Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Below are current clinical trials.

Filter this list of studies by location, status and more.

1. Achalasia Patient Reported Outcomes

   Rochester, Minn.

   Patients that are either scheduled to undergo or have undergone an achalasia procedure at the Mayo Clinic Rochester are asked to participate. The purpose of this study is to gather information and determine if one of these procedures is superior to the other.

2. Prostaglandin Levels in Pancreatic Cyst Fluid, Pancreatic Juice, and Resected Pancreatic Cysts

   Rochester, Minn.

   The purpose of this study is to determine whether COX-2 enzyme activity in pancreatic cystic neoplasms is sufficient to justify a chemoprevention study.

3. MRI to Assess Fibrosis in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Patients

   Rochester, Minn.

   Can an MRI detect and monitor the inflammatory and fibrotic possess in patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis

4. Transforming Non-Invasive Liver Disease Detection by MRE: The Hepatogram

   Rochester, Minn.

   A variety of liver insults lead to pathological changes in liver architecture that culminate in cirrhosis. While invasive liver biopsy was required to detect cirrhosis, the development of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has revolutionized our ability to detect liver fibrosis through non-invasive means that involve measurement of liver stiffness. However, a number of pathological findings occur in liver in response to various insults that precede cirrhosis and are clinically important to identify such as steatosis associated with NASH, inflammation associated with viral hepatitis, and congestion associated with cardiac hepatopathy. Detection of such entities provides essential diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment information but yet is not available non-invasively. Recent murine studies from this group of investigators has identified that MRE technology can be adapted to non-invasively detect these conditions. Implementing this into the practice will transform it by obviating the need for invasive liver biopsies in patients suspected of having such forms of suspected liver disease. This will differentiate Mayo from other institutions where such technology is not available.

   An additional aim of this study is to examine the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), both common comorbidities of obesity. Recent evidence indicates a potential link between OSA and severity of NASH and fibrosis, but the mechanisms of OSA- associated hypoxia on liver disease progression in NAFLD is unclear. This study offers the unique opportunity to analyze this association, as the study population will undergo routine evaluation for OSA, as part as the preoperative work-up prior to bariatric surgery.

5. EUS Guided Tissue Ablation

   Rochester, Minn., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz., Jacksonville, Fla.

   In patients undergoing endoscopic ultrasound guided tissue ablation (EUS TA) (both prior – Retrospective Component) and future Prospective Component), we aim to determine the:

   1.) Safety

   2.) Efficacy

   3.) Correlate the outcomes with patient, ablation site target, technology, and procedural related factors that may impact these outcomes and serve as surrogate markers of success. 

6. Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Cholangiocarcinoma

   Rochester, Minn.

   The overall goal of this research is to measure the circulating tumor cell in the peripheral blood and investigate the association between circulating tumor cell level and tumor characteristics and prognosis.

    

7. Chemotherapy Alone or Chemotherapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Undergoing Surgery

   Mankato, Minn.

   The standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer involves chemotherapy and radiation, known as 5FUCMT, (the chemotherapy drugs 5-fluorouracil/capecitabine and radiation therapy) prior to surgery. Although radiation therapy to the pelvis has been a standard and important part of treatment for rectal cancer and has been shown to decrease the risk of the cancer coming back in the same area in the pelvis, some patients experience undesirable side effects from the radiation and there have been important advances in chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation which may be of benefit. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects, both good and bad, of the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation to chemotherapy using a combination regimen known as FOLFOX, (the drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin and leucovorin) and selective use of the standard treatment, depending on response to the FOLFOX. The drugs in the FOLFOX regimen are all FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved and have been used routinely to treat patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

8. Risk-Based Therapy in Treating Younger Patients with Newly Diagnosed Liver Cancer

   Rochester, Minn.

   This phase III trial studies the side effects and how well risk-based therapy works in treating younger patients with newly diagnosed liver cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy drugs (cancer fighting medicines), and when necessary liver transplant are the main current treatments for hepatoblastoma. The stage of the cancer is one factor used to decide the best treatment. Treating patients according to the risk group they are in may help get rid of the cancer, keep it from coming back, and decrease the side effects of chemotherapy.

9. Filgotinib in Long-Term Extension Study of Adults With Ulcerative Colitis

   Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

   The primary objective of this study is to observe the long-term safety of filgotinib in adults who have completed or met protocol specified efficacy discontinuation criteria in a prior Gilead-sponsored filgotinib treatment study in ulcerative colitis (UC).

10. Phase 4 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Vedolizumab in the Treatment of Chronic Pouchitis

    Rochester, Minn.

    The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab intravenous (IV) in participants with a proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis (UC) who have developed chronic or recurrent pouchitis, or require continuous antibiotic treatment.