Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This phase II trial studies how well lower-dose chemotherapy plus radiation (chemoradiation) therapy works in comparison to standard-dose chemoradiation in treating patients with early-stage anal cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as mitomycin, fluorouracil, 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. This study may help doctors find out if lower-dose chemoradiation is as effective and has fewer side effects than standard-dose chemoradiation, which is the usual approach for treatment of this cancer type.

This phase II trial compares the effect of capecitabine to endocrine therapy in patients with non-Luminal A hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). In this study, patients submit a sample of tumor for testing to determine if their breast cancer is considered non-Luminal A. Only patients with non-Luminal A receive study treatment. In the future, doctors hope that this test can assist in picking the best treatment for patients with this type of cancer. Capecitabine is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It is taken up by tumor cells and breaks down into fluorouracil, a substance that kills tumor cells. Endocrine therapy is treatment that adds, blocks, or removes hormones. To slow or stop the growth of certain cancers (such as prostate and breast cancer), synthetic hormones or other drugs may be given to block the body's natural hormones. Giving capecitabine as compared to endocrine therapy may kill more tumor cells in patients with metastatic breast cancer.