4 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
This study will determine whether the results of a test called reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) correlate with clinical outcomes in patients with Ewing sarcoma, and if they can be used to help identify patients at high risk for metastasis (spread of the cancer beyond the original site). This is a companion study to another NCI trial (AEWS0031), which is examining the effectiveness of an intensified chemotherapy regimen for patients with Ewing sarcoma. The primary purposes of AEWS0031 are to determine: 1) if chemotherapy given every 2 weeks can cure more patients with Ewing sarcoma and similar tumors than chemotherapy given every 3 weeks; and 2) if certain biological characteristics of these tumors can predict how well the chemotherapy will work. Many, but not all, patients with Ewing sarcoma that has not metastasized can be cured with standard radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy treatment. Most patients whose tumors have spread, however, are not cured with standard treatment. A goal of future therapy is to identify patients at highest risk for metastasis so that they can be given more intensive therapy, and, conversely, patients at lower risk of relapse can receive less toxic treatment. Patients enrolled in AEWS0031 are eligible for this companion study. No additional procedures re required; RT-PCR testing will be performed on blood and bone marrow samples collected for AEWS0031. ...
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 exatecan mesylate in treating patients who have relapsed or refractory Ewing's sarcoma or peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor or desmoplastic small round cell tumor.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Biological therapies use different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cells from growing. Combining chemotherapy with biological therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with or without biological therapy in treating patients who have newly diagnosed high-risk Ewing's sarcoma.
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 or combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy in treating patients with peripheral neuroectodermal tumors, Ewing's sarcoma, Wilms' tumor, or bone cancer.