Dexamethasone Treatment Options in Maryland

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome and dexamethasone, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Bortezomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving bortezomib together with combination chemotherapy may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome together with bortezomib and dexamethasone works in treating patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or acute lymphocytic leukemia. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ocular iontophoresis with dexamethasone phosphate ophthalmic solution EGP-437 using the EyeGate® II Drug Delivery System (EGDS) compared to prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension (1%) in patients with non-infectious anterior segment uveitis. Read Less

Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy following chemotherapy in treating children with CNS relapse from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more cancer cells. Read Less

The purpose of this is to test the safety and effectiveness of an investigational chemotherapy agent in patients with persistent or recurrent endometrial cancer. Read Less

This is a Phase III trial designed to demonstrate that casopitant (GW679769) plus dexamethasone and ondansetron is more effective in the prevention of vomiting than dexamethasone and ondansetron alone following the administration of moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. Read Less

The current study is being conducted to evaluate the possibility that a different schedule of bortezomib, doxorubicin HCl liposome, and dexamethasone might decrease the incidence of peripheral neuropathy yet maintain similar efficacy and allow maintenance of bortezomib dosing for a longer period. Read Less

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and minimal change disease are kidney diseases that are associated with increased excretion of protein in the urine. Approximately half of FSGS patients will lose kidney function within 8 years of diagnosis and will require dialysis. The purpose of this study is to determine whether intermittent oral steroid therapy can cause sustained remission of FSGS and MCD. Approximately 70 participants, including adults and children older than age 2, will be enrolled in this study. They will receive 48 doses of oral dexamethasone over a period of 48 weeks. One group will take two daily doses every 2 weeks; the other group will take four daily doses every 4 weeks. Doctors will monitor participants before, during, and after the steroid treatment with extensive exams and testing. At the completion of the study, researchers will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the drug treatment. Read Less

Subjects who qualify for participation will receive lenalidomide with or without dexamethasone in 4 week cycles until disease progression is documented or lenalidomide becomes commercially available for the indication of multiple myeloma. Read Less

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of lenalidomide (Revlimid ®) in combination with dexamethasone in subjects with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Read Less

This study will examine the feasibility of giving cell growth stimulants to granulocyte donors the same day of donation rather than the day before. People who donate granulocytes (infection-fighting white blood cells) for transfusion to patients with severe white cell deficiencies are often given a steroid called dexamethasone and a growth factor called G-CSF the day before donation. These drugs stimulate white cell production, allowing many more cells to be collected than would otherwise be possible. A single dose of G-CSF given to healthy people increases their white cells counts by four to five times the next day. It would be preferable, however, to give G-CSF the same day of donation, if possible. Therefore, this study will measure white cell counts in healthy people at various intervals after being injected with G-CSF alone and G-CSF with dexamethasone. The study will compare the following: granulocyte counts at seven different intervals after injection of the drug or drugs; the effects of G-CSF injected through a vein or under the skin; and the effects of giving G-CSF alone or with dexamethasone. Each participant will undergo four procedures, each four weeks apart as follows: donate a small blood sample; receive an injection of G-CSF under the skin or into a vein; and take either two dexamethasone tablets or two placebo tablets. Small blood samples will then be drawn 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours after the drugs are given. Participants will answer questions about how they feel before the drugs are given and at the various intervals after taking the drugs. Read Less

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of dexamethasone 0.01% solution in treating pain associated with oral lichen planus, a chronic disease that causes painful ulcers inside the mouth. The cause of lichen planus not known, but it may be related to an allergic or immune reaction. This study will examine what causes the disease, the pain associated with it, its impact on patients' lives and the use of dexamethasone to treat it. Patients 12 or older with severe oral lichen planus may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with blood tests and a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and provide tissues for research purposes. For the biopsy, two small circles of tissue, each about 4 mm (1/5 inch) across, are surgically removed. Participants are randomly assigned to rinse their mouth with either a dexamethasone solution or placebo (a rinse with no active ingredient) four times a day for 4 weeks. During this period they may not use any oral or topical pain or anti-inflammatory medications except diphenhydramine 12.5 mg/5 ml (a topical numbing medicine) and Tylenol, both which are provided by the study. Patients come to the NIH Clinical Center for three 1-hour visits (once every two weeks) and once more 4 weeks after the study medications are stopped. At the first three visits patients submit a pain diary in which they have recorded information on pain levels, and they are checked for any medication side effects. On the third visit (the last day they take the study drug) they are also tested for adrenal suppression that may have resulted from taking the steroid rinse. For this test they are given an injection of a drug called synacthen and after 1 hour, a blood sample is drawn. Patients return for a final visit 1 month later to determine if their disease returns or improves after the medication is stopped. Read Less