Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells, but may cause skin irritation and inflammation. Biafine cream may be effective in lessening side effects caused by radiation therapy. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of Biafine cream in reducing side effects of radiation therapy in patients receiving treatment for head and neck cancer.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on postoperative pain, fatigue, and vital signs in patients with head and neck cancers.

This study will aim to demonstrate that implementation of a rapid, multidisciplinary supportive care program for patients receiving chemoradiotherapy who are deemed to be at high risk for hospitalization based on real-time pedometer data will reduce the rate of hospitalization during chemoradiotherapy or within four weeks of radiotherapy completion.

This randomized control trial aims to investigate the efficacy of oral moisturizing jelly in head and neck cancer patients with xerostomia.

Avmacol is an over-the-counter dietary supplement containing broccoli seed and sprout extracts in tablet form, hypothesized to activate protective cellular pathways including detoxication. In this study, participants who have been curatively treatment for head and neck cancer, will take Avmacol twice a day for 3 months.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a brief couple-based supportive intervention effectively assists patients and their partners coping with the challenges of head and neck cancer.

This randomized pilot clinical trial studies body warming in improving blood flow and oxygen delivery to tumors in patients with cancer. Heating tumor cells to several degrees above normal body temperature may kill tumor cells.

Research on physical activity and nutrition interventions aimed at positively impacting symptom management, treatment-related recovery and quality of life has largely excluded head and neck cancer populations. This translates into a lack of clinical programming available for these patient populations. Head and neck cancer patients deal with severe weight loss, with upwards of 70% attributed to lean muscle wasting, leading to extended recovery times, decreased quality of life (QoL), and impaired physical functioning. To date, interventions to address body composition issues have focused solely on diet, despite findings that nutritional therapy alone is insufficient to mitigate changes. A combined physical activity and nutrition intervention, that also incorporates important educational components known to positively impact behaviour change, is warranted for this population. Pilot work suggests that there is large patient demand and clinic support from the health care professionals for a comprehensive program. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of timing of a 12-week PA and nutrition intervention (either during or following treatment) for HN cancer patients on body composition, recovery, serum inflammatory markers and quality of life. In addition, the investigators will examine the impact of a 12-week maintenance program, delivered immediately following the intervention, on adherence, patient-reported outcomes (i.e., management of both physical and psychosocial treatment-related symptoms and side-effects), as well as return to work. The investigators hypothesize that (1) patients who are randomized to the intervention at treatment start will experience improved symptom management and decreased lean body composition changes, directly improving recovery and QoL; (2) patients who receive a maintenance support program will have better long-term adherence and therefore superior treatment-related symptom management, physical and psychosocial functioning; and (3) return to work indices will improve and healthcare utilization costs will be lower in the participants who receive the immediate intervention (vs. delayed) as well as in those who receive the maintenance program (vs. no maintenance). This research will facilitate advancements in patient wellness, survivorship, and autonomy, and carve the path for a physical activity and wellness education model that can be implemented in other cancer centers.

RATIONALE: Acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (ALTENS) and pilocarpine may help to relieve chronic xerostomia (dry mouth). It is not yet known which remedy is more effective in treating chronic dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying ALTENS to see how well it works compared with pilocarpine in treating chronic dry mouth caused by radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of a transcription factor decoy targeting Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3(STAT3) in patients with head and neck cancer. The rationale for targeting STAT3 using this approach is to decrease STAT3-mediated gene regulation. The study has the following scientific objectives: To assess the safety of a single dose of intratumoral STAT3 decoy. To estimate the effect of STAT3 decoy therapy on STAT3 activation levels, STAT3-mediated gene expression, and apoptosis in treated tumors.