21 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Standard therapy for high-risk or locally advanced salivary gland malignancies is surgery followed by postoperative radiation therapy. Retrospective studies have shown the superiority of combined modality therapy compared to surgery alone for patients with advanced T or N stage. Despite the addition of postoperative radiation therapy, the five-year survival for locally advanced salivary gland malignancies is poor (less than 60%). In salivary gland malignancies, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is expressed in 25-85%; in certain histological types, like salivary duct carcinomas, the expression is higher. EGFR is a promising target of anticancer therapy. In squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, a phase III trial utilizing cetuximab added to radiation therapy improved both locoregional control and overall survival compared to radiation alone. Panitumumab is a novel, human, IgG2 EGFR monoclonal antibody that may be better tolerated and more efficacious than cetuximab. Here, the investigators suggest that the addition of panitumumab to standard radiotherapy in locally-advanced salivary gland malignancies will improve recurrence-free survival (RFS).
The goal of this clinical research study is to find out how effective oxaliplatin and capecitabine are against advanced cancer of the salivary gland. The safety of this treatment as well as how long the cancer responds or stays in a stable state due to the treatment will also be studied.
RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab, can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of trastuzumab in treating patients who have advanced salivary gland cancer.
The purpose of this study is to see how patients with incurable salivary gland cancer, who have not had chemotherapy before, respond to Gemcitabine. The investigators are trying to find out what effects (good and bad) Gemcitabine has on participants and salivary gland cancer. Gemcitabine has been shown to be an effective chemotherapy agent in other types of cancer, including; bladder cancer, breast cancer, certain types of lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and pancreas cancer. Gemcitabine has yet to be studied for efficacy in subjects with salivary gland cancer and in general other chemotherapy drugs have shown to be ineffective so far in this population.
Bevacizumab may reduce CNS side effects caused by radiation therapy. This randomized phase II trial is studying how well bevacizumab works in reducing CNS side effects in patients who have undergone radiation therapy to the brain for primary brain tumor, meningioma, or head and neck cancer.
Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of erlotinib in treating patients who have metastatic or unresectable solid tumors and liver or kidney dysfunction. Biological therapies such as erlotinib may interfere with the growth of tumor cells and slow the growth of the tumor
Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy with or without sargramostim in treating patients who have advanced or metastatic cancer. Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Colony-stimulating factors such as sargramostim may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood. Combining vaccine therapy with sargramostim may make tumor cells more sensitive to the vaccine and may kill more tumor cells
RATIONALE: Doxepin hydrochloride may be an effective treatment for oral mucositis pain in patients undergoing radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying doxepin hydrochloride to see how well it works compared to placebo in treating oral mucositis pain in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy.
RATIONALE: Diagnostic procedures, such as specialized types of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), may help in planning radiation therapy that does less damage to normal tissues. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying using functional MRI to see how well it works in planning radiation therapy in patients undergoing radiation therapy to the base of the skull and/or brain for nonmetastatic head and neck cancer.
RATIONALE: Stereotactic radiosurgery may be able to send x-rays directly to the tumor and cause less damage to normal tissue. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of stereotactic radiosurgery in treating patients with locally advanced or recurrent head and neck cancer.
RATIONALE: Immunotoxins can locate tumor cells and kill them without harming normal cells. Immunotoxin therapy may be effective in treating advanced solid tumors. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of immunotoxin therapy in treating patients with recurrent unresectable advanced solid tumors.
RATIONALE: Vaccines made from a person's white blood cells that have been treated in the laboratory may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy in treating patients who have advanced or metastatic cancer.
RATIONALE: Immunotoxins can locate tumor cells and kill them without harming normal cells. Immunotoxin therapy may be an effective treatment for advanced cancer. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of immunotoxins in treating patients who have advanced cancer.
RATIONALE: Inserting a gene that has been created in the laboratory into a person's white blood cells may make the body build an immune response to kill cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of gene therapy in treating patients who have cancer that has not responded to previous therapy.
RATIONALE: Measuring levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the blood of patients with epithelial cancers (head and neck, lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate) may help doctors predict how patients will respond to treatment with radiation therapy. PURPOSE: This research study is measuring levels of TGF-beta in patients with epithelial cancers who are undergoing radiation therapy.
RATIONALE: Early physical therapy may be effective in improving range of motion of the neck and shoulders in head and neck cancer survivors who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying how well early physical therapy works in improving physical and functional well-being in head and neck cancer survivors receiving chemoradiotherapy.
RATIONALE: Developing a questionnaire that can be used to assess the quality of life among people who have a family member with cancer may help the study of cancer in the future. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying quality of life among families with a member who is a cancer patient.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cryoablation kills cancer cells by freezing them. Giving chemotherapy together with cryoablation may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well giving cyclophosphamide together with cryoablation works in treating patients with advanced or metastatic epithelial cancer.
RATIONALE: Thalidomide may stop the growth of cancer by stopping blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining thalidomide with docetaxel may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining thalidomide with docetaxel in treating patients who have advanced cancer.
RATIONALE: Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for cancer cell growth. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid in treating patients who have advanced cancer.
RATIONALE: MS-275 may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of MS-275 in treating patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphoma.