Cisplatin Treatment Options in Oakland, CA

This randomized phase II trial studies how well transoral surgery followed by low-dose or standard-dose radiation therapy works in treating patients with human papilloma virus (HPV) positive stage III-IVA oropharyngeal cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. 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 radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet known how much extra treatment needs to be given after surgery. Read Less

This phase III trial tests two hypotheses in patients with low-risk and average-risk medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the back of the brain. The term, risk, refers to the chance of the cancer coming back after treatment. Subjects with low-risk medulloblastoma typically have a lower chance of the cancer coming back than subjects with average-risk medulloblastoma. Although treatment for newly diagnosed average-risk and low-risk medulloblastoma is generally effective at treating the cancer, there are still concerns about the side effects of such treatment. Side effects or unintended health conditions that arise due to treatment include learning difficulties, hearing loss or other issues in performing daily activities. Standard therapy for newly diagnosed average-risk or low-risk medulloblastoma includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy (including cisplatin). Cisplatin may cause hearing loss as a side effect. In the average-risk medulloblastoma patients, this trial tests whether the addition of sodium thiosulfate (STS) to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy reduces hearing loss. Previous studies with STS have shown that it may help reduce or prevent hearing loss caused by cisplatin. In the low-risk medulloblastoma patients, the study tests whether a less intense therapy (reduced radiation) can provide the same benefits as the more intense therapy. The less intense therapy may cause fewer side effects. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. The overall goals of this study are to see if giving STS along with standard treatment (radiation therapy and chemotherapy) will reduce hearing loss in medulloblastoma patients and to compare the overall outcome of patients with medulloblastoma treated with STS to patients treated without STS on a previous study in order to make sure that survival and recurrence of tumor is not worsened. Read Less

This phase III trial studies the side effects and how well risk-based therapy works in treating younger patients with newly diagnosed liver cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy drugs (cancer fighting medicines), and when necessary, liver transplant, are the main current treatments for hepatoblastoma. The stage of the cancer is one factor used to decide the best treatment. Treating patients according to the risk group they are in may help get rid of the cancer, keep it from coming back, and decrease the side effects of chemotherapy. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial studies antiemetic therapy with olanzapine to see how well they work compared to antiemetic therapy alone in preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer receiving highly emetogenic (causes vomiting) chemotherapy. Antiemetic drugs, such as palonosetron hydrochloride, ondansetron, and granisetron hydrochloride, may help lessen or prevent nausea and vomiting in patients treated with chemotherapy. Olanzapine may help prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting by blocking brain receptors that appear to be involved in nausea and vomiting. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial studies how well standard-dose combination chemotherapy works compared to high-dose combination chemotherapy and stem cell transplant in treating patients with germ cell tumors that have returned after a period of improvement or did not respond to treatment. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, ifosfamide, cisplatin, carboplatin, and etoposide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant stops the growth of cancer cells by stopping them from dividing or killing them. Giving colony-stimulating factors, such as filgrastim or pegfilgrastim, and certain chemotherapy drugs, helps stem cells move from the bone marrow to the blood so they can be collected and stored. Chemotherapy is then given to prepare the bone marrow for the stem cell transplant. The stem cells are then returned to the patient to replace the blood-forming cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether high-dose combination chemotherapy and stem cell transplant are more effective than standard-dose combination chemotherapy in treating patients with refractory or relapsed germ cell tumors. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial is studying how well standard-dose radiation therapy works compared to reduced-dose radiation therapy in children 3-7 years of age AND how well standard volume boost radiation therapy works compared to smaller volume boost radiation therapy when given together with chemotherapy in treating young patients who have undergone surgery for newly diagnosed standard-risk medulloblastoma. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vincristine, cisplatin, lomustine, and cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving radiation therapy with chemotherapy after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. It is not yet known whether standard-dose radiation therapy is more effective than reduced-dose radiation therapy when given together with chemotherapy after surgery in treating young patients with medulloblastoma. Read Less

This phase II/III trial studies how well a reduced dose of radiation therapy works with nivolumab compared to cisplatin in treating patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer that is early in its growth and may not have spread to other parts of the body (early-stage), and is not associated with smoking. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial is being done to see if a reduced dose of radiation therapy and nivolumab works as well as standard dose radiation therapy and cisplatin in treating patients with oropharyngeal cancer. Read Less

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding nivolumab to the usual chemotherapy (cisplatin or carboplatin with gemcitabine) versus standard chemotherapy alone in treating patients with nasopharyngeal cancer that has come back (recurrent) or spread to other places in the body (metastatic). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, carboplatin, and gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving nivolumab with the usual chemotherapy may work better than the standard chemotherapy alone in treating patients with nasopharyngeal cancer. Read Less

There are two study questions we are asking in this randomized phase II/III trial based on a blood biomarker, Epstein Barr virus (EBV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) for locoregionally advanced non-metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer. All patients will first undergo standard concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. When this standard treatment is completed, if there is no detectable EBV DNA in their plasma, then patients are randomized to either standard adjuvant cisplatin and fluorouracil chemotherapy or observation. If there is still detectable levels of plasma EBV DNA, patients will be randomized to standard cisplatin and fluorouracil chemotherapy versus gemcitabine and paclitaxel. Radiation therapy uses high energy x rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, fluorouracil, gemcitabine hydrochloride, and paclitaxel work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether giving cisplatin and fluorouracil is more effective than gemcitabine hydrochloride and paclitaxel after radiation therapy in treating patients with nasopharyngeal cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. 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. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy is more effective with cisplatin or cetuximab in treating oropharyngeal cancer. PURPOSE: This phase III trial is studying radiation therapy with cisplatin or cetuximab to see how well it works in treating patients with oropharyngeal cancer. Read Less

The primary aim of this randomized phase III trial was to study whether the addition of maintenance chemotherapy delivered after surgical resection and focal radiation would be better than surgery and focal radiation alone. The trial also studied if patients who received induction chemotherapy and then either achieved a complete response or went on to have a complete resection would also benefit from maintenance chemotherapy. Children ages 1-21 years with newly diagnosed intracranial ependymoma were included. There were 2 arms that were not randomized. One arm studied patients with Grade II tumors located in the supratentorial compartment that were completely resected. One arm studied patients with residual tumor and those patients all received maintenance chemotherapy after focal radiation. Chemotherapy drugs, such as vincristine sulfate, carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Giving chemotherapy in combination with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells and allow doctors to save the part of the body where the cancer started. Read Less

This phase III trial studies different chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimens to compare how well they work in treating young patients with newly diagnosed, previously untreated, high-risk medulloblastoma. Chemotherapy drugs, such as vincristine sulfate, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Carboplatin may make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. It is not yet known which chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimen is more effective in treating brain tumors. Read Less