Cisplatin Treatment Options in Baltimore, MD

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells. Giving chemotherapy with an autologous stem cell or bone marrow transplant may allow more chemotherapy to be given so that more cancer cells are killed. Procedures, such as fludeoxyglucose F 18 positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) (done during chemotherapy) may help doctors predict a patient's risk of relapse and help plan the best treatment. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well FDG-PET works in predicting risk of relapse in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who are undergoing combination chemotherapy with or without autologous stem cell or bone marrow transplant. Read Less

This phase II trial is studying how well giving radiation therapy together with cisplatin followed by surgery works in treating patients with locally advanced cancer of the vulva. Drugs used in chemotherapy such as cisplatin 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. Giving chemotherapy with radiation therapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so it can be removed during surgery. Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to : * Determine how effective cisplatin or carboplatin is in slowing the time it takes for ER negative (estrogen-receptor-negative), PR negative (progesterone receptor-negative), HER2 negative (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) breast cancer to progress. Cisplatin and carboplatin are anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs that stop cancer cells from growing abnormally and is used to treat other cancers. * Evaluate a new biomarker to help determine which breast cancers are most likely to respond to cisplatin chemotherapy The hypothesis is that Triple Negative metastatic breast cancer may be particularly sensitive to platinum, and that a subgroup of those patients may have a marker in their tumors that predicts response. Read Less

This phase I/II trial study evaluates the tolerability and best tolerated dose of the PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941 when given with the chemotherapy cisplatin. This study will also examine how well the combination of GDC-0941 and cisplatin work in treating patients with androgen receptor negative triple negative metastatic breast cancer. Patients will be randomized to receive cisplatin alone or cisplatin with GDC-0941 in the phase II portion. Those receiving cisplatin alone can receive GDC-0941 upon progression of their disease. Cisplatin is a chemotherapy which has been shown to be effective in treating triple negative breast cancer. Preclinical studies show that adding a PI3K inhibitor such as GDC-0941 to cisplatin may be a more effective treatment for breast cancer. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial is studying different chemotherapy regimens given with or without radiation therapy to compare how well they work in treating children with newly diagnosed Hodgkin's disease. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving the drugs in different combinations may kill more cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage cancer cells. It is not yet known if chemotherapy is more effective with or without additional chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy in treating Hodgkin's disease. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vinorelbine, cisplatin, docetaxel, gemcitabine, and pemetrexed disodium, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Sometimes after surgery, the tumor may not need more treatment until it progresses. In this case, observation may be sufficient. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy is more effective than observation in treating patients who have undergone surgery for stage I non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying four chemotherapy regimens to see how well they work compared with observation in treating patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

This study is being done to compare a special type of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan with CT scan in patients with surgically removable lung cancer to see which method is more useful in measuring a response to treatment. A PET scan uses small amounts of radioactive material injected into the blood to show the internal workings of the body. In this study, we will use two radioactive materials: 18F-FLT (referred to as FLT) and 18F-FDG (referred to as FDG). FDG is used routinely in the staging of lung cancer and is approved by the FDA for that purpose. FLT is used in the special type of PET scan being assessed by this study. In addition the study will assess the effects of the combination of docetaxel and cisplatin (chemotherapeutic drugs) on certain pathological characteristics of the tumor. The combination of docetaxel and cisplatin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced/metastatic NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer). It is not approved for use in patients who have surgically removable NSCLC. In such cases cisplatin is used as a single drug therapy before surgery. The FDA is allowing the use of docetaxel along with cisplatin in this research study. 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 or combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether fluorouracil and mitomycin plus radiation therapy is more effective than fluorouracil and cisplatin plus radiation therapy for anal cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying fluorouracil and mitomycin plus radiation therapy to see how well it works compared to fluorouracil and cisplatin plus radiation therapy in treating patients with stage II or stage III anal cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known if gemcitabine is more effective when given alone or in combination with another chemotherapy drug in treating cancer of the pancreas. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of gemcitabine given alone or in combination with other chemotherapy drugs in treating patients who have metastatic cancer of the pancreas. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in 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: Randomized phase III trial to compare different combination chemotherapy regimens in treating patients who have advanced bladder 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 whether surgery is more effective with or without chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer of the esophagus. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of surgery with or without combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients who have cancer of the esophagus that can be surgically removed. Read Less

This trial is designed to test the efficacy of fluoxetine to improve patient's quality of life during chemotherapy. An innovative application of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor may modulate the effects of fatigue, anxiety and depression which worsen quality of life. Read Less