Active clinical trials for "Urinary Bladder Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Erlotinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving erlotinib before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving erlotinib after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well erlotinib works when given before and after surgery in treating patients with muscle-invasive bladder 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 piritrexim in treating patients with advanced cancer of the urinary tract that has not responded to previous treatment.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of paclitaxel in treating patients with early-stage bladder cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin in treating patients with refractory advanced solid tumors or hematologic cancers.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses 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. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy and surgery may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy plus combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have stage II or stage III bladder cancer that can be removed by surgery.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known if eflornithine is more effective than no further therapy in treating bladder cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of eflornithine in treating patients who have newly diagnosed or recurrent bladder 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 compare the effectiveness of docetaxel in treating Caucasian and African American patients who have solid tumors.

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 may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have stage IV locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and cisplatin, 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. Giving chemotherapy before radiation therapy, and combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy, may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of neoadjuvant gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and carboplatin followed by cisplatin and radiation therapy in treating patients who have locally advanced or recurrent carcinoma (cancer) of the urothelium.

RATIONALE: Biological therapies such as ZD 1839 may interfere with the growth of the tumor cells and slow the growth of cancer of the urinary tract. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of ZD 1839 in treating patients who have advanced cancer of the urinary tract.