Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Pemetrexed may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving pemetrexed together with oxaliplatin may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving pemetrexed together with oxaliplatin works in treating patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.

The purpose of this study is to compare the use of the Dynasplint Trismus System to routine trismus treatment in improving the ability of opening the mouth in a randomized trial. This study will also determine what effects, good and/or bad, this procedure has on the participant. Participants will be randomly assigned to the Dynasplint Trismus System or to routine treatment with tongue depressors.

This is a phase II study comparing the effects of lapatinib versus placebo when administered concurrently with cisplatin and radiotherapy followed by 1 year monotherapy with lapatinib or placebo. The study is designed to evaluate and compare the two treatment groups with respect to complete response rate at 6 months following chemoradiation completion.

The purpose of this study is to determine the treatment effect of Panitumumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone as first line therapy for metastatic and/or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, cisplatin, fluorouracil, and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which regimen of chemotherapy and radiation therapy is most effective in treating head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of two different regimens of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: Targeted therapy with tumor necrosis factor combined with a fusion protein may stop the growth of solid tumors by stopping blood flow to the tumor. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of NGR-TNF in treating patients with advanced solid tumors.

This randomized phase I/II trial studies the side effects, best way to give, and best dose of erlotinib and bevacizumab when given with cetuximab and how well giving erlotinib and cetuximab together with or without bevacizumab works in treating patients with metastatic or unresectable kidney, colorectal, head and neck, pancreatic, or non-small cell lung cancer. Erlotinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab and bevacizumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Cetuximab and bevacizumab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Giving erlotinib together with cetuximab and/or bevacizumab may kill more tumor cells.

The purpose of this research study is to test the safety and effectiveness of palifermin to determine if weekly doses can be safely administered to reduce the incidence (occurrence of), duration (length of time) and severity (amount of pain) of oral mucositis (painful sores in the mouth). Mucositis is a common side effect for patients receiving chemotherapy (cancer-killing drug) and radiotherapy (cancer-killing x-rays) for the treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC).

This trial compares the use of 6 fractions versus the standard 5 fractions of radiotherapy used in the treatment of head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: Diagnostic procedures using boronophenylalanine-fructose complex (BPA-F) and/or sodium borocaptate (BSH) to detect the presence of boron in tumor cells may help determine whether patients who have thyroid cancer, head and neck cancer, or liver metastases may benefit from boron neutron capture therapy. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of giving BPA-F and/or BSH before surgery to detect boron uptake in tissues of patients with primary, metastatic, or recurrent thyroid cancer, head and neck cancer, or liver metastases from colorectal cancer.