Active clinical trials for "Lymphoma"

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: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of azacitidine plus phenylbutyrate in treating patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors that have not responded to previous treatment.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if the combination of oblimersen sodium and rituximab can help to shrink or slow the growth of the tumor in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who have not responded to earlier treatment. Oblimersen Sodium is an investigational drug. The safety of this combination treatment will also be studied

RATIONALE: UCN-01 may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for cancer cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining UCN-01 with prednisone may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining UCN-01 with prednisone in treating patients who have refractory solid tumors or lymphoma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as methotrexate and thiotepa, work in different ways to stop cancer 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 combining methotrexate with thiotepa in treating patients who have newly-diagnosed primary CNS lymphoma.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of combination therapy with Proleukin and Rituxan on patients with low-grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma who have previously failed Rituxan treatments.

This phase II trial studies the side effects and the best dose of alemtuzumab when given together with fludarabine phosphate and low-dose total body irradiation (TBI) and how well it works before donor stem cell transplant in treating patients with hematological malignancies. Giving chemotherapy and low-dose TBI before a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cancer cells. It may also stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. Also, monoclonal antibodies, such as alemtuzumab, can find cancer cells and either kill them or deliver cancer-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. When the healthy stem cells from a donor are infused into the patient they may help the patient's bone marrow make stem cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can also make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving cyclosporine (CSP) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) after transplant may stop this from happening.

The idiotype of the immunoglobulin on a given B cell malignancy (Id) can serve as a clonal marker, and a previous pilot study in lymphoma patients has demonstrated that autologous Id protein can be formulated into an immunogenic, tumor specific antigen by conjugation to a carrier protein (KLH) and administration with an emulsion-based adjuvant. The goals of vaccine development in the current study are to develop vaccines: 1) with improved potency and 2) which are more effective at inducing cell-mediated immune responses. The selection of GM-CSF as the immunological "adjuvant" is a direct extension of our laboratory studies in small animal models demonstrating that GM-CSF can enhance the potency of the prototype Id-KLH vaccine by augmenting almost exclusively the cellular arm of the immune response. The objectives of this study are: 1) to evaluate cellular and humoral immune responses against the unique idiotype of the patient's lymphoma and 2) to evaluate the ability of the Id vaccine to clear the bone marrow of malignant cells detectable by pathologic examination or molecular examination (polymerase chain reaction amplification of the rearranged bcl-2 oncogene). The goal of this study is to treat previously untreated patients with follicular lymphomas to complete remission or minimal residual disease with ProMACE chemotherapy. Three to six months after completion of chemotherapy, in an effort to reduce the relapse rate (by eradicating microscopic disease resistant to chemotherapy), patients will receive an autologous Id vaccine administered in combination with GM-CSF. Id-KLH (0.5 mg) is administered subcutaneously. GM-CSF is administered subcutaneously locally with the vaccine on the day of vaccination and for the three consecutive days following vaccination as close to the initial vaccination site as possible at one of two doses (patients are randomized to either a high or low dose, 500 or 100 micrograms/m2). We plan to accrue 42 patients. Twenty-nine patients have been enrolled. Sixteen patients have entered and/or completed the vaccination phase. Patients have demonstrated significant lymphoproliferative responses specific for autologous idiotype of a magnitude which is significantly greater than previously observed.

This study will examine the use of a radioactive monoclonal antibody called yttrium 90-labeled humanized anti-Tac (90 Y-HAT) for treating certain cancers. Monoclonal antibodies are genetically engineered proteins made in large quantities and directed against a specific target in the body. The anti-Tac antibody in this study is targeted to tumor cells and is tagged (labeled) with a radioactive substance called Yttrium-90 (Y-90). The study will determine the maximum tolerated dose of 90Y-HAT and examine its safety and effectiveness. Patients 18 years of age and older with Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lymphoid leukemia who have proteins on their cancer cells that react with anti-Tac may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, electrocardiogram (EKG), chest x-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan or ultrasound of the abdomen, positron emission tomography (PET) scan of the neck and body, and skin test for immune reactivity to antigens (similar to skin tuberculin test). Before beginning treatment, participants may undergo additional procedures, including the following: Patients with suspicious skin lesions have a skin biopsy. An area of skin is numbed and a circular piece of skin about 1/4-inch diameter is removed with a cookie cutter-like instrument. Patients with hearing loss have a hearing test. Patients with neurological symptoms have a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). A local anesthetic is given and a needle is inserted in the space between the bones in the lower back where the cerebrospinal fluid circulates below the spinal cord. A small amount of fluid is collected through the needle. Patients who have not had a bone marrow biopsy within 6 months of screening also undergo this procedure. The skin and bone at the back of the hip are numbed with a local anesthetic and a small piece of bone is withdrawn through a needle. Patients receive 90 Y-HAT in escalating doses to determine the highest dose that can be safely given. The first group of three patients receives a low dose and, if there are no significant side effects at that dose, the next three patients receive a higher dose. This continues with subsequent groups until the maximum study dose is reached. 90 Y-HAT is given through a vein (intravenous (IV)) over a 2-hour period. In addition, a drug called Pentetate Calcium Trisodium Inj (Ca-DTPA) is given via IV over 5 hours for 3 days to help reduce the side effects of the 90Y-HAT. In some patients, the 90 Y-HAT may also be attached to a radioactive metal called Indium-111 to monitor what happens to the injected material. During infusion of the drug, patients undergo PET scanning to trace the path of the injected material in the body. For this procedure, the patient lies in the scanner, remaining in one position during the entire infusion. Blood and urine specimens are collected periodically over a 6-week period following the infusion to determine the level of the radioactive antibody. Bone marrow, lymph node, or skin biopsies may be done to determine how much of the antibody entered these sites. Patients whose disease remains stable or improves with therapy may receive up to six more infusions of 90 Y-HAT, with at least a 6-week interval between treatments.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage cancer cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with donor peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining total-body irradiation with fludarabine and donor peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer.

RATIONALE: Antibiotics may stop the growth of Helicobacter pylori which may be associated with gastric lymphoma. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in treating patients with low grade gastric lymphoma that has not been previously treated.