Paclitaxel Treatment Options in North Carolina

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Paclitaxel and cisplatin may increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy by making the tumor cells more sensitive to radiation. 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 I/II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy to the pelvis plus paclitaxel and cisplatin in treating patients who have cervical cancer. Read Less

This study is designed to determine the clinical efficacy and toxicity of ABT-869 in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in the treatment of subjects with advanced or metastatic NSCLC. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells and decrease the need for surgery. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy followed by observation or surgery to remove the bladder (cystectomy) in treating patients who have stage II or stage III cancer of the urothelium. Read Less

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from tumor tissue may make the body build an immune response and kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy in treating patients who have stage III or stage IV ovarian epithelial cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Estrogen can stimulate the growth of tumor cells. Hormone therapy using tamoxifen and megestrol may fight endometrial cancer by blocking the absorption of estrogen. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy is more effective than hormone therapy in treating endometrial cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with that of hormone therapy in treating patients who have recurrent, stage III, or stage IV endometrial cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Chemoprotective drugs, such as amifostine, may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of amifostine in reducing the risk of side effects caused by cisplatin and paclitaxel in treating women who have ovarian, peritoneal, cervical, fallopian tube, uterine, or endometrial cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to kill tumor cells. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy alone is more effective than chemotherapy plus peripheral stem cell transplantation for ovarian epithelial cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of paclitaxel and carboplatin with that of carboplatin, mitoxantrone, and cyclophosphamide followed by peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have persistent stage III or stage IV ovarian epithelial cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of paclitaxel in treating patients who have recurrent or persistent ovarian epithelial cancer or primary peritoneal cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine, 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving chemotherapy together with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of capecitabine when given together with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and radiation therapy in treating patients with esophageal cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer. Read Less

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. Colony-stimulating factors such as filgrastim may increase the number 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. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy plus filgrastim in treating patients who have previously untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Read Less

Patients enrolled on this study will have been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer which cannot be removed by an operation. The standard treatment for this disease is a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy; however, the best way to combine these treatments is not known. This study will examine if the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy has an increased effect on slowing tumor growth with the addition of a drug called ZD1839. In this study, chemotherapy will be given initially (induction therapy) to try to control the spread of the cancer. Then radiation and chemotherapy will be given together. Receiving chemotherapy at the same time as radiation treatments can enhance the effect of the radiation. In this study, patients will receive a drug called ZD1839. In laboratory tests on cancer cells, ZD1839 has shown an additive effect when used in combination with radiation. ZD1839 has also been shown to slow or stop growth in tumors. The purpose of this study is to determine the side effects and effectiveness of using ZD1839 when used with radiation in this treatment regimen (induction chemotherapy followed by combination chemotherapy, ZD1839, and radiation therapy). Read Less