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

Randomized comparison between standard radiotherapy and hypofractionated split course schedule. Compared to standard radiotherapy, the investigators expect that hypofractionated split course (interruption of 2 weeks) radiotherapy will improve compliance to treatment, acute tolerance of treatment, preservation of autonomy, prevention of malnutrition, with the same efficacy, measured by the locoregional control rate.

This trial studies how well gabapentin, methadone, and oxycodone with or without venlafaxine hydrochloride work in managing pain in participants with stage II-IV squamous cell head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation therapy. Gabapentin may reduce the need for these pain medications if given at the start of radiation therapy. Methadone and oxycodone may help relieve pain caused by cancer. Venlafaxine hydrochloride may prevent or improve pain caused by cancer. It is now yet known whether giving gabapentin, methadone, and oxycodone with venlafaxine hydrochloride will work better in managing pain in participants with squamous cell head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation therapy.

This study will evaluate whether a time-limited cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention in the post-treatment time period can address body image disturbance (BID) in patients with surgically-treated head and neck cancer (HNC), thereby improving BID and quality of life (QOL).

The study evaluates the effects of the drug Metformin on the oxygen content in cancer tissue. Low oxygen concentration in cancer tissue accelerates cancer growth. Moreover, the response to radiation therapy is worse when tissue oxygen is low, because radiation therapy depends on oxygen to unfold therapeutic effects. Metformin has been used to treat type II diabetes for over 50 years and features additional properties that could slow down cancer growth. One of these properties is the improved oxygen concentration in cancer tissue. This effect has been proven for various cancers. This study was planned to verify this effect in head and neck cancer. Patients who suffer from cancer of the mouth and are planned for surgical removal of the cancer will be given Metformin for 9 to 14 days. The tissue removed in the subsequent surgery will be compared to a tissue sample that had been taken from the same patient prior to Metformin intake. To evaluate the oxygen content in the tissue samples, the expression of genes that react to oxygen levels will be measured and compared between the samples taken before and after treatment with Metformin. A secondary aim is to evaluate whether changes in the oxygen content within the tumor can be visualized by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Therefore, participants undergo an MRI scan, before and after Treatment with Metformin. The changes in the MRI will be correlated to the changes measured in gene expression.

Backgrounds Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cancer (OSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for oral cancers. In locally advanced and unresectable oral cancer, surgery presents challenges primarily because the head and neck region have many critical structures that can be damaged by tumor or treatment. Damage to the critical structures can result in significant structural, cosmetic and functional deficits that negatively impact quality of life. Use of NC was found to achieve resectability in 39% of locally advanced unresectable oral cancers. Patil et al. reported response rate with the three drugs regimen (TPF) for NC was 32% and 27,37% for two drugs regimen (TP). The overall response rate in the TPF group was significantly higher than that in the PF group, both in the induction-chemotherapy phase and after locoregional therapy (33,3% vs 19,9%, p = 0,004). Chemoresistancy has become the challenge in OSCC treatment affecting tumor response to chemotherapy. Hypoxic microenvironment found in OSCC is marked by the high expression of HIF-1α. CD44 and CD133 as a cancer stem cells marker in head and neck (HNSCC) and miR-210 known as hypoxamiR has been reported to contribute chemoresistancy. As hypoxia inarguably one of the main causes of chemoresistancy, it is agreeable to use melatonin as an antioxidant to reduce the hypoxic condition in tumor microenvironment. Melatonin, a potent endogenous antioxidant agent is proven to have an oncostatic effect, was given in expect to reduce the tumor hypoxic condition so that it would increase the tumor response on NC. Majority of the clinical study use oral melatonin given once daily in 20 mg dose as the minimal dose to yield anti-tumor effects. The purpose of this study is to prove the effectiveness of melatonin to increase clinical response in locally advanced OSCC patients when treated with NC. The effect of melatonin in reducing tumor hypoxia will be seen through its effect in decreasing the gene expressions of HIF-1α, miR-210, CD44, and CD133. Methods Study Design This study is a double blind, randomized clinical trial using placebo as comparison running from June 2017 to July 2018 . Locally advanced OSSC (stage IVA and IVB) patients that will receive NC were included in the study. Fifty patients treated at two centres (RSCM and RSKD) were randomly allocated into two arms. Twenty-five patients received melatonin combined with three regiment NC (Taxane, Cisplatin, and 5-FU) and the other received placebo with NC. However only 25 out of 50 patients had completed the study protocol (13 patients in melatonin arm and 12 in placebo arm) Evaluation of Clinical Response The clinical response were assessed by evaluating pre-treatment and post treatment MRI with the aid of RECIST 1.1. First, it is necessary to estimate the overall tumor burden at baseline (target and non-target lesion) and use this as a comparator for subsequent measurement. The tumor response then being determined according to the definition criteria according to RECIST 1.1, as follows: Complete response (CR) is the disappearance of all target lesions. Partial response (PR) means there is at least 30% decrement in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters. Progressive disease (PD) means there is at least a 20% increment in the sum of diameters of target lesions or an absolute increment of at least 5 mm. Stable disease (SD) is when there is neither a sufficient shrinkage nor sufficient increment of target lesion. Patients who categorized as PR and CR undergone surgery while those with SD and PD undergone core biopsy. Genes expression examination The primer for HIF-1α miR210, CD44, and CD133 genes amplification was design using a Primer Quest Tool IDT software. The total sequence of each gene attained from GenBank data source: National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The steps of gene expression examination are RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, and absolute quantification qPCR. qPCR result was analyzed based on the gene expression concentration compare to the pre-determined standard curve (positive control) of each genes. Statistical analysis The data was analysed with statistics software SPSS 20. Saphiro Wilk was used to test data normal distribution. Data with normal distribution and with p > 0,05 presented in mean +- standard deviation (SD). Data with abnormal data distribution presented in median (minimal and maximal value). The statistical difference of gene concentration level (numerical data) between melatonin and placebo was analysed using normality test of Saphiro Wilk. Data with normal distribution was tested using unpaired-T test, while data with abnormal distribution was tested using Mann Whitney. Statistically significant different stated as p < 0,05.

Head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a disease with poor survival, especially for African Americans, despite intense treatment including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Delays between surgery and the start of postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) are common, cause excess mortality, and contribute to worse survival in African Americans. Our research team has developed NDURE (Navigation for Disparities and Untimely Radiation thErapy), a novel theory-based patient navigation (PN) intervention to decrease delays and racial disparities starting PORT. In this single-site, open label, single-arm trial, adults with surgically-managed, locally advanced HNSCC, will be enrolled in NDURE to assess the feasibility and acceptability of NDURE as a novel approach to decreasing delays and racial disparities starting PORT after surgery for HNSCC. The investigators will collect information about the accrual rate and NDURE completion rate. Participants will also complete validated questionnaires at baseline and post-intervention to evaluate the feasibility of outcome assessment for NDURE. Post-intervention, patients and providers will undergo interviews to obtain in-depth understanding of the content, format, timing, and delivery of NDURE to optimize the intervention in preparation for a future multi-site study. NDURE could provide the first effective intervention to improve the delivery of timely, equitable PORT after HNSCC surgery, thereby improving survival for patients with HNSCC, decreasing racial disparities in mortality, and developing new standards of clinical care.

This is a phase I, single-center, non-randomized, 3+3 dose-escalation study of alpha lipoic acid given during chemotherapy-radiation in HNSCC patients with non-metastatic disease.

This study will test the feasibility of a carbohydrate-restricted, high-fat (CRHF) diet intervention in newly diagnosed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients who will receive definitive radiation.

This study will evaluate the feasibility of using more advanced IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) techniques. This new technique is termed Temporally Feathered Radiation Therapy (TFRT). TFRT is designed to reduce the side effects of conventional radiation therapy. Research has shown that TFRT may lessen these side effects.

Bevacizumab may reduce CNS side effects caused by radiation therapy. This randomized phase II trial is studying how well bevacizumab works in reducing CNS side effects in patients who have undergone radiation therapy to the brain for primary brain tumor, meningioma, or head and neck cancer.