Paclitaxel Treatment Options in Maine

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to the usual treatment (conventional image guided radiation therapy \[IGRT\] and chemotherapy followed by immunotherapy with durvalumab or osimertinib) versus the usual treatment alone in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) and cannot be treated by surgery (inoperable). SBRT uses special equipment to position a patient and deliver radiation to tumors with high precision. This method may kill tumor cells with fewer doses over a shorter period and cause less damage to normal tissue. IGRT is a type of radiation that uses a computer to create a picture of the tumor, to help guide the radiation beam during therapy, making it more accurate and causing less damage to healthy tissue. Usual chemotherapy used in this trial consists of combinations of the following drugs: cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel, nab-paclitaxel, pemetrexed, and etoposide. Cisplatin and carboplatin are in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. Cisplatin works by killing, stopping, or slowing the growth of tumor cells. Carboplatin works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping, or slowing the growth of tumor cells as well. Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called antimicrotubule agents. It works by stopping the growth and spread of tumor cells. Nab-paclitaxel is an albumin-stabilized nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel which may have fewer side effects and work better than other forms of paclitaxel. Pemetrexed is in a class of medications called antifolate antineoplastic agents. It works by blocking the action of a certain substance in the body that may help tumor cells multiply. Etoposide is in a class of medications known as podophyllotoxin derivatives. It blocks a certain enzyme needed for cell division and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair and may kill tumor cells. Immunotherapy with durvalumab, may induce changes in the body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Osimertinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of a protein called EGFR that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps slow or stop the spread of tumor cells. Adding SBRT to the usual treatment of IGRT with chemotherapy and immunotherapy may be more effective at treating patients with locally-advanced non-small cell lung cancer than giving the usual treatment alone. Read Less

This research study is studying how well newly diagnosed breast cancer that has tested positive for a protein called HER2 responds using one of two different combination of HER2-directed therapies as a treatment after surgery. The name of the study drugs involved are: * Trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1, Kadcyla) * Trastuzumab SC (Herceptin Hylecta) * Paclitaxel Read Less

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm study will assess the safety and efficacy of pertuzumab in addition to chemotherapy plus trastuzumab as adjuvant therapy in participants with operable HER2-positive primary breast cancer. This study will be carried out in collaboration with the Breast International Group (BIG). Read Less

This phase II trial studies how well ramucirumab and paclitaxel or the FOLFIRI regimen (leucovorin calcium, fluorouracil, and irinotecan hydrochloride) work in treating patients with small bowel cancers that have spread extensively to other anatomic sites (advanced) or are no longer responding to treatment (refractory). Ramucirumab is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to and inhibits a molecule called VEGFR-2. This may restrain new blood vessel formation therefore reducing nutrient supply to tumor which may interfere with tumor cell growth and expansion. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, leucovorin calcium, fluorouracil, and irinotecan hydrochloride work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving Ramucirumab plus paclitaxel or FOLFIRI, may be helpful in treating advanced or refractory small bowel cancers and may help patients live longer. Read Less

This randomized phase III clinical trial studies chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab after surgery to see how well they work in treating women with invasive breast cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) and giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill more tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy is more effective with trastuzumab in treating breast cancer. Read Less

The goal of the study is to learn whether Niraparib or Platinum-Taxane Doublet chemotherapy is better in treating participants with Homologous Recombination Deficient (HRd) Stage III/IV Ovarian Cancer (OC). This study is a sub-study of the Master protocol -OPAL (NCT03574779) Read Less

This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of niraparib and novel treatment combinations of niraparib as described within each cohort-specific supplement in participants with ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. Cohort A (single arm) includes participants with recurrent ovarian cancer. Cohort B will not be initiated. Cohort C (randomized-2 arms) includes participants with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer. Read Less

This phase III trial studies how well gemcitabine hydrochloride and cisplatin given with or without nab-paclitaxel work in treating patients with newly diagnosed biliary tract cancers that have spread to other places in the body. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine hydrochloride, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not known if giving gemcitabine hydrochloride and cisplatin with or without nab-paclitaxel may work better at treating biliary tract cancers. Read Less

This phase III trial studies how well letrozole with or without paclitaxel and carboplatin works in treating patients with stage II-IV low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary, fallopian tube, or peritoneum. Letrozole is an enzyme inhibitor that lowers the amount of estrogen made by the body which in turn may stop the growth of tumor cells that need estrogen to grow. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether giving letrozole alone or in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin works better in treating patients with low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary, fallopian tube, or peritoneum compared to paclitaxel and carboplatin without letrozole. Read Less

This randomized phase II trial studies how well chemotherapy and radiation therapy given with or without metformin hydrochloride works in treating patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer. 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, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Metformin hydrochloride may shrink tumors and keep them from coming back. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy and radiation therapy is more effective when given with or without metformin hydrochloride in treating stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Read Less

This trial studies how well paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab work in eliminating further chemotherapy after surgery in patients with HER2-positive stage II-IIIa breast cancer who have no cancer remaining at surgery (either in the breast or underarm lymph nodes) after pre-operative chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Trastuzumab and pertuzumab are both a form of "targeted therapy" because they work by attaching themselves to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of tumor cells, known as HER2 receptors. When these drugs attach to HER2 receptors, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the tumor cell may be marked for destruction by the body's immune system. Giving paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab may enable fewer chemotherapy drugs to be given without compromising patient outcomes compared to the usual treatment. Read Less

This phase II ComboMATCH treatment trial evaluates nilotinib with paclitaxel for the treatment of patients with solid cancers that are growing, spreading, or getting worse (progressive) and that have previously been treated with taxane therapies. Nilotinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by binding to and blocking the action of a protein called ABL, which signals tumor cells to multiply. This helps slow or stop the proliferation of tumor cells. Paclitaxel is a drug that blocks cell growth by stopping cell division and it may kill tumor cells. Giving nilotinib with paclitaxel may be effective at treating patients with progressive solid cancers that have previously been treated with taxane therapies. Read Less