Oct. 16, 2020
Therapy of small papillary thyroid carcinoma with radiofrequency ablation
Mayo Clinic investigators are conducting a therapeutic pilot study for small papillary thyroid carcinomas that measure up to 1.5 cm in maximum diameter. The study involves the use of radiofrequency ablation to treat this type of cancer if its position within the thyroid is favorable for this procedure.
Patients will be included if they have no evidence of multifocality, lymph node involvement or distant disease, and if they would be considered otherwise good candidates for active surveillance or ethanol ablation.
The procedure, which requires general anesthesia, will be performed in Radiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Safety monitoring will be conducted via face-to-face visits as well as phone calls during the first month following the procedure. Evaluations for efficacy will occur at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at three, nine and 18 months from the date of the procedure.
This approach is based on the experience of Mayo Clinic experts in Radiology and Endocrinology with radiofrequency ablation for benign thyroid nodules, which has led to excellent patient outcomes in the past six years.
Interested patients or referring providers can contact Marius N. Stan, M.D., principal investigator, Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
For more information
Clinical trials: A Study to Evaluate Treatment of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma With Radiofrequency Ablation. Mayo Clinic.
Therapy for active and moderately severe thyroid eye disease
Mayo Clinic investigators are currently conducting a placebo-controlled interventional trial testing a new therapy for patients with thyroid eye disease (TED), also known as Graves' ophthalmopathy or Graves' orbitopathy (GO).
This phase II study enrolls patients that have active TED or GO with a clinical activity score of 4 or higher and of moderate severity, and in whom the onset of the disease occurred within the past nine months. Patients will be randomized on a 3-1 ratio to receive either a placebo or an anti-neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) monoclonal antibody with the goal of decreasing TSH receptor antibody levels by 70% to 80%.
Enrolled patients will be evaluated jointly by Mayo Clinic experts in Endocrinology and Ophthalmology. The primary outcome is improvement in proptosis by at least 2 mm at the end of the intervention phase. The intervention will be administered weekly for 12 weeks as a subcutaneous injection at the Clinical Trials Unit at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Subjects' travel and lodging costs may be covered by the study sponsor.
This novel approach to the treatment of TED or GO is based on the very encouraging safety results from the phase I clinical trial as well as positive efficacy results of the phase II clinical trial in patients with myasthenia gravis.
Interested patients or referring providers can contact Marius N. Stan, M.D., principal investigator, or Erin O. Wissler Gerdes, research study coordinator.
For more information
Clinical trials: A Study to Evaluate RVT-1401 for the Treatment of Patients With Active, Moderate-to-Severe Graves' Ophthalmopathy. Mayo Clinic.