Dexamethasone Treatment Options in Vermont

This randomized phase III trial studies bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone to see how well they work compared to carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone in treating patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Bortezomib and carfilzomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Lenalidomide may help the immune system kill abnormal blood cells or cancer cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as dexamethasone, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone are more or less effective than carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone in treating patients with multiple myeloma Read Less

This phase II trial studies the effect of nivolumab in combination with blinatumomab compared to blinatumomab alone in treating patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) that has come back (relapsed). Down syndrome patients with relapsed B-ALL are included in this study. Blinatumomab is an antibody, which is a protein that identifies and targets specific molecules in the body. Blinatumomab searches for and attaches itself to the cancer cell. Once attached, an immune response occurs which may kill the cancer cell. Nivolumab is a medicine that may boost a patient's immune system. Giving nivolumab in combination with blinatumomab may cause the cancer to stop growing for a period of time, and for some patients, it may lessen the symptoms, such as pain, that are caused by the cancer. Read Less

This phase III trial studies combination chemotherapy with or without lestaurtinib with to see how well they work in treating younger patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of stop cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Lestaurtinib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy is more effective with or without lestaurtinib in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Read Less

Fetal complete (i.e., third degree, 3°) atrioventricular block (AVB), identified in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy in an otherwise normally developing heart, is almost universally associated with maternal anti-Ro autoantibodies and results in death in a fifth of cases. To date treatment of 3° AVB has been ineffective in restoring normal rhythm (NR) which may be because current surveillance is limited to once- weekly fetal echocardiograms. It is hypothesized that there may be a vital transition period of several hours in which incomplete block (2° AVB) may be successfully treated avoiding fully advanced irreversible 3° AVB. To optimize the likelihood of timely detection of the transition period this study comprises three steps: 1) to risk stratify for high titer anti-Ro antibodies, which are necessary but not sufficient to develop fetal AVB; 2) to empower mothers to identify 2° AVB by using fetal heart rate and rhythm monitoring (FHRM) at home, and 3) to rapidly treat mothers who detect an abnormality by monitoring with an urgent echocardiogram that confirms 2° AVB with the hope of reversing 2° AVB before it becomes permanent (3° AVB). In addition, it will be determined if FHRM reduces the need for weekly echoes. Although mothers with low titer anti-Ro will not be continued in Step 2 and therefore not followed by FHRM, birth ECGs will be collected to confirm that low titer antibodies do not confer risk. It is anticipated that this study will provide an evidenced based surveillance strategy for those mothers at high risk of having a child with 3° AVB. Read Less

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Colony-stimulating factors such as filgrastim may increase the numbers of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood and may help a person's immune system recover from the side effects of chemotherapy. Combining chemotherapy with rituximab and filgrastim may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining rituximab with chemotherapy and filgrastim in treating patients who have Burkitt's lymphoma or Burkitt's leukemia. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Some tumors become resistant to chemotherapy drugs. Combining PSC 833 with chemotherapy may reduce resistance to the drug, and allow more tumor cells to be killed. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy plus PSC 833 is more effective than combination chemotherapy alone in treating patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with or without PSC 833 in treating patients with relapsed or 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. Combining more than one drug may kill more cancer cells. It is not yet known which regimen of combination chemotherapy is more effective for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is comparing different regimens of combination chemotherapy to see how well they work in treating children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 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. It is not yet known which regimen of chemotherapy is more effective for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is comparing four regimens of combination chemotherapy to see how well they work in treating children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Read Less

This phase II clinical trial studies how well dasatinib followed by stem cell transplant works in treating older patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Dasatinib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant stops the growth of cancer cells by stopping them from dividing or killing them. Monoclonal antibodies, such as alemtuzumab, may interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) and giving dasatinib together with chemotherapy may kill more cancer cells. Read Less

RATIONALE: Androgens can cause the growth of prostate cancer cells. Hormone therapy using drugs, such as leuprolide, goserelin, flutamide, or bicalutamide, may fight prostate cancer by lowering the amount of androgens the body makes. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel and prednisone, 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 whether giving hormone therapy and radiation therapy together with chemotherapy is more effective than giving hormone therapy together with radiation therapy in treating prostate cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying hormone therapy and radiation therapy followed by docetaxel and prednisone to see how well it works compared to hormone therapy and radiation therapy in treating patients with localized prostate cancer. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects, good and/or bad, of a standard chemotherapy regimen for AML that includes the drugs daunorubicin and cytarabine combined with or without midostaurin (also known as PKC412), to find out which is better. This research is being done because it is unknown whether the addition of midostaurin to chemotherapy treatment is better than chemotherapy treatment alone. Midostaurin has been tested in over 400 patients and is being studied in a number of illnesses, including AML, colon cancer, and lung cancer. Midostaurin blocks an enzyme, produced by a gene known as FLT3, that may have a role in the survival and growth of AML cells. Not all leukemia cells will have the abnormal FLT3 gene. This study will focus only on patients with leukemia cells with the abnormal FLT3 gene. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial compares ixazomib citrate, lenalidomide, dexamethasone and zoledronic acid with zoledronic acid alone to see how well they work when given after radiation therapy in treating patients with solitary plasmacytoma of bone. Ixazomib citrate may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Lenalidomide may help the immune system kill abnormal blood cells or cancer cells. Dexamethasone is a drug used in chemotherapy that may cause tumor cells to die. Zoledronic acid may prevent bone fractures and reduce bone pain, and may also improve survival. Standard treatment for this cancer is radiation therapy alone. It is not yet known whether ixazomib citrate, lenalidomide, dexamethasone and zoledronic acid or zoledronic acid alone is more effective, and whether adding these treatments after radiation therapy is more effective than radiation therapy alone in treating patients with solitary plasmacytoma of bone. Read Less