Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Stereotactic body radiation therapy may be able to send x-rays directly to the tumor and cause less damage to normal tissue. 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 stereotactic body radiation therapy together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the side effects of radiation therapy given together with cetuximab and to see how well it works in treating patients with recurrent head and neck cancer.

This is a pilot research study examining the use of varenicline (Chantix) and the nicotine patch. The study is designed to find out whether one of these medications is more effective for smoking cessation with head and neck cancer patients. The study has three parts: 1) two intake sessions; 2) an 8-week treatment phase, and 3) a 3-month follow-up.

Primary Objective: To assess the overall response rate (complete and partial response) to Abraxane in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer with the addition of Cetuximab on disease progression. Approximately 40,000 new cases of head and neck cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States (Jemal et al, 2003), and over 30% of these patients are expected to die of their malignancy. Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90% of head and neck cancer cases. Although metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis is rather uncommon, and despite aggressive use of up-front concurrent radiation and cisplatin-based chemotherapy, approximately 20% of the patients will develop metastases. Patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) have a poor prognosis A subsequent randomized study conducted by ECOG (E1393) compared high-dose paclitaxel (200 mg/m2) as a 24-hour infusion plus cisplatin 75 mg/m2 with G-CSF support, to low dose paclitaxel (135 mg/m2) as a 24-hour infusion, plus cisplatin 75 mg/m2 (Forastiere et al, 2001). Patients with newly diagnosed metastatic or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, excluding nasopharyngeal primaries were eligible. No prior treatment for recurrent/metastatic disease was allowed, but patients could have received chemotherapy as a part of the initial curative therapy that should have been completed 6 months prior to study. No statistically significant difference could be demonstrated either in response rates or survival between the two arms (Murphy et al, 2001). This study, however, indicated that paclitaxel, a member of the taxane class of anti-tumor agent, is active in head and neck cancer. New agents to treat head and neck cancer need to be investigated. Abraxane, an albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel has shown significant single-agent activity in breast cancer and in head and neck cancer. Recently, Abraxane has approved for use in metastatic breast cancer. Given previous randomized phase III trials indicated single agent chemotherapy fared as well as combination chemotherapy regimen in terms of overall survival, this novel formulation should be actively investigated in head and neck cancer.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of an oral Farnesyl Protein Transferase Inhibitor (Lonafarnib/SCH 6636) as a single agent in Adult Patients With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head & Neck and will help determine if further development is justified.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of adding the investigational drug Motexafin Gadolinium to the standard treatment of radiation therapy and chemotherapy with drugs called 5-FU and cisplatin in patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate Medpulser electroporation (EPT) with bleomycin with regard to local tumor recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates versus surgery in recurrent or secondary primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the base of the tongue, posterior lateral pharyngeal wall, hypopharynx or larynx.

RATIONALE: Inserting the p53 gene into a person's cancer cells may improve the body's ability to fight cancer. 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 and radiation therapy with the p53 gene may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of gene therapy plus surgery followed by cisplatin and radiation therapy in treating patients who have newly diagnosed resectable stage III or stage IV cancer of the mouth or throat.

This study will test an investigational study drug called patritumab. It is a 'randomized study' which means participants have an equal chance of being assigned to receive the experimental medication (patritumab) or a substance that looks like the experimental product, but is not (placebo). Patritumab may work when combined with other medications that are approved for the treatment of head and neck cancer. They are called cetuximab, cisplatin or carboplatin. All participants will receive the other medications approved for treatment of head and neck cancer, even if they do not receive the experimental product.

This is a phase 1b/2, open-label, multicenter trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, biologic activity, and preliminary efficacy of intratumoral SD-101 injections in combination with intravenous pembrolizumab in patients with metastatic melanoma or recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This study will be conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1 evaluates SD-101 given in combination with pembrolizumab in melanoma populations (anti-PD-1/L1 naïve and anti-PD-1/L1 experienced with progressive disease) in up to 4 Dose Escalation cohorts to identify a recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) to be evaluated in up to 4 Dose Expansion cohorts in Phase 2. Phase 2 also includes up to 4 Dose Expansion cohorts of patients with HNSCC (anti-PD-1/L1 naïve and anti-PD-1/L1 experienced with progressive disease).

Whether low-dose radiation in addition to Taxotere and Erbitux improves the response rate of patients with recurrent unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.