Paclitaxel Treatment Options in Miami, FL

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy such as cisplatin and paclitaxel use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Cisplatin and paclitaxel may make the tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy and may kill any tumor cells remaining after surgery. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to study the effectiveness of cisplatin, paclitaxel, and radiation therapy with or without fluorouracil in treating patients who have stage IB, stage IIB, or stage IIIB stomach cancer that has been removed during surgery. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy following surgery may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of chemotherapy plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have undergone surgery for stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, carboplatin, and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining combination chemotherapy with radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage IIIA or stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

This randomized phase III trial studies carboplatin, paclitaxel, and sorafenib tosylate to see how well they work compared to carboplatin and paclitaxel in treating patients with stage III or stage IV melanoma that cannot be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Sorafenib tosylate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. It is not yet known whether giving carboplatin and paclitaxel together with sorafenib tosylate is more effective than carboplatin and paclitaxel in treating melanoma. Read Less

The trial investigates the feasibility and efficacy of targeting Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) "driven" by epigenetic changes. The investigators study the impact of 5-azacitidine (Vidaza®, Celgene, Summit, NJ, USA) in combination with conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy in a sequential fashion. The study population consists of all NSCLC patients who undergo "curative" lung cancer resection and whose tumors harbor hypermethylation in any of the protocol-specific genes (samples will be banked for additional molecular testing including other 21 loci which have shown to be important in lung carcinogenesis. Read Less

RATIONALE: Amifostine may be an effective treatment for the toxic side effects caused by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy and radiation therapy are more effective with or without amifostine for non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of amifostine in treating patients who have stage II or stage III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be surgically removed and who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Read Less

"Elesclomol (STA-4783), N-malonyl-bis (N'-methyl-N'-thiobenzoylhydrazide) is a new chemical entity with a novel structure. STA-4783 induces an oxidative stress response in cells. This response is characterized by increased production of gene families that protect against different cellular stresses, including excessive heat, the presence of reactive oxygen species such as oxygen radicals, or the presence of heavy metals. Subjects will participate in up to 2 weeks of screening during which time they will complete all screening procedures. Eligible subjects who have not received any prior cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent for melanoma will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either STA-4783 213 mg/m2 in combination with paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 or paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 alone. One treatment cycle will consist of weekly treatments for 3 weeks, followed by a 1-week rest period. Cycles will be repeated every 4 weeks until disease progression. Tumor assessments will be performed every 8 weeks from the date of randomization or sooner if the Investigator suspects progression has occurred based on clinical signs and symptoms. " Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Specialized radiation therapy delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor which may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy and specialized high-dose radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage II or stage III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Read Less

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy plus paclitaxel in treating patients who have nonmetastatic, unresectable pancreatic cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus radiation therapy with and without fluorouracil in treating patients who have cancer of the esophagus or stomach. Read Less

This study will compare the cancer response to both treatments for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer Read Less

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cisplatin and paclitaxel may make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) and giving them with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving radiation therapy together with combination chemotherapy is more effective than giving combination chemotherapy alone in treating head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy and combination chemotherapy to see how well they work compared to combination chemotherapy alone in treating patients with recurrent head and neck cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Read Less