Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. PURPOSE: This research study is studying biomarkers in tissue samples from patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck previously treated with cisplatin with or without cetuximab.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors predict how well patients will respond to treatment. PURPOSE: This research study is studying biomarkers in patients with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer treated with cisplatin and cetuximab on ECOG-E5397.

Poor nutritional status and malnutrition are prevalent for patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer. Inadequate dietary intake is multi factorial, with patients experiencing dysphagia and or anorexia caused by various cancer treatments. Current standard practice utilizes Gastrostomy Tube placement to manage adverse nutritional effects related to Head and Neck cancer treatment.

Head and neck cancer surgery presents the challenge of tumour resection in close proximity to critical structures such as the carotid arteries and optic nerves. The need for precise localization within complex 3D anatomy has motivated the development of image-guidance systems that account for tissue deformation and excision through the use of intraoperative cone-beam CT (CBCT). A prototype mobile C-arm for intraoperative flat-panel CBCT has been developed at UHN in collaboration with Siemens Healthcare to provide low-dose 3D images with sub-mm spatial resolution and soft-tissue visibility. Extensive investigation in pre-clinical/clinical H&N, otology, orthopaedic, lung, and spine surgery has demonstrated the benefit of intraoperative CBCT for improved target ablation, localization accuracy, and critical structure avoidance. Prospective clinical trial in CBCT-guided H&N surgery will be conducted to evaluate the Zeego robotic platform for CBCT. Patient accrual will span a wide range of surgical procedures in otolaryngology, including cancer resection and anatomical reconstruction in the mandible, maxilla, sinuses, skull base, and temporal bone. The effect of intraoperative imaging and surgical guidance on logistical considerations of time, workflow, and compatibility with the OR environment will be evaluated through the use of in-room audio/video recordings, human factors engineering methods, and expert feedback questionnaires obtained from the surgeons, nurses, and anesthetists involved in each case. This clinical investigation will help to further define indications for CBCT-guided H&N surgery, and serve to enable the development of surgical task-specific imaging protocols.

To implement and evaluate a health information technology platform designed to support the management of patients with head and neck cancer in an urban, publicly-funded outpatient setting. This is an observational study; researchers will not assign specific interventions to study participants.

The primary objective of the study is to characterize the medical management of squamous cell carcinoma head and neck (SCCHN) patients diagnosed with recurrent/metastatic (R/M) disease (between 01July2013 and 30 June 2014) in the real-world setting.

RATIONALE: Imaging procedures, such as PET/CT scan, produce pictures of areas inside the body and may help doctors detect residual disease and plan the best treatment. Neck dissection is surgery to remove lymph nodes and other tissues in the neck. It is not yet known whether a neck dissection should always be performed in treating patients with head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying PET/CT scan-guided watchful waiting compared with neck dissection of locally advanced lymph node metastases in treating patients who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy for primary head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: Studying the proteins expressed in samples of tumor tissue from patients with cancer may help doctors identify and learn more about biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors plan better treatment for patients with cancer of the oropharynx. PURPOSE: This laboratory study is looking at protein expression in tumor tissue samples from patients with cancer of the oropharynx.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tumor tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. It may also help doctors predict survival of patients with head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This laboratory study is assessing gene expression profiles in predicting survival of patients with head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tumor tissue in the laboratory from patients with cancer may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer. PURPOSE: This laboratory study is looking at the DNA in tumor tissue samples from patients with human papilloma virus-associated cancer of the oropharynx.