Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

This phase II trial is studying how well sunitinib works in treating patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer. Sunitinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor.

The purpose of this Phase I study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of two chemotherapies drugs, Cetuximab and Pemetrexed (Alimta), when given in combination with radiation therapy.

This study is to support current and future Zalutumumab studies by increasing the Pharmacokinetic (PK) knowledge of the drug. PK is the study of how a drug is absorbed (taken up), distributed (moved around), metabolised (broken down) and excreted (removed) by the body, in relation to time. The first PK trial only went up to 8 mg/kg, and, as there has been some indication that the PK profile for the higher and lower doses is different, this needs to be further evaluated. Furthermore, there is a need for more PK data on dosing with 16mg/kg. The aim with this study is therefore to evaluate the PK profiles at different doses of Zalutumumab and the amount of drug in the blood at different time points after single and multiple doses. The results of this study, combined with data from completed and ongoing Zalutumumab studies, will enable us to provide patients with an effective treatment option which may significantly prolong their survival and/or improve their quality of life.

The purpose of this study is to provide access to paclitaxel therapy to subjects with advanced head and neck cancer who have completed the previous late phase 2 study (CA139-388) and should have continued therapy with paclitaxel as the discretion of the investigator, and to evaluate the frequency and the severity of observed adverse reactions in treated subjects

This study utilizes two cycles of Paclitaxel and Carboplatin chemotherapies followed by four small doses of radiation, prior to other treatment (surgery or radiation). This study is evaluating if radiation as a chemoenhancer increases the response rate of initial therapy.

The purpose of the trial is to study the safety and efficacy of the Medpulser Electroporation System with bleomycin in the treatment of head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cisplatin may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. 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 radiation therapy and cisplatin together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy and cisplatin are more effective with or without cetuximab in treating head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy, cisplatin, and cetuximab to see how well they work compared to radiation therapy and cisplatin in treating patients with stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.

Immobilization devices such as thermoplastic masks are used routinely in the radiation treatment of head and neck cancer patients. It is important to assess how well they function at preventing patient motion while the radiation treatment is being delivered. (i.e. isocentre set-up margins, patient motion with the mask). If these new thermoplastic masks such as MedTec S-frame allow less movement, then smaller margins are needed during radiation therapy which, in turn, would decrease side effects from the treatment.

Study Objectives: To determine the MTD (maximal tolerated dose) and recommended dose of a weekly docetaxel and cisplatin combination regimen for locoregional recurrent/metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (SCCHN) To determine the response rate of the recommended dose To determine the safety and tolerability of the recommended dose

Recent progress in treatment of recurrent/metastatic SCCHN has been made with the introduction of the taxanes. Docetaxel as a single agent has a response rate of 22-42% and 17% in patients with recurrent disease. Capecitabine is an oral fluoropyrimidine prodrug that is converted into 5-FU. Previous studies have shown that the capecitabine/docetaxel combination has a synergistic inhibition of tumor growth, resulting in significantly superior efficacy in time to disease progression (TTP), overall survival, median survival and objective tumor response rate compared to docetaxel alone. This trial will investigate the efficacy the combination of docetaxel and capecitabine in treating patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCHN.