Carboplatin Treatment Options in Maryland

Purpose of this study: There is some evidence that the best treatment for head and neck cancer involves a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is a form of cancer treatment using high energy x-rays. Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses special medications. This study uses two chemotherapy drugs (Taxol and Carboplatin), which are FDA approved for treating head and neck cancers. This treatment combination has been associated with difficulty, pain, or a burning sensation upon swallowing (called esophagitis), and decrease in blood cells (cells in the blood which fight against infection). The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the addition of another drug, Amifostine, can reduce the side effects of current combination treatment (radiation and chemotherapy which is standard of care). The addition of Amifostine is the investigational part of the study. The research study is also looking at the side effects of Amifostine and cancer's growth response to this combination treatment. Read Less

Ixabepilone adds significantly to the antitumor effectiveness of capecitabine in both ER+ and triple negative breast cancer. Ixabepilone has substantial antitumor activity in taxane-refractory patients and novel combinations are needed in this poor prognosis population. Carboplatin in combination with gemcitabine or paclitaxel has activity in metastatic breast cancer (MBC); there is also demonstrated activity of the gemcitabine/carboplatin combination in the ER+ versus triple negative subsets. A Phase I study of ixabepilone plus carboplatin in solid tumor patients demonstrated the safety of this combination at the doses and schedule proposed for this Phase II trial (BMS data on file). Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine the ORR associated with Doxil in combination with carboplatin in HER2- (negative) MBC (and with Herceptin in HER2+ MBC). Read Less

This trial will examine the combination of sunitinib plus paclitaxel and carboplatin as neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced breast cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Pemetrexed disodium may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Cetuximab may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Giving pemetrexed disodium, carboplatin, and radiation therapy together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well giving pemetrexed disodium and carboplatin together with radiation therapy with or without cetuximab works in treating patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed by 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. 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

The Phase I portion of this protocol will determine the best phase II dose and schedule of obatoclax with carboplatin and etoposide in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. The Phase II portion will evaluate the response rate to this regimen. 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

The purpose of this project is to see if weekly carboplatin compared with phenoxodiol in combination with weekly carboplatin, is effective against late stage ovarian cancer and to see what, if any, side-effects of treatment may result. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Colony-stimulating factors such as filgrastim may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood and may help a person's immune system recover from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus filgrastim in treating patients who have stage IV prostate cancer that has not responded to hormone therapy. Read Less

This is a non-randomized Phase II study. Patients determined at initial diagnosis to have a carcinoma of unknown primary site (CUP) will have their treatment selected with the use of a molecular profiling assay. The assay will be performed on paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from a biopsy specimen. Patients given specific diagnoses (e.g., lung, pancreas, colon, breast, renal cell, prostate and ovarian cancer) will receive treatment regimens of proven activity. If no specific diagnosis is made with the molecular profiling assay, empiric chemotherapy with paclitaxel, carboplatin, bevacizumab and erlotinib will be administered. Read Less