About this study
Some patients with high-risk neuroblastoma, pheochromocytoma, or paraganglioma do not get better with standard treatments. When this happens, patients may need other treatment options.
This study gives patients access to a treatment called I-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy. This treatment uses a medicine that carries a small amount of radiation directly to cancer cells. The radiation helps kill the cancer cells while helping protect healthy cells. This treatment is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for high-risk neuroblastoma. It is approved for pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma in patients age 12 years and older. It has helped some patients in past studies.
Patients in the MIBEAP study will get I-131 MIBG through a vein (IV). The body gives off some amount of radiation for a short time after treatment. So, patients must stay in a hospital room designed for radiation safety for about 3–5 days to help protect themselves and those around them.
During the hospital stay, the care team watches patients closely to help manage side effects. Patients take medicine to protect the thyroid gland. Some patients get their own stem cells that were collected earlier. This may help their blood counts recover after treatment.
The purpose of this study is to learn more about how safe I-131 MIBG therapy is, how well it helps control these cancers, and which patients are most likely to benefit when other treatments have not worked.
Eligibility overview
- Diagnosis of high-risk neuroblastoma that has come back or not responded to treatment, or pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma that cannot be cured with surgery
- Patient is not eligible for another MIBG clinical trial or FDA-approved MIBG treatment