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RecruitingNCT01247597Updated Nov 9, 2026

DICER1-related Pleuropulmonary Blastoma Cancer Predisposition Syndrome: A Natural History Study

An observational study in Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Cystic Nephroma and Ovarian Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumors, sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI). Recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 1 Month to 99 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-09.

Sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI) · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Feb 2011; still recruiting 15 years 8 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Family-based
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
1,500
Ages
1 Month to 99 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Background:

- Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is a rare fast-growing lung tumor that is associated with other, rare tumor types. Most cases of PPB appear in children younger than 6 years of age. Recently, it has been shown that this condition can be inherited (e.g., mutation of the DICER1 gene). Researchers are studying both clinical and genetic aspects of this newly described condition. They are interested in collecting further medical history and genetic information on individuals and close relatives of individuals who have PPB or other rare associated tumors.

Objectives:

- To study individuals with a personal or a family history of pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) or other rare tumors that can be associated with PPB (e.g., cystic nephroma, nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma, ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors, ocular medulloepithelioma).

Eligibility:

  • Individuals who have been diagnosed with PPB and/or PPB-related tumors.
  • Close blood relatives (e.g., parents, siblings, grandparents) of individuals who have been diagnosed with PPB and/or PPB-related tumors.

Design:

  • Interested participants can enroll or inquire about this study by calling 1-800-518-8474.
  • Participants will be asked to complete family history and medical history questionnaires. They will complete the questionnaire if they are at least 18 years of age, or another person will complete the questionnaire if the key family member is too young to do so on his or her own.
  • Participants will be asked to sign a medical record release form to allow researchers to examine detailed medical history information.
  • Participants may be asked to have a physical examination and imaging studies, provide blood and saliva samples, or provide tumor tissue from prior biopsies or cancer surgeries.
  • Annually, participants will update the family history and individual information questionnaires to document important changes in medical history, and will also update the medical record release form. Participants may be asked to provide additional cheek lining cells and/or blood samples, as well as tumor tissue from any new or planned biopsies or tumor surgeries.
  • Treatment will not be provided as part of this protocol.
Read the detailed description

Study Description:

Multidisciplinary natural history study with self-administered questionnaires, clinical/epidemiologic/genetic evaluations, clinical and research laboratory tests, review of medical records, cancer surveillance, and biospecimen acquisition. In 2009, Hill and colleagues identified heterozygous germline disease-associated variants in DICER1, a gene which encodes a crucial component of the microRNA processing machinery, in patients with familial pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB). This disorder represents the first reported cancer predisposition syndrome that is due to altered microRNA biogenesis, and its discovery presents a unique and extraordinary opportunity for CGB and DCEG to play a substantial role in the development of this new area, one which is virtually certain to have etiologic ramifications far beyond those related to PPB itself.

Objectives:

  1. To establish a cohort of patients with PPB and/or specific neoplasms of the DICER1-related tumor risks (cystic nephroma, nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma, ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell and other sex cord-stromal tumors, ocular medulloepithelioma, Wilms tumor, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, pineoblastoma, others to be defined), in order to determine the frequency of DICER1 germline disease-associated variants in these patients and their family members. This will also allow us to identify DICER1 disease-associated variant-negative patients who will be crucial for future gene discovery efforts.
  2. To characterize the clinical phenotype of, and study the incident and prevalent cancer rates in, these patients and their family members, for all cancers combined, and for each type of cancer, and to identify and confirm the specific types of cancer and benign neoplasms associated with this disorder.
  3. To identify differences between patients with a germline disease-associated variant in DICER1 (or another gene(s) from this pathway) who do develop cancer and those who do not develop cancer. These differences may include genotype/phenotype/cancer susceptibility differences, modifier genes (gene-gene interactions) and environmental risk factors (gene-environment interactions). The latter two may be informative for modification of cancer risk in the general population.
  4. To develop evidence-based management guidelines for cancer prevention and risk-reduction strategies for patients with PPB and other DICER1-related tumors and their family members prior to and after obtaining answers to the questions/objectives above.
  5. To evaluate various parameters related to psychosocial and behavioral issues resulting from being a member of a family at increased risk of PPB and other DICER1-related tumors.
  6. To create a biospecimen repository of carefully annotated tissue samples for use in subsequent etiologically-oriented translational research projects. These samples comprise an invaluable resource for current and future studies related to the etiology of, and outcomes following, the various neoplasms that are now known, or later found to be, part of the DICER1-related tumor risk.

Endpoints:

Primary endpoints: include all cancers, with specific attention to those currently thought to be part of the DICER1-related tumor risk.

Secondary endpoints: include non-malignant health issues.

02

Conditions studied

  • Pleuropulmonary Blastoma
  • Cystic Nephroma
  • Ovarian Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumors
  • Ocular Medulloepithelioma
  • Nasal Chondromesenchymal Hamartoma

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • Thyroid Cancer
  • Germline DICER1 Mutation
  • MicroRNA Biogenesis
  • Natural History
  • Pleuropulmonary Blastoma
  • PPB
03

In context

Thyroid Neoplasms

785 studies on the registry are indexed under Thyroid Neoplasms; 204 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 1,500 is above the median of 178 across 241 observational studies indexed under Thyroid Neoplasms.

Browse Thyroid Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the lead sponsor of 3,556 studies on the registry; 336 are open to participants now.

Of its 411 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 373 (91%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
1 Month to 99 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

A cohort of patients with PPB and/or specific neoplasms of the PPB spectrum (cystic nephroma, nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma, ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell and other sex cord-stromal tumors, ocular medulloepithelioma, Wilms tumor, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, pineoblastoma, others to be defined)

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

All participants who meet the eligibility criteria outlined below will be eligible for inclusion in this study regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, or age.

  • Affected individual is defined as:

    • an individual with -confirmed PPB and/or other DICER1-related tumors
    • an individual with a known or suspected DICER1 disease-associated variant
    • an individual from the general population with one or more of the unique tumors of the types associated with DICER1 including (but not exclusively), PPB, cystic nephroma, ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell and other sex cord-stromal tumors, ocular medulloepithelioma, nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma, Wilms tumor, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, pineoblastoma, pituitary blastoma, ovarian sarcoma, CNS sarcoma and/or thyroid cancer - regardless of their family history. Additional DICER1-related neoplasms may be identified in the future, and they will be added to the protocol as needed.
  • Unaffected individual is defined as:

    • a family member (such as parents, siblings, children, or extended family) of an affected participant without a known or suspected DICER1 disease-associated variant or condition and they will be controls.

Other inclusion criteria include:

  • All types and amounts of prior therapies are allowed.
  • There is no age restriction.
  • There is no restriction related to organ and marrow function.
  • Ability of the individual or their legal guardian or appropriate surrogate to understand, and their willingness to provide .

Neonates of affected individuals will be included in the Field Cohort and be eligible for genetic counseling, education, and testing, if indicated and consented by a parent/legal guardian/LAR.

This is entirely a function of meeting the inclusion criteria and not being excluded by the exclusion criteria.

In some instances, patients with histologically-confirmed PPB and/or another neoplasm within the DICER1-related tumor risk and their families will be referred to the Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB) by the International Pleuropulmonary Blastoma (PPB) / DICER1 Registry (IPPBR), provided that the family has previously or currently indicated a desire to be notified of such research opportunities. In non IPPBR-cases, the diagnosis will be confirmed by reviewing relevant medical records and relevant surgical pathology material.

Exclusion criteria

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Individuals and families referred for evaluation in whom reported diagnoses are not verifiable.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Histologically or cytologically confirmed

The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).

Your pathology report is the document that shows this.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Observational model
Family-based
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
1,500 participants (estimated)

Groups and cohorts

  • Controls

    People without pathogenic DICER1 germline variation

  • DICER1 (cases)

    People with pathogenic DICER1 germline variation or history of DICER1-associated tumors

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Psychosocial and Behavioral Issues

    To evaluate various parameters related to psychosocial and behavioral issues resulting from being a member of a family at increased risk of PPB.

    Time frame: On-going

  2. Management Guidelines & Risk-reduction Strategies

    To develop evidence-based management guidelines for cancer prevention and risk-reduction strategies for PPB patients and their family members prior to and after obtaining answers to the questions/objectives above.

    Time frame: On-going

  3. Genetic & Environmental Interactions

    To identify differences between patients with a germline mutation in DICER1 (or another gene(s) from this pathway) who do develop cancer and those who do not develop cancer. These differences may include genotype/phenotype/cancer susceptibility differences, modifier genes (gene-gene interactions) and environmental risk factors (gene-environment interactions). The latter two may be informative for modification of cancer risk in the general population.

    Time frame: On-going

  4. DICER1-Related Pleuropulmonary Blastoma Cancer Predisposition Syndrome

    To establish a cohort of patients with PPB and/or specific neoplasms of the PPB spectrum (cystic nephroma, nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma, ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell and other sex cord-stromal tumors, ocular medulloepithelioma, Wilms tumor, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, pineoblastoma, others to be defined), in order to determine the frequency of DICER1 germline mutations in these patients and their family members. This will also allow us to identify DICER1 mutation-negative patients who will be crucial for future gene discovery efforts.

    Time frame: On-going

  5. Clinical Phenotype

    To characterize the clinical phenotype of, and study the incident and prevalent cancer rates in, these patients and their family members, for all cancers combined, and for each type of cancer, and to identify and confirm the specific types of cancer and benign neoplasms associated with this disorder.

    Time frame: On-going

  6. Biospecimen Repository

    To create a biospecimen repository of carefully-annotated tissue samples for use in subsequent etiologically-oriented translational research projects. These samples comprise an invaluable resource for current and future studies related to the etiology of, and outcomes following, the various neoplasms that are now known, or later found to be, part of the PPB syndrome.

    Time frame: On-going

Secondary outcomes

  1. Non-tumor phenotypes

    Secondary endpoints will include characterization of other known or suspected DICER1-related non-tumor health issues such as dysmorphic features, thyroiditis, dental problems, dysmorphology, ophthalmologic abnormalities and pneumothorax. Characterization of individuals and families with DICER1-related non-tumor phenotypes permits identification of people at risk.

    Time frame: On-going

07

Study locations

2 of 2 sites recruiting
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
    Recruiting
    • For more information at the NIH Clinical Center contact National Cancer Institute Referral Office · Contact888-624-1937
  • National Cancer Institute - Shady Grove
    Rockville, Maryland 20850, United States
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Hill DA, Ivanovich J, Priest JR, Gurnett CA, Dehner LP, Desruisseau D, Jarzembowski JA, Wikenheiser-Brokamp KA, Suarez BK, Whelan AJ, Williams G, Bracamontes D, Messinger Y, Goodfellow PJ. DICER1 mutations in familial pleuropulmonary blastoma. Science. 2009 Aug 21;325(5943):965. doi: 10.1126/science.1174334. Epub 2009 Jun 25. PubMed 19556464 ↗
  • Manivel JC, Priest JR, Watterson J, Steiner M, Woods WG, Wick MR, Dehner LP. Pleuropulmonary blastoma. The so-called pulmonary blastoma of childhood. Cancer. 1988 Oct 15;62(8):1516-26. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19881015)62:83.0.co;2-3. PubMed 3048630 ↗
  • Hill DA, Jarzembowski JA, Priest JR, Williams G, Schoettler P, Dehner LP. Type I pleuropulmonary blastoma: pathology and biology study of 51 cases from the international pleuropulmonary blastoma registry. Am J Surg Pathol. 2008 Feb;32(2):282-95. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0b013e3181484165. PubMed 18223332 ↗
  • Vasta LM, Khan NE, Higgs CP, Harney LA, Carr AG, Harris AK, Schultz KAP, McMaster ML, Stewart DR. Hematologic indices in individuals with pathogenic germline DICER1 variants. Blood Adv. 2021 Jan 12;5(1):216-223. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002651. PubMed 33570641 ↗
09

Updates

7 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
Minor edits
Nothing that changes what the study is or who can join. Edited: description and verification date
7 updates, last Nov 9, 2026
Show all 7 updates
  1. Nov 9, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: description
  2. Nov 5, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: description
  3. Oct 29, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  4. Oct 16, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: description
  5. Oct 13, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: description
  6. Oct 2, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: description
  7. Sep 28, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: description

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01247597
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 24, 2010
Start date
Feb 13, 2011
Last update
Nov 9, 2026

Study contacts

NCI Family Study Referrals
Contact
ncifamilystudyreferrals@mail.nih.gov
(800) 518-8474
Douglas R Stewart, M.D.
Contact
drstewart@mail.nih.gov
(240) 276-7238
Douglas R Stewart, M.D.
principal investigator · National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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