View clinical trials related to Pancreatic Cancer.
Filter by:RATIONALE: Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. QS21 may improve the ability of the immune system to respond to disease. Combining vaccine therapy with QS21 may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy plus QS21 in treating patients who have advanced pancreatic or colorectal cancer.
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 gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in treating patients who have locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.
This study will examine the safety and effectiveness of the drugs Gemcitabine and Herceptin, given in conjunction with radiation therapy, for treating patients with cancer of the pancreas. Gemcitabine is standard therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. It damages tumor cells and may enhance the effects of radiation therapy. Herceptin is a genetically engineered antibody that has prevented some tumors from growing in patients with breast cancer. Because breast and pancreatic cancer cells share an characteristic related to how Herceptin works (similar HER-2/neu receptor proteins), it is thought that this drug may also inhibit growth of tumors of the pancreas. Patients with pancreatic cancer may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a physical examination, chest X-ray, blood tests, electrocardiogram, and computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. They will also have a minor surgical procedure called a laparoscopy to evaluate the extent of their cancer. This procedure, done under general anesthesia, requires an overnight hospital stay. A small incision (about 1 inch) is made in the abdomen and a thin, flexible tube with a light and special fibers at the end is inserted into the opening. This device, called a laparoscope, allows the surgeon to see inside the abdominal cavity to evaluate the tumor and also to remove a small piece of tumor tissue for examination. Patients accepted into the study will be assigned to one of two treatment groups, according to whether or not their tumor can be removed with surgery. Patients will be asked to complete a Quality of Life Evaluation before treatment begins and again at each follow-up visit. This 15-minute questionnaire assesses patients' feelings, their ability to carry out usual activities, and the effects of therapy on their general health and well being. Patients in both treatment groups will be given the same chemotherapy, on an outpatient basis unless special circumstances require hospitalization. Gemcitabine is infused over 30 to 60 minutes through an intravenous catheter (IV)-a thin plastic tube inserted into an arm vein. Herceptin is then given over 30 to 90 minutes through the same IV line. Radiation therapy to the abdomen will start the same day, after the drugs have been administered, and will continue for the next 4 days. This treatment cycle-chemotherapy plus 5 days of radiation therapy-will be repeated each week for 6 weeks. Within 6 weeks after the last treatment, the patient's tumor will be evaluated with a blood test and CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis to determine if it can be removed with surgery. If so, the procedure will be done under general anesthesia and will require a 7- to 10-day hospital stay. If the tumor cannot be removed with surgery, another biopsy will be taken to evaluate the tumor's response to the chemotherapy and radiation treatment. All patients will receive additional chemotherapy beginning 6 weeks after surgery (for patients whose tumors were removed) or 6 weeks after radiation therapy (for patients whose tumors could not be removed). Gemcitabine and Herceptin will be given IV once a week for 3 weeks followed by a week of rest. This 4-week treatment cycle will be repeated up to six times. After treatment ends, patients will be evaluated with CT scans or X-rays and blood tests every 3 to 4 months for the first 2 years and every 6 months thereafter to evaluate disease status.
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 whether nitrocamptothecin is more effective than fluorouracil for pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of nitrocamptothecin with that of fluorouracil in treating patients who have recurrent or refractory pancreatic cancer and who have been treated previously with gemcitabine.
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 whether nitrocamptothecin is more effective than other chemotherapy for cancer of the pancreas. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of nitrocamptothecin with that of other chemotherapy in treating patients who have recurrent or refractory cancer of the pancreas.
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 whether nitrocamptothecin is more effective than gemcitabine for pancreatic cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of nitrocamptothecin with gemcitabine in treating patients who have unresectable locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of LMB-9 immunotoxin in treating patients who have advanced colon, breast, non-small cell lung, bladder, pancreatic, or ovarian cancer. The LMB-9 immunotoxin can locate tumor cells and kill them without harming normal cells.
Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of R115777 in treating patients who have metastatic pancreatic cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die.
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 R115777 in treating patients who have locally advanced or metastatic 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 ISIS 2503 in treating patients who have advanced cancer of the pancreas.