Cisplatin Treatment Options in Iowa

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 radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of cisplatin and radiation therapy in treating patients with stage IV cancer of the head and neck. 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. Chemoprotective drugs such as dexrazoxane may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: Phase III trial to study the effectiveness of three combination chemotherapy regimens plus dexrazoxane in treating patients who have newly diagnosed nonmetastatic osteosarcoma. 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. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which chemotherapy regimen is more effective when combined with radiation therapy for treating medulloblastoma. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare two combination chemotherapy treatments plus radiation therapy in treating children with newly diagnosed medulloblastoma. 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. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the side effects and best dose of zoledronic acid when given together with combination chemotherapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed metastatic osteosarcoma. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctors to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating infants with malignant brain or spinal cord 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. It is not yet known which treatment regimen is more effective for endometrial cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare radiation therapy with chemotherapy in treating patients who have advanced endometrial 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. It is not yet known if chemotherapy plus radiation therapy is more effective than radiation therapy alone in treating patients with advanced cancer of the larynx. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy in treating patients with advanced cancer of the larynx. 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. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy plus cisplatin is more effective than radiation therapy alone in treating patients with head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of radiation therapy plus cisplatin with radiation therapy alone in treating patients with head and neck cancer that has been 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. It is not known whether high-dose radiation therapy is more effective than standard dose radiation therapy in treating cancer of the esophagus. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus high- or standard-dose radiation therapy in treating patients with cancer of the esophagus. 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 cisplatin, etoposide, and docetaxel, 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 cisplatin and etoposide with radiation therapy may shrink the tumor so it can be removed by surgery. Giving docetaxel after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving chemoradiotherapy together with cisplatin and etoposide followed by surgery and docetaxel works in treating patients with newly diagnosed Pancoast tumors, a type of non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

This study is testing the investigational drug, cetuximab, in combination with different chemotherapy drugs for lung cancer. The aim of the study is to determine which of the drug combinations looks most promising and should be tested further. The study will also look at what side effects may occur. Read Less