine. This study will look at whether giving radiation to both the brain and spine can help stop this from happening. Doctors also want to learn if the more intense Plan B treatment helps patients whose tumors did not respond well at first.
This study will also look at how the cancer and its treatment affect patients' thinking, memory, and daily life. By learning more about NGGCT and how patients do after treatment, doctors hope to improve care for children and young adults now and in the future.
Eligibility overview
- Non-germinomatous germ cell tumor (NGGCT)
- Newly diagnosed disease that has not spread
- 3–29 years old
- Previously treated on the APEC14B1 clinical trial