Dexamethasone Treatment Options in Minnesota

The purpose of this study is to determine the maximum tolerated dose and effectiveness of the study drug (CC-4047) Alone Or in Combination With Low-dose Dexamethasone as treatment for patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving more than one drug may kill more cancer cells. It is not yet known which combination chemotherapy regimen is more effective in treating childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is comparing different combination chemotherapy regimens to see how well they work in treating children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Read Less

The purpose of this network is to accelerate research in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation by comparing novel therapies to existing ones. Read Less

In this study researchers want to find out more about the side effects of a new drug for Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) blastic phase (BP) and if this disease will respond better to nilotinib combined with standard hyper-CVAD therapy rather than hyper-CVAD alone. Hyper-CVAD is a combination of cyclophosphamide, mesna, vincristine (vincristine sulfate), doxorubicin (doxorubicin hydrochloride), dexamethasone, methotrexate, cytarabine, and rituximab (only for patients with cluster of differentiation \[CD\]20 positive disease). Researchers don't know all the ways that this drug may affect people Read Less

RATIONALE: Antiemetic drugs, such as granisetron, dexamethasone, prochlorperazine, aprepitant, and palonosetron, may help lessen or prevent nausea. It is not yet known which combination of antiemetic drugs is more effective in preventing nausea caused by chemotherapy. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is comparing different combinations of granisetron, dexamethasone, prochlorperazine, aprepitant, and palonosetron to see how well they work in preventing nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Read Less

To compare the efficacy of combination oral thalidomide plus oral dexamethasone treatment to that of oral dexamethasone-alone treatments as induction (first-line) therapy for subjects with active multiple myeloma Read Less

This phase I trial studies the side effects and the best dose of temsirolimus when given together with dexamethasone, mitoxantrone hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, and pegaspargase in treating young patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Temsirolimus may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as dexamethasone, mitoxantrone hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, and pegaspargase work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving temsirolimus with combination chemotherapy may be and effective treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial compares bortezomib, dexamethasone, and lenalidomide with bortezomib and dexamethasone to see how well they work in treating patients with multiple myeloma previously treated with dexamethasone. Bortezomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as dexamethasone, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Lenalidomide may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop cancer cells from growing. It is not yet known whether giving bortezomib and dexamethasone is more effective with or without lenalidomide in treating multiple myeloma. Read Less

Neutropenia, a condition characterized by an abnormally low number of infection-fighting white blood cells called neutrophils, commonly develops in people who have undergone chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. The severely reduced immunity of those with neutropenia can put them at risk of entry of life-threatening infections, making the implementation of treatments that increase white blood cell numbers important. Several studies have shown that the transfusion of donor granulocytes, a type of white blood cell that includes neutrophils, is effective in promoting the recovery of adequate numbers of granulocytes. However, granulocyte transfusions can cause side effects, and it is not known whether the success of the therapy outweighs the health risks of the side effects. This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of granulocyte transfusions in treating people with a bacterial or fungal infection during neutropenia. Read Less

This is a phase III study designed to demonstrate the superiority of single-dose 90 mg intravenous (IV) casopitant over placebo, each in combination with ondansetron and dexamethasone, for the prevention of emesis over the first 0-120 hours (overall phase) following initiation of the cisplatin infusion in the first cycle of highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). Eligibility is limited to subjects who are scheduled to receive their first cycle of chemotherapy which includes at least 60 mg/m2 of cisplatin administered on Day 1 only of a 21 day or 28 day cycle. All subjects will receive IV ondansetron and oral dexamethasone on Day 1 prior to initiation of the cisplatin infusion, followed by oral dexamethasone on Days 2-4. Additionally, subjects will be randomized to receive single-dose 90 mg IV casopitant or matching placebo prior to initiation of a cisplatin-based HEC regimen. Read Less

This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy together with alemtuzumab works in treating patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies, such as alemtuzumab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Giving combination chemotherapy together with alemtuzumab may kill more cancer cells. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage cancer cells. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy and kill more cancer cells. It is not yet known which treatment regimen is more effective for multiple myeloma. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of melphalan, total-body irradiation, and peripheral stem cell transplantation with that of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have previously untreated multiple myeloma. Read Less