Active clinical trials for "Pancreatic Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine and cisplatin, work in 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 chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet know whether giving chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery is more effective than surgery alone in treating pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well giving gemcitabine and cisplatin together with radiation therapy before surgery works compared to surgery alone in treating patients with localized pancreatic cancer that can be removed by surgery.

This phase II trial is studying how well sunitinib works in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer that progressed after first-line therapy with gemcitabine. Sunitinib may stop the growth of pancreatic cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor and by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

This was a phase I dose escalation trial designed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for the combination of romidepsin (depsipeptide) and gemcitabine. The study was originally planned as a Phase I/II; however only Phase I of the study was conducted.

Randomized study comparing the effect of plastic stents to that of expandable metal stents as pre-operative drainage of the bile ducts prior to Whipple operation.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which chemotherapy regimen is more effective as first-line therapy in treating pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying how well combination chemotherapy works as first-line therapy in treating patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

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. It is not yet known whether gemcitabine is more effective with or without radiation therapy in treating pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to study the effectiveness of gemcitabine with or without radiation therapy in treating patients who have locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer.

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 arsenic trioxide in treating patients who have locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer that has not responded to gemcitabine.

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 perifosine in treating patients who have locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of TNFerade™ Biologic when administered concurrently with 5-FU and radiation therapy as first-line treatment of unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer. TNFerade™ is a replication deficient adenovirus vector containing the gene for TNF-alpha controlled by a chemoradiation inducible promoter. This allows the expression of TNF-alpha to be greatest in the area receiving radiation. TNF-alpha is a cytokine that has been shown to have potent anti-cancer activities but, due to systemic toxicity, could not be delivered at effective doses. TNFerade™ Biologic is a novel way of selective delivery of TNF-alpha to tumor cells. TNFerade™ Biologic will be injected during five weekly injection sessions, concomitant with radiation and 5-FU. TNFerade™ Biologic will be administered by direct intratumoral injection using a percutaneous approach (PTA) or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fluorouracil and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Interferon alfa may interfere with the growth of tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation from x-rays and other sources to kill tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy with interferon alfa and giving them with radiation therapy after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and interferon alfa in treating patients who have resected stage I, stage II, or stage III pancreatic cancer.