Cyclophosphamide Treatment Options in New Jersey

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of chemotherapy and a combination of vaccines to treat metastatic breast cancer (breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast) in patients whose cancer cells have a protein called carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) on their surface. Patients who require surgery or radiation therapy, or both, will receive these treatments as well. Patients 18 years of age and older with previously untreated metastatic breast cancer may be eligible for this study. Newly diagnosed patients may not have received prior chemotherapy. Patients previously diagnosed with local disease may have received chemotherapy or radiation therapy at least 18 months before entering the current study. Patients may have received hormonal therapy for stage IV disease. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, x-rays, heart and lung tests, and a test to determine the presence of CEA on their tumor cells. Participants undergo the following procedures: 1. Central venous line: Under local or general anesthesia, an intravenous catheter (plastic tube) is inserted into a major vein in the chest. It is used to give chemotherapy and other medications and to withdraw blood samples. 2. Apheresis: Before beginning treatment and at various times before and after chemotherapy, patients undergo apheresis to collect white blood cells for later re-infusion at the time of immunizations and to evaluate the body's response to the vaccines. For this procedure, blood is collected through the central venous catheter and circulated through a machine that separates the white cells from the rest of the blood. The white cells are removed and frozen for later use. The rest of the blood is returned to the patient through the catheter. 3. First vaccine: Before starting chemotherapy, patients receive one subcutaneous (under the skin) injection of a vaccine called rV-CEA-Tricom, along with subcutaneous injections of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (Sargramostim), a drug that stimulates the bone marrow to release white blood cells and white cell precursors into the bloodstream. 4. Chemotherapy: * Taxol (paclitaxel)/Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide): Patients receive three to five cycles of Taxol and Cytoxan. Taxol is given as a continuous 72-hour intravenous (intravenous (IV), through a vein) infusion and Cytoxan is given daily for 3 days, intravenously, over 1 hour. Cycles are 21 to 42 (usually 28) days. After each cycle, patients also receive growth colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) (a drug that helps boost white cells. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to compare two combinations of drugs, epirubicin given with a taxane (ET) or epirubicin given with cyclophosphamide (cytoxan) and followed by a taxane to see if one of the combinations is better at preventing or delaying the time for breast cancer recurrence and death after 3 years. The study will also evaluate the side effects of both treatment combinations. Read Less

RATIONALE: Umbilical cord blood transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy or radiation therapy that was used to kill cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of allogeneic umbilical cord blood transplantation in treating patients who have leukemia, lymphoma, or nonmalignant hematologic disorders. Read Less

RATIONALE: Umbilical cord blood transplantation may be able to replace cells destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer or other hematologic or metabolic diseases. Read Less

The purpose of this study was to compare disease-free survival after treatment with docetaxel in combination with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide to 5-fluorouracil in combination with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in operable breast cancer patients with positive axillary lymph nodes. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Umbilical cord blood transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy or radiation therapy that was used to kill cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood transplantation plus combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have hematologic cancer or nonmalignant hematologic disease. 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 chemotherapy given before surgery is more effective with or without docetaxel given before or after surgery for breast cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of chemotherapy using doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide with or without docetaxel in treating women who have stage II or stage III breast cancer. Read Less

This research study measures the safety and efficacy of the combination of three drugs that are approved, Nipent, Rituxan and Cytoxan in the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). These drugs are being given together for investigational purposes as the specific combination of these three drugs has not been approved for treatment of CLL by the FDA. Read Less