A Study of Treatment for Medulloblastoma Using Sodium Thiosulfate to Reduce Hearing Loss
Trial Parameters
Brief Summary
This phase III trial tests two hypotheses in patients with low-risk and average-risk medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the back of the brain. The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer coming back after treatment. Subjects with low-risk medulloblastoma typically have a lower chance of the cancer coming back than subjects with average-risk medulloblastoma. Although treatment for newly diagnosed average-risk and low-risk medulloblastoma is generally effective at treating the cancer, there are still concerns about the side effects of such treatment. Side effects or unintended health conditions that arise due to treatment include learning difficulties, hearing loss or other issues in performing daily activities. Standard therapy for newly diagnosed average-risk or low-risk medulloblastoma includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy (including cisplatin). Cisplatin may cause hearing loss as a side effect. In the average-risk medulloblastoma patients, this trial tests whether the addition of sodium thiosulfate (STS) to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy reduces hearing loss. Previous studies with STS have shown that it may help reduce or prevent hearing loss caused by cisplatin. In the low-risk medulloblastoma patients, the study tests whether a less intense therapy (reduced radiation) can provide the same benefits as the more intense therapy. The less intense therapy may cause fewer side effects. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. The overall goals of this study are to see if giving STS along with standard treatment (radiation therapy and chemotherapy) will reduce hearing loss in medulloblastoma patients and to compare the overall outcome of patients with medulloblastoma treated with STS to patients treated without STS on a previous study in order to make sure that survival and recurrence of tumor is not worsened.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * PRE-ENROLLMENT: Patients must be ≥ 4 years and ≤ 21 years of age at the time of enrollment * PRE-ENROLLMENT: Patient is suspected to have newly-diagnosed medulloblastoma by institutional diagnosis * Please note: Patients with a pending result of CSF cytology tests are eligible for NCI-2014-02057 (APEC14B1-Central Nervous System \[CNS\]) and CNS/Medulloblastoma Pre Enrollment Eligibility Screening * PRE-ENROLLMENT: The patient and/or their parents or legal guardians must have signed informed consent for APEC14B1 Part A - Eligibility Screening and consent for the Molecular Characterization Initiative (MCI) * PRE-ENROLLMENT: The required specimens are projected to be submitted under APEC14B1-CNS as soon as possible, preferably within 5 days of definitive surgery * PRE-ENROLLMENT: All patients must have rapid central pathology review under APEC14B1-CNS prior to study enrollment on ACNS2031 step 1 in order to avoid discordant diagnoses and to verify diagnosis criterion