Carboplatin Treatment Options in Maine

Taxol and carboplatin are commonly used drugs for the treatment of stage IIIB or IV non small cell lung carcinoma. This study compares treatment with Taxol/carboplatin given every 3 weeks to a schedule where it is given weekly. The purpose of the study is to determine the most effective and safe schedule for giving these drugs in non small cell lung carcinoma. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving chemotherapy before combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy is more effective than combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy with radiation therapy and chemotherapy alone in treating patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed during surgery. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining more than one drug and giving them before and with radiation therapy may be an effective treatment for limited-stage small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients who have limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Read Less

To evaluate the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced squamous cell lung cancer receiving the combination of gemcitabine/carboplatin either with or without Iniparib. Based on data generated by BiPar/Sanofi, it is concluded that iniparib does not possess characteristics typical of the PARP inhibitor class. The exact mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated, however based on experiments on tumor cells performed in the laboratory, iniparib is a novel investigational anti-cancer agent that induces gamma-H2AX (a marker of DNA damage) in tumor cell lines, induces cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase in tumor cell lines, and potentiates the cell cycle effects of DNA damaging modalities in tumor cell lines. Investigations into potential targets of iniparib and its metabolites are ongoing. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of different regimens of combination chemotherapy followed by peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating children who have newly diagnosed brain tumor. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial studies carboplatin, paclitaxel, and sorafenib tosylate to see how well they work compared to carboplatin and paclitaxel in treating patients with stage III or stage IV melanoma that cannot be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Sorafenib tosylate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. It is not yet known whether giving carboplatin and paclitaxel together with sorafenib tosylate is more effective than carboplatin and paclitaxel in treating melanoma. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, thiotepa, and etoposide, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Isotretinoin may be effective in preventing recurrence of glioma. It is not yet known which regimen of chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation with or without isotretinoin is more effective in treating recurrent high-grade glioma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying high-dose chemotherapy or intermediate-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation to see how well it works compared to high-dose chemotherapy or intermediate-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation and isotretinoin in treating young patients with recurrent high-grade glioma. Read Less

To assess the efficacy and safety of PF-3512676 administered in combination with paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and to compare it to the efficacy and safety of paclitaxel Read Less

In this phase II trial the investigators propose to evaluate ixabepilone in combination with carboplatin and trastuzumab as neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced breast cancer patients. Patients with early stage, HER2-positive breast cancer will receive six cycles of neoadjuvant treatment with ixabepilone, carboplatin, and trastuzumab every three weeks prior to surgery; after surgery, patients will continue treatment with trastuzumab every three weeks until week 52. Concomitant with the post-operative trastuzumab treatment, patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors will receive anti-estrogen treatment. Also, after the completion of chemotherapy, patients may receive radiation treatment at the discretion of their physician. Read Less

RATIONALE: Amifostine may be an effective treatment for the toxic side effects caused by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy and radiation therapy are more effective with or without amifostine for non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of amifostine in treating patients who have stage II or stage III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be surgically removed and who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. Combination chemotherapy plus surgery may be an effective treatment for neuroblastoma. PURPOSE: This phase III trial is studying how well combination chemotherapy followed by surgery works in treating young patients with neuroblastoma. Read Less