Active clinical trials for "Pancreatic Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block tumor 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. Bevacizumab may also stop the growth of pancreatic cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving bevacizumab together with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving bevacizumab together with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin works in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, fluorouracil, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving radiation therapy together with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy, docetaxel, and fluorouracil are more effective than radiation therapy, docetaxel, and cisplatin as first-line therapy in treating pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying radiation therapy, docetaxel, and fluorouracil to see how well they work as first-line therapy compared to radiation therapy, docetaxel, and cisplatin in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.

This phase II trial is studying how well triapine works as first-line or second-line therapy in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma (cancer) of the pancreas. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as triapine, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Giving combination chemotherapy with radiation therapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy together with radiation therapy works in treating patients who may undergo surgery for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

This randomized phase II trial is studying bevacizumab, gemcitabine, and cetuximab to see how well they work compared to bevacizumab, gemcitabine, and erlotinib in treating patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab and bevacizumab, can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Erlotinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Combining bevacizumab and gemcitabine with either cetuximab or erlotinib may kill more tumor cells.

This randomized phase II is studying how well giving sorafenib with or without gemcitabine works in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Sorafenib 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. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving sorafenib together with gemcitabine may kill more tumor cells.

RATIONALE: Combinations of biological substances in denileukin diftitox may be able to carry cancer-killing substances directly to the cancer cells. Vaccines made from a gene-modified virus and a person's white blood cells may help the body build an effective immune response to kill cancer cells. Giving denileukin diftitox together with vaccine therapy may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of giving denileukin diftitox together with vaccine therapy in treating patients with metastatic cancer that expresses carcinoembryonic antigen.

This phase II trial is designed to investigate the effectiveness of Tarceva (OSI-774) combined with capecitabine in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

The purpose of this study is to find out what activity the combination of docetaxel and Iressa have against metastatic pancreatic cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy such as gemcitabine use 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 these treatments after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet known whether giving gemcitabine together with radiation therapy is more effective than gemcitabine alone following surgery in treating pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying how well giving gemcitabine together with radiation therapy works and compares it to gemcitabine alone in treating patients who have undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer.