Active clinical trials for "Sarcoma"

Neo- and adjuvant chemotherapy is used in high-risk soft tissue sarcoma to improve systemic control. Patients in this trial are treated with 4 cycles of chemotherapy (EIA, etoposide, ifosfamide, adriamycin) preoperatively, followed by local surgery and radiotherapy. An additional 4 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy is administered. Treatment response is assessed by MRI and CT scans and FDG-PET in a subgroup of patients.

The purpose of this study is to explore how this cancer is affected by a new medication, cetuximab. Cetuximab is directed towards a protein called EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), that is found in some types of cancer. Studies have shown that this drug can be beneficial in patients with colon cancer and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this purpose. The researchers are conducting a study to see if it is beneficial in patients with sarcoma.

This is a phase III clinical trial for patients with potentially completely resectable primary retroperitoneal sarcoma. Patients who take part will be divided into two groups, a radiation therapy plus surgery group and a surgery alone group. Patients in the radiation therapy plus surgery group will receive radiation treatments as an outpatient. Surgery to try to remove the remaining tumor will be done after the radiation treatments are completed. Patients in the surgery alone group will have surgery to try to remove all tumor.

In this study, patients who have been diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive imatinib (Gleevec) either for 12 or for 36 months following surgery. The study participants are required to have a histologically verified GIST with a high risk of GIST recurrence despite complete removal of all macroscopic GIST tissue at surgery. The high/very high risk of recurrence is defined as one of the following: 1) the largest tumor diameter is over 10 cm; 2) the mitosis count is high (over 10 mitoses per 50 high power microscope fields, HPFs); 3) the largest tumor diameter over 5 cm and the mitosis count is over 5/50 HPFs; 4) tumor spillage has taken place into the abdominal cavity at the time of surgery or following spontaneous tumor rupture. All study participants will receive imatinib 400 mg/day orally, but the duration of imatinib administration will be determined randomly (either for 12 or for 36 months). The study participants will be followed up using blood tests and computed tomography (or MRI) of the abdomen. The computed tomography examinations will be performed at 6 month intervals for a median of 5 years. A total of 280 patients will be entered into the study. The study hypothesis is that adjuvant imatinib may prevent some of the GIST recurrences, and that there may be a difference in the rate of GIST recurrence between the two groups.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Trastuzumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well trastuzumab works in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic synovial sarcoma.

RATIONALE: Hyperthermia therapy kills tumor cells by heating them to several degrees above body temperature. Using MRI to measure heat may help to determine the effectiveness of hyperthermia therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as ifosfamide and doxorubicin, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining hyperthermia with radiation therapy and chemotherapy before surgery may kill more tumor cells and shrink the tumor so that it can be removed. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects of hyperthermia when given together with radiation therapy and optional chemotherapy and to see how well they work in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for soft tissue sarcoma of the limbs.

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 exatecan mesylate in treating patients who have relapsed or refractory Ewing's sarcoma or peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor or desmoplastic small round cell tumor.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy is more effective than combination chemotherapy in treating patients with cancer of the uterus. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy to see how well it works compared to combination chemotherapy in treating patients with cancer of the uterus.

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 and combining chemotherapy with 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 high-dose combination chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have advanced or recurrent sarcoma.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy in treating patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases from kidney cancer, melanoma, or sarcoma.