Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

Participant with squamous cell cancer of head and neck are invited to participate in this study. In this study the investigators will be Inserting the gene for interleukin-12 into a person's cancer cells with the anticipation to make the body build an immune response to kill more tumor cells.

Randomized phase II trial to study the effectiveness of ixabepilone in treating patients who have metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy in treating patients who have metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use 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 monoclonal antibody therapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining cetuximab, cisplatin, and radiation therapy in treating patients who have advanced stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.

Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of docetaxel plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the combination of amifostine and high dose chemotherapy with blood stem cell support. Amifostine is a druf developed to protect normal tissues against the toxicities of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and has reduced the side effects of chemotherapy given at conventional doses.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase 2 trial to compare the effectiveness of chemo-radiation therapy (RT + cisplatin + 5-FU) with or without tirapazamine for the treatment of patients with stage III or IV squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck cancer (SCCHN). RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Tirapazamine may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation therapy by making tumor cells more sensitive to therapy.

Patients undergoing major head and neck surgery often develop breathing difficulties as a result of build up of sputum and difficulty taking deep breaths. Often as part of the surgery patients may also require a tracheotomy tube (a temporary tube placed into their airway) which is removed around 5-7 days after the operation. The presence of this tracheostomy tube increases the patient's risk of developing breathing problems, especially difficulty clearing sputum and reduced lung volumes. To reduce the risk of developing these problems, different forms of oxygen therapy and humidification are used. This normally involves using oxygen masks, nebulisers and other medications to help loosen the sputum and maintain blood oxygen levels. Another method of giving oxygen and humidification is through the use of AIRVO, which delivers the air / oxygen to the patient at higher rates as well as warming and humidifying the air. The aim of this study is to compare the AIRVO system to standard care in a small sample of patients (20 patients) undergoing major head and neck surgery involving insertion of a tracheostomy tube. The study will compare rates of breathing complications (e.g. pneumonia, reduced lung volume) as well as comparing the time to remove the tracheostomy tube and the time the patient is required to stay in hospital. These results will then be used to develop a larger funded study.

Perioperative fasting remains a common clinical practice in surgical patients to prevent the development of postoperative anesthesia- and surgical-related complications. Clinical observational studies indicated that the combination catabolic effects resulted from prolonged perioperative fasting and profound surgical stress are likely to induce extensive protein catabolism, muscle breakdown and impaired glycemic control during postoperative phase, leading to the development of severe complications. Furthermore, prolonged gastrointestinal fasting is associated with microbial translocation that deteriorates the early recovery after surgery. This clinical trial anticipates in determining the beneficial effect of intraoperative feeding to improve intraoperative hemodynamics and enhance postoperative recovery due to attenuation of systemic catabolism and improvement of insulin sensitivity to glycemic control.

Patients with potentially resectable pancreatic head cancer and high bilirubin level, were stratified into two equal groups according to the method of biliary drainage: endoscopic stenting or percutaneous drainage.