Paclitaxel Treatment Options in Maryland

This study will test the effectiveness of an experimental treatment for peritoneal cancer involving surgical removal of the tumor, perfusion of the abdomen during surgery with a heated solution of the drug cisplatin, and post-surgery combination chemotherapy in the abdomen with fluorouracil (5-FU) and paclitaxel. Patients with certain peritoneal cancer whose tumors are confined to the abdomen may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, including blood tests, electrocardiogram and possibly bone scan, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and chest, abdomen and pelvic CT scans. Participants undergo surgery to remove as much tumor as possible. Part of the intestines, pancreas, stomach or the entire spleen may also be removed if they are affected. During surgery, after the tumor has been removed, two catheters (thin plastic tubes) are placed in the abdomen. A chemotherapy solution containing the anti-cancer drug cisplatin heated to a temperature of about 108.6 degrees (10 degrees above normal body temperature) is then delivered into the abdomen through one catheter and drained through another. During treatment, a drug called sodium thiosulfate is given through a vein to reduce the risk of side effects of cisplatin, particularly kidney damage. After 90 minutes of bathing the abdomen with this solution, the drug is rinsed from the abdomen and the catheters removed. Another small catheter is then placed and left inside the abdomen with one end coming out through the skin. Seven to 12 days after the operation, the anti-cancer drugs 5-FU and paclitaxel are given through this catheter. After complete recovery from the surgery, the catheter is removed and the patient is discharged from the hospital. Clinic visits are scheduled for periodic follow-up examination, imaging, and tests 3 and 6 months after surgery and every 6 months for up to 5 years as long as the disease does not worsen. Patients whose disease progresses are taken off the study and referred back to their local physician or referred for alternative care or other research studies. Patients are also asked to assess how this therapy affects their general health and well being. This will require filling out two quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaires before surgery and again at each follow-up visit after surgery. Each questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete. Read Less

Background: * Carboplatin-paclitaxel is a commonly used chemotherapy combination for advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and other solid tumors. In a randomized clinical trial, the combination of carboplatin, paclitaxel, and the additional chemotherapy drug bevacizumab had a better response rate and survival compared to carboplatin and paclitaxel alone. However, this trial treated only patients with a specific diagnosis and treatment risks. Further research is needed to determine whether this combination is useful for other diagnoses. * YM155 is a drug that targets a type of chemical often found in cancer cells. It has been investigated in several phase I and phase II clinical trials, and it has been shown to be well tolerated and moderately effective in treating advanced NSCLC in patients who had not responded well to one or two standard treatments. Objectives: - To determine the efficacy of the combination of carboplatin, paclitaxel, and YM155 in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. Eligibility: - Individuals 18 years of age and older who have been diagnosed with advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma or other solid tumors for which standard therapy is not likely to be effective. Design: * Before the start of the study, participants will be screened with a medical history, blood tests, imaging scans of the affected areas, tumor biopsies, and other tests as directed by the study doctors. * Participants will be treated for six 21-day cycles, or 18 weeks of treatment. Each cycle will include blood tests and imaging studies as required. * On day 1 of each cycle, participants will receive an infusion of paclitaxel and carboplatin, followed by a 4-day infusion of YM155 (through a portable electronic infusion pump). * Participants will have a computed tomography scan or other imaging every other cycle (approximately every 6 weeks) to determine whether the therapy is affecting the cancer site. * After the sixth cycle, participants will return for follow-up visits at least every 3 months, and will be asked to remain in contact with the researchers to allow further study of the long-term effects of the treatment. 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 purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of CT-322 comparative to bevacizumab, both in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in the treatment of chemonaive subjects with recurrent or advanced non-squamous NSCLC Read Less

The purpose of this study is to assess efficacy and safety of belinostat in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with previously untreated carcinoma of unknown primary. Read Less

The study seeks to assess the safety, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of belinostat (PXD101) administered in combination with carboplatin or paclitaxel or both in patients with solid tumours followed by maximum tolerated dose (MTD) expansion (phase II) in ovarian and bladder cancer patients The clinical trial is now in the MTD (phase II) portion of the study enrolling bladder cancer patients. Enrollment of ovarian patients is complete. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Heating paclitaxel to several degrees above body temperature and infusing it to the affected area around the tumor may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of paclitaxel given by hyperthermic perfusion in treating patients with lung cancer or lung metastases that cannot be removed by surgery. Read Less

RATIONALE: Biological therapy, such as cellular adoptive immunotherapy, may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop tumor cells from growing. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying how well cellular adoptive immunotherapy works in treating a patient who has undergone a donor stem cell transplant for breast cancer that has spread to the lung. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of an oral dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor (GW572016) in combination with paclitaxel compared to paclitaxel alone in first line advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Read Less

This trial will compare the efficacy and toxicity of standard first-line chemotherapy alone vs. standard chemotherapy plus sorafenib in patients with stage III/IV ovarian cancer following cytoreductive surgery. Patients with residual large volume disease and/or bowel involvement will be excluded, to minimize the risk of bowel perforation. Read Less

This randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial will evaluate the impact of adding everolimus to the combination of weekly paclitaxel plus bevacizumab in the first-line treatment of women with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Patients will be randomized (1:1) to receive either paclitaxel/bevacizumab/everolimus (Treatment Arm 1) or paclitaxel/ bevacizumab/placebo (Treatment Arm 2). Patients will be evaluated for response to treatment every 8 weeks; responding and/or stable patients will continue treatment, with re-evaluations every 8 weeks, until tumor progression or intolerable toxicity occurs. Outcomes will be assessed for each treatment arm separately. This trial is not intended to compare treatment arms primarily. Any such analyses are exploratory and will be conducted without adjustment for multiple hypothesis testing. 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