
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
This trial is looking at how sorafenib (Nexavar) works in schwannomas of the skin.
Skin schwannomas are non cancerous () tumours that may develop on the skin of people who have a condition called
type 2 (NF 2). NF 2 is a condition that is caused by changes in the
in the body’s cells. People with NF 2 have an increased risk of developing certain types of tumours. Neurofibromatosis is difficult to treat and doctors are looking for new ways to manage it.
Sorafenib is a biological therapy called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). TKIs block tyrosine kinase which is a chemical messenger (an enzyme) that sends messages to tell cells to divide and grow. Blocking the effect of tyrosine kinase may stop tumour cells growing.
The aim of this trial is to find out how much sorafenib gets into the skin schwannomas of people with NF 2. This may help doctors to decide whether or not to look at sorafenib in trials as a treatment for tumours caused by a change to the NF 2 gene.
You may be able to enter this trial if you
You cannot enter this trial if you
This trial will recruit up to 10 people who attend clinics at either Derriford Hospital, Plymouth or the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Manchester. Everyone taking part will have sorafenib.
Sorafenib is a capsule. You take it with a glass of water on an empty stomach. You cannot eat or drink, apart from water, for 2 hours before taking sorafenib or for 1 hour afterwards. You should not have grapefruit or drink its juice while taking sorafenib.
You take sorafenib for 11 days. You to take 1 or 2 capsules twice a day for 10 days, in the morning and evening, about 12 hours apart. On the 11th day you take it in the morning only. You have a diary card to record the date and time you take sorafenib.
The researchers will ask you to fill in 2 different questionnaires several times during the study. They will ask you about any pain you may have in your schwannomas.
The researchers will also ask to take some samples of tissue from your tumour before and after the treatment. They will also take some blood samples. They will use these to find out how sorafenib works in the body and how much gets into the schwannomas.
People recruited at Manchester will be invited to undergo two MRI scans during the study.
You see the doctor and have some tests before taking part in this trial. These tests include
You see the doctor for similar tests
The most common side effects of sorafenib include
We have more information on sorafenib in our Cancer drugs section.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Professor Oliver Hanemann
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
The Brain Tumour Charity
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”