Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

The trial will compare the efficacy and safety of concomitant chemoradiation with tirapazamine, cisplatin and radiation versus cisplatin and radiation.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy plus fludarabine in treating patients who have locally advanced cancer of the mouth, pharynx, or larynx.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of oxaliplatin in treating patients who have advanced head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: SU5416 may stop the growth of cancer cells by stopping blood flow to the tumor. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of SU5416 in treating patients who have advanced or recurrent cancer of the head and neck.

RATIONALE: Biological therapies such as ZD 1839 may interfere with the growth of tumor cells and slow the growth of head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of ZD1839 in treating patients who have metastatic or recurrent cancer of the head and neck.

Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality or an important adjunct treatment for many patients with H&N carcinoma. Local control is directly related to dose and to the technical accuracy with which the dose is delivered to the target volume. Traditional radiotherapy techniques result in significant doses being delivered to normal tissues adjacent to the target, including the spinal cord and salivary glands. This leaves the patient with significant acute and late normal tissue toxicity that impacts on both the ability to tolerate the actual treatment and on the patient's long-term quality of life. Recently, the investigators have used static conformal multisegmental intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for a comprehensive irradiation of head and neck cancer with dose sparing of uninvolved tissues. This has resulted in substantial preservation of major salivary gland function in many patients with primary sites in the oral pharynx, oral cavity, nasopharynx, and pyriform sinus. While the investigators' results to date have shown promising preservation of salivary flow, they do not know whether patients treated with IMRT have similar local control rates as those treated with standard radiotherapy. Some investigators have raised the concern that by giving a low radiation dose to areas adjacent to the target volume there is a risk of undertreating the disease. On the other hand, the IMRT delivered with this protocol (called "simultaneous integrated boost", or SIB) may improve local control rates by delivering the same biologically effective dose in a shorter overall time period. This is a phase I/II trial which seeks to establish the efficacy of IMRT for H&N cancer treatment, and to further investigate the relationship between radiation dose to the parotid glands, salivary flow, and quality of life.

RATIONALE: Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy in treating patients who have stage IV head and neck cancer.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of giving 7-hydroxystaurosporine together with irinotecan hydrochloride in treating patients with metastatic or unresectable solid tumors, including triple-negative breast cancer (currently enrolling only patients with triple-negative breast cancer since 6/8/2007). Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving 7-hydroxystaurosporine together with irinotecan hydrochloride may help kill more cancer cells by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drug.

Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of erlotinib in treating patients who have metastatic or unresectable solid tumors and liver or kidney dysfunction. Biological therapies such as erlotinib may interfere with the growth of tumor cells and slow the growth of the tumor

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 cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of irinotecan and docetaxel in treating patients who have metastatic or locally recurrent head and neck cancer.