Cisplatin Treatment Options in Chicago, IL

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Chemoprotective drugs, such as amifostine, may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of amifostine in reducing the risk of side effects caused by cisplatin and paclitaxel in treating women who have ovarian, peritoneal, cervical, fallopian tube, uterine, or endometrial 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 metastatic or recurrent 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

Erlotinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining erlotinib and radiation therapy with combination chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining erlotinib and radiation therapy with combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and cisplatin, 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. Giving chemotherapy before radiation therapy, and combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy, may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of neoadjuvant gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and carboplatin followed by cisplatin and radiation therapy in treating patients who have locally advanced or recurrent carcinoma (cancer) of the urothelium. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Chemoprotective drugs such as dimesna may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of dimesna in treating patients with solid tumors who are receiving cisplatin and paclitaxel. Read Less

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Paclitaxel and cisplatin may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy by making the tumor cells more sensitive to the radiation. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of paclitaxel when given with radiation therapy and cisplatin and to see how well they work in treating patients with cancer of the cervix that has spread to the lymph nodes in the pelvis and abdomen. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil, 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. Giving combination chemotherapy together with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving combination chemotherapy together with radiation therapy is more effective than giving cisplatin together with radiation therapy in treating cancer of the oropharynx. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy to see how well they work compared to cisplatin and radiation therapy in treating patients with stage III or stage IV cancer of the oropharynx. 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 whether cisplatin is more effective when combined with paclitaxel or gemcitabine in treating cervical cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of cisplatin combined with paclitaxel to that of cisplatin combined with gemcitabine in treating women who have recurrent, persistent, or metastatic 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. Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy with vaccine therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy with vaccine 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. Interferon alfa may interfere with the growth of cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining more than one drug and combining chemotherapy with interferon alfa, surgery, and/or radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy and interferon alfa followed by surgery and/or radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage I, stage II, or stage III esophageal 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 effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have advanced solid tumors. Read Less