Active clinical trials for "Neuroblastoma"

This randomized phase III trial is studying cyclophosphamide, prednisone, and immunoglobulin to see how well they work compared to cyclophosphamide and prednisone alone in treating patients with abnormal trunk muscle movements associated with neuroblastoma. Drugs used in chemotherapy, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Steroid therapy decreases inflammation. Combining chemotherapy and steroid therapy with immunoglobulin may be effective in treating abnormal muscle movement associated with neuroblastoma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Biological therapies use different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cell from growing. Combining different types of therapies may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody therapy, surgery, peripheral stem cell transplantation, radiation therapy, and biological therapy in treating patients who have advanced neuroblastoma.

This is a phase II window study of the combination of ZD1839 (gefitinib) and irinotecan in children with high-risk neuroblastoma followed by standard induction chemotherapy, intensification with autologous stem cell transplantation, and an oral maintenance phase with 13-cis-retinoic acid and topotecan. We hypothesize that the ZD1839 (gefitinib) and irinotecan window will be efficacious.

The purpose of this Phase I study is to find the largest dose of the drug irinotecan, in combination with ZD1839, that can be given safely to children and to learn the good and bad effects. Studies performed in the laboratory have shown that ZD1839 helps make available the orally administered irinotecan. In this study the intravenous (given into the vein) formula of irinotecan will be given orally on days 1-5 and days 8-12. The dose of ZD1839 will be a fixed dose and will be administered orally on days 1-12. Each course of treatment will consist of 21 days. The administration of irinotecan on day 12 of course 1 and day 2 of course 2 will be an intravenous administration. All other doses and subsequent courses will consist of an orally administered dose.

The main purpose of this study is to determine the short and long term side effects of a very intensive treatment, which includes combinations of chemotherapy drugs followed by radiation therapy and two transplants supported by peripheral blood progenitor cells (stem cells), for children with advanced stage neuroblastoma and sarcomas.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of erlotinib when given with temozolomide in treating young patients with recurrent or refractory solid tumors. Erlotinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving erlotinib with temozolomide may kill more tumor cells.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of temozolomide when given with peripheral stem cell transplantation and to see how well they work in treating children with newly diagnosed malignant glioma or recurrent CNS tumors or other solid tumors.

The main purpose of this study is to learn more about biomarkers of kidney function in the blood and urine of neuroblastoma survivors. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in blood, urine, other body fluids, or tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition.

Parental decision-making for children with advanced cancer is complex. Many parents have overly optimistic beliefs about prognosis and as a result choose aggressive measures even at the end of life, which are associated with greater suffering. Yet most parents wish to limit suffering, and in retrospect, many regret choices for cancer treatment for advanced cancer. These findings suggest that parents do not always have the information they need to make decisions that reflect their preferences. The proposed study will evaluate parental decision-making in advanced cancer, addressing gaps in the literature in 3 important respects. 1) Previous work on decision-making for children with advanced cancer has typically looked at decisions at one point in time, often asking parents to reflect on decisions after the child's death, even though parents' understanding of prognosis and decisions about care evolve over time. We will evaluate parental decision-making for advanced cancer over time. 2) Existing work focuses on aggressive end-of-life care as the worst possible outcome. However, some parents wish to pursue aggressive measures even when they recognize that the child has little chance for cure. We will evaluate the extent to which parental decision-making is informed and consonant with preferences, regardless of whether decisions lead to aggressive or palliative care. 3) Previous studies have focused on groups of different childhood cancers, making it difficult to ascertain whether differences in decision-making reflect differences in diseases, options for care, or parent preferences. We will focus on a single disease, relapsed neuroblastoma, as a model for parental decision-making.

The purpose of this study is to find how good and how safe the combination of irinotecan, temozolomide and bevacizumab is for patients with resistant or recurrent neuroblastoma. These drugs have each been given separately to patients, but they have never been given all together. Irinotecan and temozolomide are two drugs that have been used together to treat neuroblastoma in many people. These drugs are considered chemotherapy. Bevacizumab is another drug used to treat cancer. It is made by a company called Genentech. Bevacizumab is an antibody. Antibodies are proteins that are found in the blood and can attach themselves to bacteria and viruses. Bevacizumab attaches itself to a special protein in the bloodstream. This protein helps tumors grow new blood vessels. Blood vessels carry nutrients to feed the tumor. Bevacizumab is thought to block this growth of new blood vessels and starve tumors. It has been used for the treatment of many cancers in adults. It is approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with colon cancer and other cancers but not for people with neuroblastoma. There is only a small amount of information known on using this drug in children. It has been used with irinotecan before to treat cancer but not in children with neuroblastoma.