Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This phase III trial studies whether pembrolizumab alone as a first-line treatment, followed by pemetrexed and carboplatin with or without pembrolizumab after disease progression is superior to induction with pembrolizumab, pemetrexed and carboplatin followed by pembrolizumab and pemetrexed maintenance in treating patients with stage IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pemetrexed and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether giving first-line pembrolizumab followed by pemetrexed and carboplatin with or without pembrolizumab works better in treating patients with non-squamous non-small cell cancer.

This phase IV trial studies how well standard chemotherapy works in treating young patients with medulloblastoma or other central nervous system embryonal tumors. Drugs used in standard chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading.

This phase III trial compares the effect of cisplatin or carboplatin (platinum based chemotherapy) to capecitabine after surgery for the treatment of residual triple-negative breast cancer. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, carboplatin, and capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. At present, upon completion of chemotherapy and surgery, the standard of care for patients with triple-negative breast cancer is observation. However, recent studies have shown that giving capecitabine after completion of chemotherapy and surgery is a better treatment than receiving no treatment and also that platinum-based chemotherapy after surgery could prevent residual triple-negative breast cancer from returning. This trial is being done to find out whether addition of a platinum agent after completion of surgery will provide a higher disease free survival benefit than capecitabine in treating patients with residual triple-negative breast cancer.

This phase II / III trial studies the usefulness of treatment with nivolumab and ipilimumab in addition to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy in patients with esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma who are undergoing surgery. Immunotherapy with antibodies, such as nivolumab and ipilimumab, may remove the brake on the body’s immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may reduce the tumor size and the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed during surgery. A combined treatment with nivolumab and ipilimumab, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy might be more effective in patients with esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma who are undergoing surgery.

This partially randomized phase II / III trial studies how well, in combination with surgery, cisplatin and combination chemotherapy works in treating children and young adults with hepatoblastoma or hepatocellular carcinoma. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, doxorubicin, fluorouracil, vincristine sulfate, carboplatin, etoposide, irinotecan, sorafenib, gemcitabine and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving combination chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells than one type of chemotherapy alone.

This phase III trial studies how well active surveillance, bleomycin, carboplatin, etoposide, or cisplatin work in treating pediatric and adult patients with germ cell tumors. Active surveillance may help doctors to monitor subjects with low risk germ cell tumors after their tumor is removed. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as bleomycin, carboplatin, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading.

This randomized phase III trial studies how well standard-dose combination chemotherapy works compared to high-dose combination chemotherapy and stem cell transplant in treating patients with germ cell tumors that have returned after a period of improvement (relapsed) or did not respond to treatment (refractory). Chemotherapy drugs, such as paclitaxel, ifosfamide, cisplatin, carboplatin, and etoposide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant stops the growth of cancer cells by stopping them from dividing or killing them. Colony-stimulating factors, such as filgrastim or pegfilgrastim, and certain chemotherapy drugs, helps stem cells move from the bone marrow to the blood so they can be collected and stored. Chemotherapy is then given to prepare the bone marrow for the stem cell transplant. The stem cells are then returned to the patient to replace the blood-forming cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether high-dose combination chemotherapy and stem cell transplant are more effective than standard-dose combination chemotherapy in treating patients with refractory or relapsed germ cell tumors.

This phase II trial studies how well gemcitabine hydrochloride and nivolumab with carboplatin or oxaliplatin work in treating patients with urothelial cancer that has spread from its original site of growth to nearby tissues or lymph nodes (locally advanced) or that has spread to other places in the body (metastatic). Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine hydrochloride, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. It is not yet known whether gemcitabine hydrochloride and nivolumab with carboplatin or oxaliplatin may work better in treating patients with urothelial cancer.