For patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma that has grown despite treatment with standard chemotherapy, no treatment has yet proven beneficial. The purpose of this study is to find out what effects, both good and bad, that everolimus has on the cancer. Everolimus works by blocking a protein that helps the cancer grow. The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if the study drug everolimus can shrink or slow the growth of mesothelioma. The safety of this drug will also be studied. The patients’ physical state, changes in the size of the tumor, and laboratory findings taken during the study will help us decide if everolimus is safe and effective.

This trial explores the use of new radiation technology (tomotherapy), to treat mesothelioma more aggressively than has been possible before. Tomotherapy’s ability to treat unusual shaped tumours, particularly when they are wrapped around sensitive normal tissues (the lung), enable higher doses of radiation to be used and this may improve its effectiveness. We will treat 17 patients with tomotherapy and assess the breathing, symptoms, and quality of life of the patients before and after treatment

Video-assisted surgery to remove part of the tissue layer covering the inside of the chest cavity may be effective in treating pleural effusion and cause less damage to normal tissue. Talc pleurodesis may keep fluid from building up in the chest cavity. It is not yet known which therapy is more effective in treating pleural effusion caused by malignant mesothelioma.

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

PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of sorafenib when given together with pemetrexed and cisplatin in treating patients with advanced solid tumors.

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 phase I part of the study is a dose-finding study of escalating doses of CBP501 combined with full-dose cisplatin and pemetrexed in patients with histologically confirmed solid malignancy that is metastatic or unresectable and for which standard curative or palliative measures do not exist or are no longer effective or would otherwise be eligible for cisplatin and pemetrexed as first-line therapy.

Milataxel is a new taxane that may have several advantages over the currently available taxanes. The current study is designed to determine the response rate of oral Milataxel in patients with malignant Mesothelioma. The study specifically targets patients who have recurring or progressive disease following previous chemotherapy.

In patients with pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma, what is the response rate to combined Oxaliplatin (ELOXATIN®) and Gemcitabine chemotherapy?

The purposes of this study are: to determine the feasibility of administering adjuvant cisplatin plus ALIMTA to patients who undergo surgery with heated cisplatin during surgery; to determine the effects (good and bad) of this combined modality approach in patients with mesothelioma; to evaluate cisplatin effects by determining where it goes and how it is excreted in the body from the collection of tissues and cisplatin samples; to collect and analyze discarded samples of mesothelioma tumor during surgery to help determine the genetic make-up of the disease.