Skip to main content

A Study of a New Way to Treat Children and Young Adults With a Brain Tumor Called NGGCT

  • PhasePhase 2
  • StatusRecruiting
  • Planned enrollment160 people
  • Recruiting US sites142
  • SponsorChildren's Oncology Group
  • RegistryNCT04684368

Recruitment re-checked on ClinicalTrials.gov Oct 30, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

A Study of a New Way to Treat Children and Young Adults With a Brain Tumor Called NGGCT: a one-minute explainerNCT046843681 min

Eligibility

Who can join

The film gives the main points. The full list below is copied from the registry; the study team makes the final decision.

  • Age3 Years to 29 Years
  • SexAll
  • Healthy volunteersNo

You may be able to join if

  • Patients must be >= 3 years and < 30 years at the time of study enrollment
  • Patients must be newly diagnosed with localized primary CNS NGGCT of the suprasellar and/or pineal region by pathology and/or serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) elevation of AFP above institutional normal or > 10 ng/mL or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) beta > 100 mIU/mL as confirmed by Rapid Central Marker Screening Review on APEC14B1-CNS. Suprasellar, pineal and bifocal tumors are included. (CSF tumor markers and cytology must be within 31 days prior to enrollment and start of protocol therapy [repeat if necessary]. Serum tumor markers, AFP and hCGbeta must be within 7 days prior to enrollment and start of protocol therapy [repeat if necessary]). Basal ganglia or other primary sites are excluded
  • Patients with any of the following pathological elements are eligible: endodermal sinus (yolk sac), embryonal carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, malignant/immature teratoma and mixed germ cell tumor (GCT) (i.e., may include some pure germinoma) if malignant elements listed above are present. Patients with only mature teratoma are excluded. Patients with pure germinoma admixed with mature teratoma are excluded (would be eligible for pure germinoma protocols)
  • Patients must have a cranial MRI with and without gadolinium at diagnosis/prior to enrollment. If surgical resection is performed, patients must have pre-operative and post operative brain MRI with and without gadolinium. Note: The post operative brain MRI should be obtained within 72 hours of surgery. If patient has a biopsy only, post-operative brain MRI is recommended but not required (within 31 days prior to study enrollment and start of protocol therapy - Note: for patients that have had surgery and post-operative imaging performed, it is the post-operative MRI following definitive surgery that must be obtained within 31 days prior to enrollment)
  • Patients must have a spine MRI with gadolinium obtained at diagnosis/prior to enrollment. Spine MRI with and without gadolinium is recommended (within 31 days prior to study enrollment and start of protocol therapy - Note: for patients that have had surgery and post-operative imaging performed, it is the post-operative MRI following definitive surgery that must be obtained within 31 days prior to enrollment)
  • Lumbar CSF must be obtained prior to study enrollment unless medically contraindicated. Note: False positive cytology can occur within 10 days of surgery. If lumbar CSF for cytology is not performed prior to surgery, then it should be performed at least 10 days following surgery and prior to study enrollment. Patients with negative CSF cytology from lumbar puncture obtained 1 to 10 days after surgery do not need cytology repeated
  • Patients must have RAPID CENTRAL TUMOR MARKER REVIEW CSF tumor markers obtained prior to enrollment unless medically contraindicated. Ventricular CSF obtained at the time of CSF diversion procedure (if performed) is acceptable for tumor markers but lumbar CSF is preferred. In case CSF diversion and biopsy/surgery are combined, CSF tumor markers should be collected first
  • Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1000/uL (within 7 days prior to enrollment)
  • Platelet count >= 100,000/uL (transfusion independent) (within 7 days prior to enrollment)
  • Hemoglobin >= 8.0 g/dL (may receive red blood cell [RBC] transfusions) (within 7 days prior to enrollment)
  • Creatinine clearance or radioisotope glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >= 70 mL/min/1.73 m^2 or a serum creatinine based on age/sex as follows (within 7 days prior to enrollment):
  • Age: Maximum serum creatinine (mg/dL)
  • 3 to < 6 years: 0.8 (male), 0.8 (female)
  • 6 to < 10 years: 1 (male), 1 (female)
  • 10 to < 13 years: 1.2 (male), 1.2 (female)
  • 13 to < 16 years: 1.5 (male), 1.4 (female)
  • >= 16 years: male (1.7), 1.4 (female)
  • Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) for age (within 7 days prior to enrollment)
  • Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) =< 135 U/L (within 7 days prior to enrollment)
  • Note: For the purpose of this study, the ULN for SGPT (ALT) has been set to the value of 45 U/L
  • Central nervous system function defined as:
  • Patients with seizure disorder may be enrolled if on anticonvulsants and well controlled
  • Patients must not be in status epilepticus, coma or assisted ventilation prior to study enrollment
  • Protocol therapy must begin within 31 calendar days of definitive surgery or clinical diagnosis, whichever is later. If a biopsy only was performed, the biopsy date will be considered the date of definitive surgery. For patients who have a biopsy or incomplete resection at diagnosis followed by additional surgery, the date of the last resection will be considered the date of definitive surgery.
  • All patients and/or their parents or legal guardians must sign a written informed consent
  • All institutional, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) requirements for human studies must be met
  • NEUROCOGNITIVE FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT:
  • English-, Spanish-, or French- speaking
  • Note: Patients who speak a language other than English, Spanish, or French will be allowed to participate in ACNS2021 but will not complete the neurocognitive and quality of life assessments
  • No known history of neurodevelopmental disorder prior to diagnosis of NGGCT (e.g., Down syndrome, fragile X, William syndrome, intellectual disability). Patients with NF1 will be allowed to participate
  • Additional eligibility criteria for the COG Standardized Neuropsychological Battery only: must be at a site that has a psychologist to administer the battery
  • Note: If not eligible for the COG Standardized Battery, patients should still complete the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF-2), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Adaptive Behavior Assessment System Third Edition (ABAS-3), and Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) questionnaires

You cannot join if

  • Patients with tumors located outside the ventricles (i.e., basal ganglia, thalamus)
  • Patients with only mature teratoma and non-elevated markers upon tumor sampling at diagnosis
  • Patients who have received any prior tumor-directed therapy for their diagnosis of NGGCT other than surgical intervention and corticosteroids
  • Patients with metastatic disease (i.e., MRI evaluation, lumbar CSF cytology or intraoperative evidence of dissemination)
  • Female patients who are pregnant, since fetal toxicities and teratogenic effects have been noted for several of the study drugs
  • Note: Serum and urine pregnancy tests may be falsely positive due to HCGbeta-secreting germ cell tumors. Ensure the patient is not pregnant by institutional standards
  • Lactating females who plan to breastfeed their infants
  • Sexually active patients of reproductive potential who have not agreed to use an effective contraceptive method for the duration of their study participation

The treatment

How it is intended to work

This is how the treatment is meant to work. Whether it helps, and how safe it is, is what this trial is testing.

Treatments listed in the registry

  • Biospecimen Collection (Procedure): Undergo collection of CSF and blood samples
  • Carboplatin (Drug): Given IV
  • Etoposide (Drug): Given IV
  • Filgrastim (Biological): Given subcutaneously (SC) or IV
  • Ifosfamide (Drug): Given IV
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Procedure): Undergo MRI
  • Mesna (Drug): Given IV or orally
  • Pegfilgrastim (Biological): Given SC
  • Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation (Procedure): Undergo PBSC transplant
  • Questionnaire Administration (Other): Ancillary studies
  • Radiation Therapy (Radiation): Undergo WVSCI radiation therapy
  • Radiation Therapy (Radiation): Undergo Craniospinal radiation therapy
  • Second-Look Surgery (Procedure): Undergo second-look surgery if needed
  • Thiotepa (Drug): Given IV

The study

Treatment groups

Non Randomized · Parallel · masking: None

Plan A (chemotherapy, WVSCI, second-look surgery if needed) (Experimental)

See Outline in Detailed Description.

Plan B (chemotherapy, HDCSCR, second-look surgery if needed) (Experimental)

See Outline in Detailed Description.

What it involves

Procedures

As the registry describes them. Requirements to join, such as a tissue sample, are in the eligibility list above even when on-study procedures are optional. Ask the study team which steps apply to you.

  • blood samples: Part of the study plan
  • MRI: Part of the study plan
  • questionnaires: Part of the study plan
  • surgery: Part of the study plan
  • radiation: Part of the study plan

Goals

What the study measures

Main goals

  • Failure rate (Within 2 years of enrollment)
  • Spinal failure rate (Within 2 years of enrollment)

Other goals

  • Radiographic complete response (CR)/partial response (PR) with marker normalization rate post induction/second-look surgery
  • Radiographic complete response (CR)/partial response (PR) with marker normalization rate post high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell rescue (HDCSCR)
  • Progression-free survival (PFS)
  • Overall survival (OS)
  • Patterns of disease recurrence/failure

Planned enrollment: 160 (estimated).

Where

Recruiting US sites

  • Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska
  • Banner Children's at Desert, Mesa, Arizona
  • Phoenix Childrens Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona
  • Banner University Medical Center - Tucson, Tucson, Arizona
  • Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, Downey, California
  • Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, California
  • Miller Children's and Women's Hospital Long Beach, Long Beach, California
  • Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
  • Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
  • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
  • Valley Children's Hospital, Madera, California
  • Kaiser Permanente-Oakland, Oakland, California
  • Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California
  • Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
  • Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego, San Diego, California
  • UCSF Medical Center-Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
  • Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
  • Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut
  • Smilow Cancer Center/Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
  • Children's National Medical Center, Washington D.C., District of Columbia
  • Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, Fort Myers, Florida
  • UF Health Cancer Institute - Gainesville, Gainesville, Florida
  • Nemours Children's Clinic-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
  • University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-Sylvester Cancer Center, Miami, Florida
  • Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, Florida
  • Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, Florida
  • Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando, Florida
  • Nemours Children's Clinic - Pensacola, Pensacola, Florida
  • Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida
  • Saint Joseph's Hospital/Children's Hospital-Tampa, Tampa, Florida
  • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Arthur M Blank Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Saint Luke's Cancer Institute - Boise, Boise, Idaho
  • Lurie Children's Hospital-Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
  • University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
  • Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois
  • OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois, Peoria, Illinois
  • Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Blank Children's Hospital, Des Moines, Iowa
  • University of Iowa/Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City, Iowa
  • University of Kentucky/Markey Cancer Center, Lexington, Kentucky
  • Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky
  • Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, Maine
  • Maine Children's Cancer Program, Scarborough, Maine
  • Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Johns Hopkins University/Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
  • C S Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan
  • Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals - Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals - Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Corewell Health Children's, Royal Oak, Michigan
  • Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota - Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota
  • University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
  • University of Missouri Children's Hospital, Columbia, Missouri
  • Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center, St Louis, Missouri
  • Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
  • Mercy Hospital Saint Louis, St Louis, Missouri
  • Children's Hospital and Medical Center of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
  • University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
  • Renown Regional Medical Center, Reno, Nevada
  • Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Dartmouth Cancer Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
  • Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey
  • Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, New Jersey
  • Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey
  • Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey
  • Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, New Jersey
  • Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center, Paterson, New Jersey
  • Albany Medical Center, Albany, New York
  • Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
  • Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York
  • The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park, New York
  • Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone, New York, New York
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
  • University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
  • Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, New York
  • State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
  • Montefiore Medical Center-Einstein Campus, The Bronx, New York
  • Montefiore Medical Center - Moses Campus, The Bronx, New York
  • New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
  • Carolinas Medical Center/Levine Cancer Institute, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
  • East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
  • Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  • Sanford Broadway Medical Center, Fargo, North Dakota
  • Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Akron, Ohio
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
  • Dayton Children's Hospital, Dayton, Ohio
  • ProMedica Flower Hospital, Sylvania, Ohio
  • ProMedica Toledo Hospital/Russell J Ebeid Children's Hospital, Toledo, Ohio
  • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital, Portland, Oregon
  • Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
  • Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, Allentown, Pennsylvania
  • Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania
  • Penn State Children's Hospital, Hershey, Pennsylvania
  • Saint Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
  • Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
  • Prisma Health Richland Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina
  • BI-LO Charities Children's Cancer Center, Greenville, South Carolina
  • Prisma Health Cancer Institute - Faris, Greenville, South Carolina
  • Sanford USD Medical Center - Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • East Tennessee Childrens Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
  • The Children's Hospital at TriStar Centennial, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Vanderbilt University/Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas
  • Driscoll Children's Hospital, Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Medical City Dallas Hospital, Dallas, Texas
  • UT Southwestern/Simmons Cancer Center-Dallas, Dallas, Texas
  • El Paso Children's Hospital, El Paso, Texas
  • Cook Children's Medical Center, Fort Worth, Texas
  • Baylor College of Medicine/Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • Children's Hospital of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
  • Methodist Children's Hospital of South Texas, San Antonio, Texas
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
  • Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Temple, Texas
  • Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, Burlington, Vermont
  • University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Norfolk, Virginia
  • Carilion Children's, Roanoke, Virginia
  • Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington
  • Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital, Spokane, Washington
  • Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Center, Tacoma, Washington
  • Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington
  • West Virginia University Healthcare, Morgantown, West Virginia
  • University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center - Eastpark Medical Center, Madison, Wisconsin
  • University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center - University Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin

18 recruiting sites outside the US. Site status as of Oct 30, 2026. Check the live record before contacting a site.

Sources

Where this comes from

Registry record reviewed as fetched Oct 30, 2026, last updated by the sponsor Sep 22, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

For you, or someone you love

Whether or not this trial is the one, bring AI into your corner.

A complex diagnosis brings new questions every week, in a trial and out of one. Triangle keeps your whole medical file together, reads it with you in plain language, and helps you and your family decide what to ask next.

Start your 7-day free trial

Then $9 a month. Cancel anytime.

  • Every record in one place

    Requested from your hospitals and clinics through the national networks. Add scans, pathology and anything on paper.

  • Read in plain words

    Reports explained as they come in, with lab values you can follow before treatment, during a trial and after.

  • Ready for every appointment

    Ask about your own file, and walk in with questions for your oncologist or the trial team.

  • Your people, in the loop

    Share one profile with the family helping you, and with your doctors.

Members also get a deeper analysis of their records and any sequencing data, including clinical trials that may fit, reviewed by a licensed physician before they receive it.

Already in a trial?

It turns into a project to manage: visits, scans, labs, side effects and paperwork. Triangle keeps it organized in one place for you or for whoever's helping.

Organize my trial

7-day free trial, then $9 a month. Cancel anytime.