• Tumor Response by RECIST criteria (CR+PR) [ Time Frame: 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Response Duration [ Time Frame: 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Survival [ Time Frame: 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Toxicity [ Time Frame: 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Quality of Life [ Time Frame: 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Once accepted for this study, you will need to have a central venous line (CV line or port) inserted if you do not already have one. (The line placement may be done by your own doctor, or we will be happy to help you with this procedure).

The treatment cycle begins with 6 hours of intravenous (IV) hydration followed by an infusion of the anti-cancer drug, Cisplatin. In addition, at the beginning of this treatment, you will begin daily low-dose Interferon-alpha that will continue for the entire duration of your participation in this study. The daily low-dose Interferon-alpha, interrupts the division of cancer cells, kills blood vessels feeding the cancer, and slows tumor growth, and as well boosts the body's immunity against the cancer.

Thirty-six hours after the cisplatin infusion, you will be treated with fever-range thermal therapy (whole-body heat). The fever-range whole-body thermal therapy enhances the effect of chemotherapy drugs against the cancer, and is thought to also boost your own immune response against the cancer. When the core body temperature reaches 104oF (40oC), a 30-minute (IV) infusion of another chemotherapy drug, gemcitabine (Gemzar) is given. Cisplatin, low-dose interferon-alpha and gemcitabine are the only chemotherapy drugs used in this treatment protocol. No other chemotherapy drugs are allowed to be given under this treatment plan.

The fever-range whole-body heat treatment is performed while you are lightly sedated. With this type of sedation, you are awake during the treatment but you are not uncomfortable. This type of sedation method is used to reduce any discomfort of the 6-hour heat treatment procedure yet allows you to talk to the nurses.

Your body temperature is raised to 104oF (40oC) over a period of 60-120 minutes. When your body first reaches the target 104oF, we administer the gemcitabine chemotherapy over 60 minutes and continue to maintain the 104oF body temperature for six hours. At the conclusion of the six hours of thermochemotherapy, you will be cooled off to your normal body temperature, which takes about 30-45 minutes. The entire treatment lasts approximately 8 hours. After the treatment is completed, we will observe you for 2 to 12 hours to make sure you have tolerated the treatment.

You will continue the daily low-dose Interferon-alpha. Additionally, you will be given daily Leukine (sargramostim, GM-CSF) injections beginning 3-5 days after receiving chemotherapy to help support your immune system by helping your body create more white blood cells, which are important in helping your body fight infection.

After treatment, you will need a complete blood count with platelet and differential count each week. These lab studies can be done at your own doctor's office or hospital as long as you make sure that the results are faxed to us. They can also be done in our clinic. We will see you again in approximately three to four weeks and the treatment cycle will be repeated.

We always attempt to perform at least two thermo-chemotherapy cycles. After the second treatment, CT and/or MRI scans are repeated to see if your cancer is smaller. These scans, along with a physical examination and the lab studies, are used to determine if additional heat treatments will be performed. Additional treatments continue based on how well your response to the treatment. There is no limit to the number of heat treatments a patient may have.