Dexamethasone Treatment Options in Vermont

This randomized phase III trial is studying different combination chemotherapy regimens and their side effects and comparing how well they work in treating young patients with newly diagnosed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. 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. It is not yet known which combination chemotherapy regimen is more effective in treating T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. After a common induction therapy, patients were risk assigned and eligible for one or both post-induction randomizations: Escalating dose Methotrexate versus High Dose Methotrexate in Interim Maintenance therapy, No Nelarabine versus Nelarabine in Consolidation therapy. T-ALL patients are risk assigned as Low Risk, Intermediate Risk or High Risk. Low Risk patients are not eligible for the Nelarabine randomization, Patients with CNS disease at diagnosis were assgined to receive High Dose Methotrexate, patients who failed induction therapy were assigned to receive Nelarabine and High Dose Methotrexate. T-LLy patients were all assigned to escalating dose Methotrexate and were risk assigned as Standard Risk, High Risk and induction failures. Standard risk patients did not receive nelarabine, High risk T-LLy patients were randomized to No Nelarabine versus Nelarabine, and Induction failures were assigned to receive Nelarabine. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial studies antiemetic therapy with olanzapine to see how well they work compared to antiemetic therapy alone in preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer receiving highly emetogenic (causes vomiting) chemotherapy. Antiemetic drugs, such as palonosetron hydrochloride, ondansetron, and granisetron hydrochloride, may help lessen or prevent nausea and vomiting in patients treated with chemotherapy. Olanzapine may help prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting by blocking brain receptors that appear to be involved in nausea and vomiting. Read Less

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 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