Cisplatin Treatment Options in New Jersey

This phase II trial is studying how well giving bevacizumab together with cisplatin, radiation therapy, and fluorouracil works in treating patients with stage IIB, stage III, stage IVA, or stage IVB nasopharyngeal cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, 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. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of nasopharyngeal cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as 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 bevacizumab together with chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. Read Less

RATIONALE: Growth factors, such as palifermin, may lessen the severity of mucositis, or mouth sores, in patients receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. It is not yet known whether palifermin is more effective than a placebo in lessening mucositis in patients receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying palifermin to see how well it works compared to a placebo in lessening oral mucositis in patients undergoing radiation therapy and chemotherapy for locally advanced 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 more than one chemotherapy drug with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving cisplatin and etoposide together with radiation therapy works in treating patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer. 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

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of intraperitoneal paclitaxel when given together with doxorubicin hydrochloride and cisplatin in treating patients with stage III-IV endometrial cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin hydrochloride, 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 more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) and giving them in different ways may kill more tumor cells. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test the safety of study drug LDE225 at different dose levels. The investigators will be testing three different dose levels and the dose will depend on when the patients enters the study and which dose is being tested at that time. At the same time, the investigators will also be testing the safety of LDE225 in combination with etoposide and cisplatin. The investigators also want to learn more about how to manage side effects the patient may develop during chemotherapy. Cancer patients may develop side effects during treatment, such as nausea, pain, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, or shortness of breath. These symptoms may be due to the cancer itself, or due to treatments. Doctors and nurses often ask patients about their symptoms, because an important part of cancer treatment is to make patients feel as well as possible. If patients do not feel well, the investigators may need to change the way they are treating the patients or prescribe therapies that will decrease their symptoms. The best way to find out how the patient is feeling is to ask them directly. The investigators are interested in developing new ways to ask patients about how they are feeling, using the Internet. A special new website called STAR ("Symptom Tracking and Reporting for Patients") has been developed to help patients record this information, so that their doctors and nurses can review it during clinic appointments. This study is designed to help us see if STAR is a helpful way for us to keep track of information about patients' symptoms and quality of life. The information from STAR is going to be placed on a very secure Internet site. This will provide your doctor with all of the information needed to determine if this drug combination is safe enough for you and whether to continue it. 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

This is a pilot study looking at using stereotactic radiosurgery and full dose chemotherapy to treat stage II and III lung cancer that is not amendable to surgical resection. 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 such as paclitaxel, fluorouracil, and 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. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well combination chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy, with or without surgery, works in treating patients with resectable locally advanced cancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction. Read Less

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Giving radiation therapy in different ways may cause less damage to normal tissue, prevent or lessen mouth dryness, and may help patients live more comfortably. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of specialized radiation therapy techniques with or without chemotherapy in reducing mouth dryness in patients who have nasopharyngeal cancer. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of combining chemotherapy at different doses with a specific type of radiation therapy delivered to the entire lining of the lung to find out what effects, if any, it has on people. This radiation technique is called pleural intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT specifically targets the lining of the lung (pleura) where the cancer is and reduces the risk of damaging the lung itself. When given after chemotherapy, pleural IMRT has demonstrated promising results with respect to keeping mesothelioma under control longer. However, the investigators want to determine if giving pleural IMRT at the same time as chemotherapy is safe. If safe, further studies will be done to see if chemotherapy and pleural IMRT given at the same time keeps the tumor under control for a longer period of time than chemotherapy followed by pleural IMRT. Read Less