Cisplatin Treatment Options in California

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as topotecan and cyclophosphamide, use 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. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of induction chemotherapy using cyclophosphamide and topotecan in treating patients who are undergoing surgery and autologous stem cell transplantation followed by radiation therapy for newly diagnosed or progressive neuroblastoma. Read Less

RATIONALE: 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 help cisplatin work better by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drug. 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. Giving cetuximab together with cisplatin may be a better way to block tumor growth. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving cetuximab together with cisplatin works in treating patients with advanced, persistent, or recurrent cervical cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Sunitinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor and by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as tamoxifen and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving sunitinib together with tamoxifen and cisplatin may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving sunitinib together with tamoxifen and cisplatin works in treating patients with high-risk ocular melanoma. Read Less

RATIONALE: Sorafenib 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. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as tamoxifen and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving sorafenib together with tamoxifen and cisplatin after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving sorafenib together with tamoxifen and cisplatin works in treating patients with high-risk stage III melanoma. Read Less

RATIONALE: Bexarotene and tretinoin may cause tumor cells to look more like normal cells, and to grow and spread more slowly. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, carboplatin, docetaxel, and capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving bexarotene and tretinoin together with combination chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well giving bexarotene together with tretinoin and combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with stage III or stage IV 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. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known if treatment with cisplatin plus epinephrine is effective for head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized double-blinded phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of cisplatin plus epinephrine in injectable gel form in treating patients who have recurrent or refractory head and neck cancer. 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. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have stage IIIB or stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: 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. A bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplant using stem cells from the patient may be able to replace blood-forming cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. This may allow more chemotherapy to be given so that more tumor cells are killed. PURPOSE: This phase III trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy with or without etoposide followed by an autologous stem cell transplant works in treating young patients with previously untreated malignant brain tumors. Read Less

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving radiation therapy in different ways and combining it with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. Celecoxib may slow the growth of cervical cancer by stopping blood flow to the tumor. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy plus celecoxib, fluorouracil, and cisplatin in treating patients who have locally advanced cervical 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 more than one chemotherapy drug with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy plus combination chemotherapy in treating patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, cisplatin, fluorouracil, and carboplatin, work in 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 with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which regimen of chemotherapy and radiation therapy is most effective in treating head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of two different regimens of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer. 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. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effect on the body of combining cyclophosphamide with cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin in treating children who have newly diagnosed malignant germ cell tumors that are not in the brain and gonads. Read Less