Cisplatin Treatment Options in North Dakota

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy (RT) uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Giving radiation therapy in different ways and combining it with chemotherapy before surgery may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which radiation therapy regimen combined with chemotherapy with or without surgery is more effective for head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare two different radiation therapy regimens combined with cisplatin with or without surgery 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, and giving them after surgery, may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy, consisting of paclitaxel and cisplatin, given after surgery in treating patients with cancer of the esophagus or stomach. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Monoclonal antibodies can locate cancer cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. It is not yet known whether cisplatin plus monoclonal antibody therapy is more effective than cisplatin alone for metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized double-blinded phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of cisplatin with or without monoclonal antibody in treating patients who have metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. 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. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving paclitaxel, cisplatin, and cetuximab together with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying paclitaxel, cisplatin, and cetuximab to see how well they work when followed by cetuximab and two different doses of intensity-modulated radiation therapy in treating patients with HPV-associated stage III or stage IV cancer of the oropharynx that can be removed by 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. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of two different regimens combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Read Less

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as etoposide, carboplatin and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known which radiation therapy regimen is more effective when given together with chemotherapy in treating patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer. This randomized phase III trial is comparing different chest radiation therapy regimens to see how well they work in treating patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial is studying combination chemotherapy followed by surgery and two different combination chemotherapy regimens with or without PEG-interferon alfa-2b to compare how well they work in treating patients with osteosarcoma. 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. Biological therapies, such as PEG-interferon alfa-2b, may interfere with the growth of tumor cells. Giving combination chemotherapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so it can be removed. Giving combination chemotherapy together with PEG-interferon alfa-2b after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving combination therapy together with PEG-interferon alfa-2b is more effective than two different combination chemotherapy regimens alone after surgery in treating osteosarcoma. Read Less

This randomized phase I/II trial studies the side effects and best dose of veliparib when given together with or without cisplatin and etoposide and to see how well they work in treating patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer or large cell neuroendocrine non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and etoposide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Veliparib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving cisplatin and etoposide with or without veliparib may work better in treating patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer or metastatic large cell neuroendocrine non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

This phase III trial is studying how well radiation therapy, amifostine, and chemotherapy work in treating young patients with newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs, such as amifostine, may protect normal cells from the side effects of radiation therapy. 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. Giving radiation therapy together with amifostine and chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. Read Less

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of pembrolizumab when given together with cisplatin and intensity-modulated radiation therapy, in treating patients with stage III-IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may block tumor growth in different ways by targeting certain cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving pembrolizumab with cisplatin and intensity-modulated radiation therapy may work better in treating patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel and cisplatin, 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. 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 stop the growth of esophageal cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor. It is not yet known whether giving paclitaxel and cisplatin together with radiation therapy is more effective with or without cetuximab in treating esophageal cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is comparing how well giving paclitaxel and cisplatin together with radiation therapy works with or without cetuximab in treating patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. 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. Cisplatin may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. 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. Giving radiation therapy and cisplatin together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy and cisplatin are more effective with or without cetuximab in treating head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy, cisplatin, and cetuximab to see how well they work compared to radiation therapy and cisplatin in treating patients with stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer. Read Less