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AZD2171 in Treating Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

Rationale: AZD2171 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor.

Purpose: This phase II trial is studying how well AZD2171 works in treating patients with malignant mesothelioma that cannot be removed by surgery.

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Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid Vorinostat, MK0683 Versus Placebo in Advanced Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Purpose: This is a study to determine the safety, tolerability, and anti-tumor effectiveness of an oral investigational drug, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, in the treatment of advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Arm 1: Vorinostat
Drug: Comparator: Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid (Vorinostat, MK0683)
Vorinostat 300 mg capsules twice daily for 3 consecutive days of treatment followed by 4 days of rest repeated weekly, in 21-day cycles. Treatment will continue until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Arm 2: Placebo Comparator
Drug: Comparator: Placebo
Placebo capsules twice daily for 3 consecutive days of treatment followed by 4 days of rest repeated weekly, in 21-day cycles. Treatment will continue until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

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Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma in Prior Asbestos Workers

Purpose: Occupational exposure to asbestos is known increase the risk of developing cancer of the lungs (bronchogenic carcinoma) or of the pleura (mesothelioma). Symptoms are subtle and non-specific, diagnosis is often late and the prognosis consequently is dismal. Currently there is no accepted non-invasive tool for the early diagnosis of mesothelioma or lung cancer in asbestos-exposed subjects. In the last decade, low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been successfully developed and validated for the early diagnosis of lung cancer in high-risk smokers. Malignant mesothelioma might, in an early stage, resemble a benign pleural plaque, which is a common finding after asbestos exposure. We target to develop low-dose CT as a tool to serially image the pleural plaques, quantify their individual and overall volume, compute the growth rate with time, and, as such, identify the presence of mesothelioma early, before symptoms occur.

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Pemetrexed Plus Gemcitabine as Front-Line Chemotherapy for Patients With Malignant Pleural or Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Purpose: The purposes of this study are to determine:

  1. The safety of Pemetrexed plus Gemcitabine and any side effects that might be associated with the combination of these two drugs.
  2. Whether Pemetrexed plus Gemcitabine can help patients with mesothelioma live longer.
  3. Whether Pemetrexed plus Gemcitabine can make the tumor smaller or disappear, and for how long.
  4. To see if patients feel better while taking Pemetrexed plus Gemcitabine.

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