Active clinical trials for "Small Cell Lung Carcinoma"

Current treatments for limited stage small cell lung cancer have poor cure rates. The addition of chest radiation to chemotherapy improves cure rates, but these cancers still come back in the chest 30-50% of the time. Two factors which can improve control and cure rates for this cancer are increasing the chest radiation dose and minimizing the overall time it takes to complete radiation treatments. One method to achieve both of these goals is to give more radiation each day. This study is meant to study how tolerable and effective it would be to increase the intensity of chest radiation for small cell lung cancer patients by increasing the daily radiation dose. We aim to find the highest dose of chest radiotherapy that can be safely given with chemotherapy using this strategy. Patients in this trial will be monitored before, during and after their radiation and chemotherapy treatments for treatment side-effects, how effective treatments are at controlling their cancer and quality of life changes. Results from this trial will help to define more effective radiotherapy doses which are tolerable for this type of lung cancer and the quality of life changes patients experience when they undergo these treatments.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. This may be an effective treatment for extensive stage small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is comparing how well radiation therapy to the brain works when given with or without radiation therapy to other areas of the body in treating patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer.

This phase II trial is studying how well ABI-007 works in treating patients with persistent or recurrent cervical cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as ABI-007, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.

The purpose of this study is to find out if giving oral HYCAMTIN to patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer benefits them. The study will compare how long patients live when they are given therapy to make them feel better (active symptom control) to the length of time patients live when they are also receiving oral HYCAMTIN.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new blood test as a way to follow the effect of Zometa in treating bone metastases due to lung cancer.

In this multicenter trial, we plan to evaluate the feasibility and toxicity of initial treatment with irinotecan/carboplatin/radiation therapy, followed by treatment with bevacizumab, in patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer.

This phase II trial is studying how well pelvic exenteration works in treating patients with recurrent cervical cancer. Pelvic exenteration may be effective in treating recurrent cervical cancer.

Small cell lung cancer, or SCLC, constitutes approximately 15% of the 170,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed annually in the United States. Extensive-stage SCLC comprises two thirds of new cases and is generally considered sensitive to chemotherapy, despite a median time to progression of 4 months. SCLC is one of the most aggressive and lethal types of cancer, with a median survival of 9 months (range 7-11 months) in patients diagnosed with extensive disease. Overall, the majority of patients with SCLC die in less than 2 years (2-year survival rates generally less than 10%), and the 5-year survival rate is 2.3% for patients with extensive disease. The regimen of etoposide in combination with a platinum (cisplatin or carboplatin) is generally considered the "standard of care" although a recent Phase III trial suggests improved survival with the combination of cisplatin/irinotecan. Further evaluation of new agents in combination regimens attempting to overcome the intrinsic drug resistance seen in extensive-stage SCLC is warranted attempting to improve survival and achieve palliation of disease-related symptoms.

This phase II trial is studying how well sorafenib works in treating patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer. Sorafenib may stop the growth of small cell lung cancer by blocking blood flow to the tumor and by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of cetuximab when given together with cisplatin and radiation therapy in treating patients with stage IB, stage II, stage III, or stage IVA cervical cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, 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. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as 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 and other types of radiation to kill tumor cells. Internal radiation therapy uses radioactive material placed directly into or near a tumor to kill tumor cells. Giving cetuximab together with cisplatin and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells.