Carboplatin Treatment Options in Pittsburgh, PA

This phase II trial is studying how well combination chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or surgery work in treating patients with high-risk kidney tumors. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving combination chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Read Less

The subjects are being asked to take part in the Phase I or Phase II portion of a research study of a new investigational drug, LBH589, in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, carboplatin with etoposide. LBH589 (made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.) is considered "investigational" because it has not been approved for commercial use in the treatment of cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Etoposide and carboplatin are chemotherapeutic agents approved by the FDA for the treatment of for small cell lung cancer. LBH589 is a drug that may slow down the growth of cancer cells or kill cancer cells by blocking certain enzymes (proteins produced by cells). LBH589 has shown effects against cancer in laboratory studies and in studies using animals; however, it is not known if this medicine will show the same activity in humans. As of May 2006, approximately 100 patients have received treatment with either an intravenous or capsule form of LBH589. Only the capsule form of LBH589 will be used in this study. The main goal during the Phase I portion of this research study is to find out the highest and safest dose of LBH589 that can be given in combination with carboplatin with etoposide in subjects with lung cancer without causing severe side effects. The main goal of the Phase II portion of this study is to find how the subject's lung cancer responds to the LBH589 in combination with carboplatin and etoposide at the highest and safest dose that was given in Phase I. The subject may be enrolled in either Phase I or Phase II of the trial, depending on when they entered the study, but they will not be enrolled in both phases. This study will also investigate how the subject's body processes the combination of LBH589 and carboplatin with etoposide. To determine this, the investigators will measure the amount of study drug in the subject's blood. This will be done with a series of blood tests, called pharmacokinetic (PK) tests. Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the study drug moves through the body. Other purposes of this study will be to sample the subject's genetic material (DNA/RNA) as well as to determine biomarkers in their blood. (For some cancers, biomarkers are a way to measure the extent of their disease or the effects of treatment.) These samples will also be stored for future studies. Read Less

RATIONALE: Surgery alone may be effective in treating children with neuroblastoma. PURPOSE: Phase III trial to study the effectiveness of surgery alone in treating children who have neuroblastoma. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine whether AMG 386 or AMG 386 Placebo in combination with Paclitaxel and Carboplatin are effective in the treatment of ovarian cancer. 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 compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with or without filgrastim in treating patients who have extensive-stage small cell lung cancer that has not been previously treated. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Exisulind may make tumor cells more sensitive to chemotherapy. Combining chemotherapy with exisulind may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining chemotherapy with exisulind in treating patients who have extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Read Less

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

This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of onartuzumab (MetMAb) in combination with paclitaxel plus platinum in patients with incurable Stage IIIB or Stage IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients will be randomized to receive either onartuzumab (MetMAb) 15 mg/kg iv or placebo on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle in combination with 4 cycles of paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 iv and platinum (carboplatin/cisplatin) iv on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle. Patients who have not progressed after 4 cycles will continue with either onartuzumab (MetMAb) or placebo as maintenance therapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurs. 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. Computer systems that allow doctors to create a 3-dimensional picture of the tumor to plan treatment may result in more effective radiation therapy. It is not yet known which chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy regimen is more effective in treating non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of different combination chemotherapy regimens and 3-dimensional radiation therapy in treating patients who have unresectable stage III non-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

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Celecoxib and zileuton may stop the growth of tumor cells by stopping blood flow to the tumor and may block the enzymes necessary for tumor cell growth. Combining chemotherapy with celecoxib and/or zileuton may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining celecoxib and/or zileuton with carboplatin and gemcitabine in treating patients who have advanced non-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. 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 I trial to study the effectiveness of gemcitabine combined with docetaxel and carboplatin with or without filgrastim in treating patients who have advanced solid tumors. Read Less