Active clinical trials for "Neoplasm Metastasis"

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 temozolomide in treating patients who have advanced solid tumors that have spread to the brain.

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 cancer cells. It is not yet known which chemotherapy regimen is more effective for metastatic colorectal cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of intrahepatic floxuridine, leucovorin, and dexamethasone with that of systemic fluorouracil and leucovorin in treating patients who have unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody therapy in treating patients who have brain metastases.

RATIONALE: Cryosurgery for liver metastases may have fewer side effects and improve recovery. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of cryosurgery for patients with unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel (Taxol) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), followed by high-dose melphalan and etoposide for treating inflammatory breast cancer. Patients also receive infusions of their own previously collected progenitor cells (primitive cells that can make new cells to replace ones destroyed by chemotherapy). Patients 18 years of age or older with stage IIIB inflammatory breast cancer that has not metastasized (spread beyond the breast) may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, and chest x-ray. They have computed tomography (CT) of the head, chest, abdomen and pelvis as well as a bone scan to determine the extent of disease, and a nuclear medicine scan called MUGA to examine the heart's pumping ability. They may receive a rehabilitation medicine evaluation. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: Central venous line placement: Patients have a central venous line (plastic tube) placed into a major vein in the chest before beginning treatment. The line remains in the body throughout treatment and is used to give chemotherapy and other medications and to withdraw blood samples. The line is usually placed under local anesthesia in the radiology department or the operating room. Chemotherapy: Patients receive two or more cycles of paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide. Paclitaxel is given intravenously (I.V., through a vein) for 72 hours using a portable pump. Cyclophosphamide is given daily for 3 days I.V. over 1 hour. The cycles may be 28 days apart. A drug called Mesna is given with this treatment to protect the bladder from irritation from cyclophosphamide. Patients who have not previously been treated with doxorubicin (Adriamycin) may receive a maximum of four cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide by vein on a single day during each cycle, with cycles 21 days apart. When all the paclitaxel/cyclophosphamide cycles are completed, patients receive melphalan and etoposide, both drugs I.V. over 1 to 8 hours for three consecutive days. G-CSF treatment: After each paclitaxel/cyclophosphamide cycle and after the melphalan/etoposide treatment, patients are given a drug called G-CSF. G-CSF, injected under the skin, stimulates production of infection-fighting white blood cells. Apheresis: This is a procedure to collect progenitor cells for later reinfusion. For this procedure, blood is collected through a catheter (plastic tube) placed in an arm vein. The blood is circulated through a cell-separating machine, where the white cells, including the progenitor cells, are extracted, and the red cells are returned to the patient through another catheter in the other arm. Apheresis is done after each of two cycles of paclitaxel/cyclophosphamide. Progenitor cell transplant: Progenitor cells are reinfused after melphalan/etoposide treatment. Glucose infusion: A salt solution with chemically modified glucose is infused I.V. over a period of from 12 to 48 hours, with subsequent donation of blood cells for blood and immune system studies. Patients have a maximum of two glucose infusions, separated by at least 3 months. Tumor biopsy: Some patients have a biopsy of their tumor (removal of a small piece of tumor tissue for microscopic study) before starting chemotherapy. Blood tests: Blood is drawn frequently to monitor safety and treatment response, and for research purposes. Dental consultation: Some patients may have a dental consultation before the progenitor cell transplant.

This experiment will test the safety and effectiveness of a treatment for melanoma in which certain lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) are taken from the patient, grown in the laboratory, and returned after the patient's immune system has been weakened with immune-suppressing drugs. Some patients will also receive interleukin-2 (IL-2), a drug that may enhance the activity of the re-infused lymphocytes. Patients with metastatic melanoma (melanoma whose tumor has spread) who have been treated unsuccessfully with gp100 vaccination may participate in this study. They will undergo apheresis or a tumor biopsy, or both, to collect lymphocytes. In apheresis, whole blood is drawn through a needle in the arm. A machine separates the blood components and removes the white cells. The rest of the blood is returned to the donor through a needle in the other arm. A biopsy is a surgical procedure to remove a small piece of tumor tissue. Several weeks before the lymphocytes are collected, patients will receive injections of growth colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) every day for five days. This drug stimulates white cell production, permitting as many cells as possible to be obtained during collection. The lymphocytes will then be grown in larger numbers in the laboratory. Seven days before the cells are re-infused, the patient is admitted to the hospital and a catheter (small tube) is placed in a large vein in the chest or neck. Two drugs, cyclophosphamide and fludarabine, are given through the tube. These drugs suppress the immune system so that it will not interfere with the work of the reinfused lymphocytes. The lymphocytes are then injected through the catheter over a 30-minute period. After the infusion, patients who receive IL-2 will be given the drug in a high dose over a 15-minute period every eight hours for up to five days. Patients whose condition does not permit high-dose IL-2, such as those with a heart condition or lung problem, may receive a low-dose regimen, with the drug given as a shot under the skin of the thigh or abdomen for five days followed by a 2-day break, continuing for a total of six weeks. These patients receive a higher dose the first week and then half that dose the next five weeks. Blood and tissue samples will be taken before and during the study to evaluate the size of the tumor and assess treatment. If, 3-5 weeks after therapy is completed, the patient's tumor has stabilized or shrunk, the entire treatment, except for chemotherapy, may be repeated two more times.

This is a study of a melanoma tumor antigen peptide vaccine. Peptides representing HLA-A201 restricted T cell epitopes of the melanoma antigens, MART-1, gp100 and tyrosinase will be administered emulsified in Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant, (IFA) to HLA-A201 patients with melanoma. The study is designed to evaluate the potential therapeutic role, immunologic effects and toxicity of repeated doses of this peptide vaccine administered subcutaneously. Immune reactivity to the peptide epitope will be monitored in all patients by analysis of melanoma-specific T cell precursors prior to and after immunization.

Patients with untreated clinical stage II breast cancer are eligible. An excisional biopsy of the primary tumor is acceptable, but without definitive local therapy or prior chemotherapy. Histologic confirmation of invasive carcinoma is required. Patients are prospectively randomized to receive five 21-day cycles of dose-intense (5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, leucovorin, cytoxan, granuloctye-colony stimulating factor [FLAC/G-CSF]) chemotherapy either before (preoperative) or after (postoperative) local therapy. Chemotherapy is given as an outpatient. For patients receiving preoperative chemotherapy, local therapy (modified radical mastectomy, or breast segmentectomy/axillary dissection/breast radiotherapy according to patient preference) is performed 3-4 weeks after last chemotherapy. For patients receiving postoperative chemotherapy, chemotherapy will begin 2-3 weeks after local therapy. Immediate reconstruction for mastectomy is acceptable. Upon completion of local therapy and chemotherapy in either treatment group, all estrogen receptor positive patients receive tamoxifen for 5 years. Follow-up consists of history and physical examination each 3 months for first 3 years, each six months for years 4 and 5, and yearly thereafter. Mammogram, bone scan, chest x-ray and blood work are performed yearly.

Radioembolization is an established treatment option for patients with unresectable primary and secondary liver tumors. Microspheres containing 90Y are injected intraarterially to deliver a high radiation dose to the tumors. Despite of our knowledge on the effectiveness of 90Y glass microspheres in the treatment of HCC, literature data on the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with 90Y glass microspheres is limited. In the recent EANM guideline variable healthy liver doses are recommended for patients with mCRC with an effective tumor dose recommendation based on a study with limited number of patients. Primary objectives; Investigate effective tumor dose and safe healthy liver dose in radioembolization for colorectal cancer liver metastasis using multicompartment dosimetry Secondary objectives; Investigate dose-response and dose-toxicity relationships, time to progress, concordance between pretreatment and posttreatment dose calculations.

Both drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) are recommended for unresectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) treatment. However, the combined application of DEB-TACE and HAIC is not widely accepted. The aim of this single-center retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Irinotecan-eluting HepaSphere chemoembolization combined with HAIC for unresectable CRLM