View clinical trials related to Mesothelioma, Malignant.
Filter by:For patients with this type of cancer, the standard of care is treatment with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is typically not used. This is because radiation to the entire lining of the lung has many side effects that are often severe including damage to the lung (pneumonitis). There is a new radiation technique using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) that has been shown to reduce many of the side effects of standard radiation therapy. This type of radiation therapy specifically targets the lining of the lung, where you have your cancer, and reduces the risk of damaging the lung itself. The purpose of this study is to test the safety and implementation of standard pleurectomy/decortication (removal of the surface lining of the lung) and standard chemotherapy followed by IMRT performed at other centers. Patients will undergo pleurectomy/decortication chemotherapy and hemithoracic pleural IMRT to the pleura in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The goal of this clinical research study is to learn how dasatinib affects biomarker levels in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma that may be able to be removed by surgery. The safety and effectiveness of this drug will also be studied. This research study is financially supported by the United States Department of Defense.
Our hypothesis is that the addition of bevacizumab to the standard chemotherapy treatment of MPM will improve overall survival and quality of life beyond that achieved with chemotherapy alone.
In this study we want to investigate the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is an anti-oxidant, in the prevention of cisplatin-induced neural toxicity, in patients treated for lung cancer with chemotherapy containing cisplatin.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as methotrexate, vinorelbine, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving chemotherapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Cisplatin may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Giving chemotherapy and radiation therapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving combination chemotherapy with or without surgery and chemoradiotherapy works in treating patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Background: - Chromatin is is the structural building block of a chromosome. It is found inside the nucleus of the cell and consists of a complex of DNA and protein. - Cancers of the lung, pleura (lung lining) and esophagus show profound changes in chromatin structure that may affect the course of disease in patients. - A better understanding of these diseases and the genetic changes associated with them may be helpful in developing new treatments for them. Objectives: - To evaluate people with cancer of the lung, pleura or esophagus for participation in NCI clinical trials. - To obtain biopsies (small pieces of tissue) from tumor, normal tissue and blood samples to learn more about the cellular changes in blood and tissue in tumors of the lung, esophagus and pleura and surrounding structures in the chest. Eligibility: Patients 2 years of age and older with cancer of the lung, esophagus, pleura, mediastinum or chest wall, or cancers of other origin that have invaded the lung. Note: Patients >= 2 years of age and under 18 years of age may only participate in research sample collection. Design: - Up to 1100 patients may be included in this study. - Patients undergo standard tests for evaluating the stage of their disease and for determining eligibility for an NCI investigational treatment study. - All patients undergo bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage ("washing" with salt water) to assess their tumor and collect a sample of normal tissue. Patients whose tumor is located on the outside portion of the lung may also undergo thoracoscopy to obtain a tumor sample. For bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage a tube with a light is passed through the nose or mouth into the lungs to examine the airways. Salt water is injected through the tube and then withdrawn to obtain cells for laboratory studies. For the thoracoscopy a small tube with a light is put through a small hole in the chest to obtain the tumor sample. Both procedures are usually done under general anesthesia. The tissue is examined to identify cell characteristics of people who respond to certain therapies and to identify markers on the surface of the tissue that may be useful in future research and treatment. - Blood and urine samples are collected from patients. - Patients who are eligible for a treatment study at NCI are offered participation in the study. - Patients for whom standard surgery, radiation or chemotherapy is more appropriate may receive treatment at NCI or with their own physician. - Patients who receive treatment at NCI return for follow-up examinations 4 weeks after discharge and then every 2 to 4 months depending on the nature of their cancer.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pemetrexed disodium, gemcitabine, and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving pemetrexed disodium with gemcitabine is more effective than giving pemetrexed disodium with carboplatin in treating malignant pleural mesothelioma. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying pemetrexed disodium with gemcitabine and pemetrexed disodium with carboplatin to see how well the combinations work compared to historical controls in treating patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma.