Active clinical trials for "Kidney Neoplasms"

The purpose of this study is to determine if a medication called mannitol, can help the kidney maintain its function after kidney surgery. Mannitol is used to cause an increase in urine production (it is a diuretic). For many years, mannitol has been given to patients in the hope it would improve the kidney's circulation, and in doing so reduce the impact of the surgery on the kidney. Mannitol is given during the surgery before the blood supply to the kidney is stopped. The blood supply to the kidney is stopped in order to minimize any blood loss during the removal of the tumor, and also to assist the surgeons view of the kidney anatomy. Once the tumor is removed the blood supply to the kidney is resumed. Sometimes a side effect of this temporary reduction in blood supply to the kidney is the loss of some kidney function. This may happen either in the short term (right away) or long term (months or years later). In studies done on animals, mannitol was able to lessen this damage to kidney function. However, no human study has ever confirmed that mannitol has the same helpful effect in humans. There is some suggestion that it may have no effect. Because sufficient research has yet to be done on humans, many surgeons do not give mannitol. A recent study, conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering which looked back at patients who had undergone partial nephrectomies, an operation where only the portion of the kidney that contains the tumor is removed and enables the normal, unaffected portion of the kidney to be preserved. The results of this study demonstrated no significant difference in kidney function when the investigators compared patients who were given mannitol to those who were not. The investigators hope that this study will help clarify the effectiveness or not of mannitol on kidney function. During the surgery to remove the kidney tumor, patients will receive either mannitol or a placebo. A placebo, is a harmless medication that has no effects. The impact of mannitol compared to the placebo will be assessed by routine blood tests and imaging (kidney scan) 6 months after your surgery.

To evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of MDX-1106 when administered to patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, malignant melanoma, clear cell renal cell cancer or hormone refractory prostate cancer

The primary objective of this study will be to determine the toxicity and Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) of the combination of high dose aldesleukin and sorafenib in previously untreated patients with metastatic or unresectable clear cell renal carcinoma (RCC) and metastatic melanoma.

The purpose of this study is to test the safety of RAD-001 and Sunitinib given in combination for renal cell cancer. We also want to find out what effects (good and bad) the combination of RAD-001 and Sunitinib have on you and your tumor. RAD001 is a pill that works by shutting down some of the pathways in the cell that make tumors grow. Sunitinib is a pill that works by shutting off the signal in the cancer cells that tell the cells to grow blood vessels. Without this signal, the blood vessels to the tumors shrink down.

RATIONALE: Medroxyprogesterone may help shrink or slow the growth of kidney cancer. Interferon may interfere with the growth of tumor cells. Aldesleukin may stimulate white blood cells to kill tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving medroxyprogesterone, interferon, or aldesleukin alone is more effective than giving interferon together with aldesleukin in treating kidney cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying medroxyprogesterone, interferon, or aldesleukin to see how well they work when given alone compared to interferon combined with aldesleukin in treating patients with metastatic kidney cancer.

RATIONALE: 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. Giving sorafenib after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet known whether sorafenib is more effective than a placebo in treating kidney cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying sorafenib to see how well it works compared with a placebo in treating patients at risk of relapse after undergoing surgery to remove kidney cancer.

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if the combination of 3 drugs (gemcitabine, capecitabine, and bevacizumab) can help to control metastatic or unresectable renal cell carcinoma. The safety of this drug combination will also be tested.

This phase II trial is studying how well giving gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and doxorubicin together with pegfilgrastim works in treating patients with metastatic or unresectable bladder cancer or urinary tract cancer and kidney dysfunction. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and doxorubicin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Colony stimulating factors, such as pegfilgrastim, may increase the number of immune cells found in bone marrow or peripheral blood and may help the immune system recover from the side effects of chemotherapy. Giving combination chemotherapy together with pegfilgrastim may kill more tumor cells. Chemotherapy drugs may have different effects in patients who have changes in their kidney function.

The purpose of this study is to determine if certain features of tumor specimens sampled prior to therapy can predict for the likelihood of responding to everolimus.

RATIONALE: Sunitinib 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. Giving sunitinib before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the side effects of giving sunitinib before surgery and to see how well it works in treating patients with localized or metastatic kidney cancer.