Cisplatin Treatment Options

RATIONALE: 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 also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for their growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and irinotecan, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving cetuximab together with cisplatin and irinotecan may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving cetuximab together with cisplatin and irinotecan works in treating patients with metastatic esophageal cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, or gastric cancer that did not respond to previous irinotecan and cisplatin. Read Less

This study has been designed to evaluate whether "anti-angiogenesis" therapy with thalidomide and whether additional chemotherapy after transplant will be beneficial. Another objective is to find out what kinds of side effects occur with this combination of treatment and how often they occur. Read Less

This study will test the effectiveness of an experimental treatment for peritoneal cancer involving surgical removal of the tumor, perfusion of the abdomen during surgery with a heated solution of the drug cisplatin, and post-surgery combination chemotherapy in the abdomen with fluorouracil (5-FU) and paclitaxel. Patients with certain peritoneal cancer whose tumors are confined to the abdomen may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, including blood tests, electrocardiogram and possibly bone scan, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and chest, abdomen and pelvic CT scans. Participants undergo surgery to remove as much tumor as possible. Part of the intestines, pancreas, stomach or the entire spleen may also be removed if they are affected. During surgery, after the tumor has been removed, two catheters (thin plastic tubes) are placed in the abdomen. A chemotherapy solution containing the anti-cancer drug cisplatin heated to a temperature of about 108.6 degrees (10 degrees above normal body temperature) is then delivered into the abdomen through one catheter and drained through another. During treatment, a drug called sodium thiosulfate is given through a vein to reduce the risk of side effects of cisplatin, particularly kidney damage. After 90 minutes of bathing the abdomen with this solution, the drug is rinsed from the abdomen and the catheters removed. Another small catheter is then placed and left inside the abdomen with one end coming out through the skin. Seven to 12 days after the operation, the anti-cancer drugs 5-FU and paclitaxel are given through this catheter. After complete recovery from the surgery, the catheter is removed and the patient is discharged from the hospital. Clinic visits are scheduled for periodic follow-up examination, imaging, and tests 3 and 6 months after surgery and every 6 months for up to 5 years as long as the disease does not worsen. Patients whose disease progresses are taken off the study and referred back to their local physician or referred for alternative care or other research studies. Patients are also asked to assess how this therapy affects their general health and well being. This will require filling out two quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaires before surgery and again at each follow-up visit after surgery. Each questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete. Read Less

Standard chemotherapy drugs generally work by killing rapidly dividing cells in your body. Cancers cells are some of the most rapidly dividing cells and that is why chemotherapy can be effective in some patients. Gemcitabine and Cisplatin are an effective and standard drug combination used to treat locally advanced and metastatic urothelial cancer. However, these drugs do not shrink tumors in all patients and when they do, it is generally for a limited amount of time. This has led scientists to look for different ways to treat cancer. New drugs have been developed to treat cancer that work differently than standard chemotherapy drugs. These drugs attempt to decrease the blood supply to tumors. By doing so, this may limit the tumor's source of oxygen and nutrients and prevent the tumor from growing. Sorafenib is an example of a drug that works in this way. In some patients with advanced kidney cancer, sorafenib alone has been shown to slow the progression of their disease. The purpose of this study is to find out what effects, good and/or bad, the combination of gemcitabine, cisplatin, and sorafenib has on you and your 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. Biological therapies such as gefitinib may interfere with the growth of the tumor cells and slow the growth of the tumor. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy with gefitinib before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to compare the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with or without gefitinib in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for stage III non-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. 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 II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients with stage III or stage IV cancer of the hypopharynx or tongue. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor 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 patients who have advanced cancer. Read Less

This is a non-randomized open-label investigator initiated pilot study comparing follow-up therapy of advanced head and neck cancer subjects initially treated with triple induction chemotherapy. Subjects will receive surgical treatment or combined chemoradiation therapy based on the subject's apparent clinical response. Spared use of radiation therapy for selective patients who have a complete response to induction chemotherapy could improve well being of this patient population without compromising survival. Read Less

The proposed study is a first-in-human pilot of a novel anti-cancer strategy: Metnase inhibition to potentiate DNA damaging chemotherapy. The investigators will conduct serial tumor biopsies in subjects with HNSCC at three timepoints: baseline, after cisplatin, and after cisplatin-raltegravir. The investigators will investigate immunohistochemical expression changes of γH2AX, Chk2, and Annexin V, three biomarkers of DNA damage and apoptosis. The study is designed to identify an intermediate signal of the potentiation of cisplatin chemotherapy by raltegravir in HNSCC, which will justify a future phase I/II study. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving chemotherapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving chemotherapy before and after surgery works in treating patients with osteosarcoma. Read Less

Nelfinavir will increase the efficacy of Cisplatin based chemo- radiation therapy for locally advanced cervical cancer. Read Less

This is a phase II study comparing the effects of lapatinib versus placebo when administered concurrently with cisplatin and radiotherapy followed by 1 year monotherapy with lapatinib or placebo. The study is designed to evaluate and compare the two treatment groups with respect to complete response rate at 6 months following chemoradiation completion. Read Less