Active clinical trials for "Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck"

This is a study of single-agent pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in participants with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who have progressed on platinum-based and cetuximab therapy. The primary study hypothesis is that pembrolizumab will provide a clinically meaningful objective response rate (ORR). With protocol amendment 05 (02-Jan-2018), once study participants have achieved the study objective or the study has ended, participants will be discontinued from this study and enrolled in an extension study to continue protocol-defined assessments and treatment.

For patients relapsing after platinum-based therapy, few data are available. The current use of cetuximab associated with radiotherapy in localized disease and associated with platinum-based chemotherapy in the first-line setting stresses the need for new therapeutic options at later stages of SCCHN.Vinca-alkaloids demonstrated activity in SCCHN. Vinflunine demonstrated superior antitumour activity to vinorelbine in preclinical animal models. Recent preliminary phase I results of the vinflunine plus methotrexate combination in SCCHN, based on a clinical review, show encouraging antitumour activity and an acceptable safety profile. Therefore the combination of vinflunine and methotrexate appears a promising salvage regimen after platinum failure. The present study has been designed as a multicenter, randomised phase III study which will compare the combination of IV vinflunine with methotrexate to methotrexate alone in SCCHN patients having failed platinum-based therapy.

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of TLR8 Agonist VTX-2337 when given together with cetuximab in treating patients with locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN). Biological therapies, such as TLR8 Agonist VTX-2337 may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop tumor cells from growing. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, 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. Giving TLR8 Agonist VTX-2337 together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells.

The obvious hypothesis is that the application of peri-operative targeted biological agents may counteract the tumor growth effect of these circulating factors and improve patient outcome

The purpose of this study is to assess the activity of 5-azacitidine in patients with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)-positive and HPV- negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The response activity will be determined by analyzing your tumor tissue prior to and after treatment with 5-azacitidine. Preliminary studies in mice bearing human head and neck cancers or head and neck cancer cells cultured in laboratories suggest that treatment with 5-azacitidine increases changes in cancer cells that lead to their death. This study is designed to determine if similar changes occur in cancer cells of patients with head and neck cancer. The study also aims to determine the amount of a specific type of protein, p53 before and after treatment. Research has shown that the p53 protein is associated with anti-tumor activity. Finally, this study is measuring the amount of a specific type of protein called interferon in your tumor tissue. Interferons are proteins made and released by the body in response to pathogens (disease causing agents) such as viruses, bacteria, or tumor cells. Interferons allow for communication between cells to trigger the protective defenses of the immune system that remove pathogens (disease causing agents) or tumors.

This pilot randomized phase I/II trial studies the side effects and best dose of PI3K inhibitor BKM120 when given together with cetuximab and to see how well it works in treating patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer. PI3K inhibitor BKM120 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumors to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Giving PI3K inhibitor BKM120 together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells

This open-label, multicenter study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of MEHD7945A in combination with chemotherapy (either cisplatin plus 5-FU or carboplatin plus paclitaxel) in participants with previously untreated R/M SCCHN. There are two stages for each arm in this study: a Dose-limiting Toxicity (DLT)-evaluation stage (Stage I) and a cohort-expansion stage (Stage II). In Stage I, DLTs will be assessed during a DLT Assessment Window of 21 days (i.e., Cycle 1 Day 1 through Cycle 1 Day 21) for both arms. In Stage II, participants will be enrolled to further characterize the safety, pharmacokinetics, and anti-tumor activity of MEHD7945A in combination with cisplatin + 5-FU or carboplatin + paclitaxel at the identified recommended Phase II dose.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and tumor debulking efficacy of personalized anti-cancer vaccine AlloVax(TM) in Subjects with confirmed recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who cannot be treated with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. AlloVax(TM) is a personalized anti-cancer vaccine combining Chaperone Rich Cell Lysate (CRCL) as a source of tumor antigen prepared from patient's tumor and AlloStim(TM) as an adjuvant. The combination of CRCL and AlloStim(TM) is designed to provide cross-reactivity of alloantigen specific recognition with tumor-specific recognition. All the key components necessary to develop tumor-specific immunity by creating the inflammatory environment necessary to overcome the HNC immunosuppressive environment, breaking tumor immune tolerance, and provision of specific HNC antigens for generation of a specific adaptive anti-tumor response.

In general, patients with Human Papilloma Virus Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HPVOPC) are curable, young and will live for prolonged periods. They are at high risk for long-term toxicity and mortality from therapy. While the long-term consequences of chemotherapy and surgery for head and neck cancer are relatively constrained, high-dose radiotherapy (RT) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) substantially impact on local tissues and organ function and result in a significant rate of late mortality and morbidity in patients. Studies are now being designed to reduce the impact of RT and CRT for patients. Patients with intermediate stage HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer will be screened for poor prognostic features and undergo robotic surgery. Patients in whom pathology demonstrates good prognosis features will then be followed without postoperative radiotherapy. Patients with subsequent recurrence will be treated with either surgery and postoperative radiotherapy or postoperative chemoradiotherapy alone. Patients with poor prognostic features (ECS, LVI, PNI) will receive reduced dose radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy based on pathology. It is expected that over 50% of patients treated with surgery will have had a curative treatment and will avoid radiation therapy entirely and long-term survival will not be changed by withholding radiation therapy to good prognosis patients after surgery. There are exploratory biomarkers of risk of recurrence that will be collected and studied. There are currently few trials examining the role of de-escalation using surgery alone in intermediate and early T-stage HPV related disease. New surgical techniques have broadened the range of patients capable of achieving a complete resection and the functional outcomes in such patients are outstanding. Furthermore, the sensitivity of HPVOPC to chemotherapy and radiotherapy raise the possibility that delayed or salvage treatment in early stage patients would be highly effective, would result in similar survival outcomes and radiotherapy could be applied to a much smaller population then current standards call for. Looked at from a different perspective, the need for post-operative radiotherapy in this younger, HPV+ and more functional population has not been validated in clinical trials to date.

This phase II trial studies how well paclitaxel and carboplatin before radiation therapy with paclitaxel works in treating human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive patients with stage III-IV oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high energy x rays to kill tumor cells. Giving paclitaxel and carboplatin before radiation therapy with paclitaxel may kill more tumor cells.