Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

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 I/II trial to study the effectiveness of cisplatin and gemcitabine in treating patients with advanced squamous cell cancer of the head and neck that cannot be surgically removed.

To evaluate the tumour response rate of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck following stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) of 45Gy in 5 fractions delivered once every 3-4 days, such that treatment is completed within 15 days.

This open, single-arm, exploratory study looked at the efficacy and safety of apatinib in combination with S-1 as second-line treatment of advanced head and neck malignancies.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the benefit of the acupuncture as healing modalities in the therapy of acute toxicity of radiotherapy.

Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) is associated with the development of swallowing difficulties, or dysphagia. Dysphagia has profound negative effects on the health, nutritional status, and quality of life of HNC survivors. It also puts them at risk of developing life-threatening aspiration pneumonia. Radiation-associated dysphagia can be intractable and not responsive to conventional dysphagia therapy. HNC survivors with chronic severe dysphagia may be dependent on long-term tube feeding. Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) is a low-cost, device-driven therapy. It has been studied as an approach to simultaneously improve cough and swallowing functions. During EMST, patients forcefully expire into a one-way spring-loaded valve to strengthen expiratory and submental musculature. The EMST-150 device is available for clinical use in Singapore. In other research studies, it has been shown to improve cough and swallowing in several populations of people with chronic dysphagia, most recently in people with chronic radiation-associated dysphagia. The investigators propose to study the effect of EMST using the EMST-150 device on cough, airway protection, and swallowing functions of HNC survivors with radiation-associated dysphagia. The investigators will recruit 40 participants to undergo an 8-week EMST programme, with weekly follow-up to calibrate their EMST device. It is hypothesised that EMST will improve participants' respiratory and swallowing functions. Respiratory function improvement will be shown by increased maximum expiratory pressure and improved cough airflow measures. Swallowing function improvement will be evidenced by reduced aspiration or improved ability to clear aspirated material during videofluoroscopic swallow studies. The investigators also hypothesize carryover effects on other aspects of swallowing, such as improved hyoid and laryngeal excursions, and improved laryngeal vestibule closure. With the results of this study, the investigators aim to develop better evidence-based rehabilitation programmes for HNC survivors, and those living with chronic dysphagia.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly recognized in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The prevalence prior and after cancer therapy is not well understood. OSA is identified as a contributing factor for daytime somnolence and quality of life (QOL), yet treatment of OSA in the SCCHN population has not been studied. The investigators hope to identify the disease course of sleep apnea, risk factors for development, and impact on QOL with treatment of OSA in a population of patients with SCCHN.

The research study involves an open label trial (i.e., participant selects one of 2 interventions) to determine whether Veterans engaged in treatment for head and/or neck cancers find either of the two available behavioral treatments for pain (Self-Hypnosis or Mindfulness) helpful in managing pain, and if the study's delivery modality (providing audio recordings and workbooks for home use) is acceptable and feasible. If neither of the 2 interventions seems appealing, the participant can participate in the study by completing the study assessments only (this option is usual care); however, the participant will not receive the study materials or one-on-one appointments with the study clinician.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of hypofractionated radiation therapy and concomitant chemotherapy with cisplatin for locally advanced head and neck cancer in a high volume brazilian center.

To test whether cetuximab improves efficacy/tolerance as compared to methotrexate in first line treatment of unfit patients ³ 70 years old with recurrent and /or metastatic HNSCC. Efficacy assessed by failure free survival

This is a boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) combined with image-guided intensity modulation radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) for patients with previously irradiated and locally recurrent head and neck cancer. The primary end points are treatment toxicities and response rate. The secondary endpoints are time to tumor progression, progression-free survival, overall survival and change quality of life. Head and neck(H & N) carcinomas that recur locally after conventional irradiation pose a therapeutic challenge. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is based on the nuclear capture reaction that occurs when non-radioactive boron is irradiated with neutrons of thermal energy to yield high energy alpha particles and recoiling lithium nuclei. The effect of alpha and 7Li is primarily limited to boron-containing cells. Preferential uptake of boron into cancerous tissue is achieved using boron carriers such as a derivative of phenylalanine, boronophenylalanine (BPA). After administration of BPA by intravenous infusion, the tumor site is irradiated with neutrons, the source of which is currently a nuclear reactor, like the Tsing Hua Open-Pool Reactor (THOR), a 2MW research reactor at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan. Since it is a target radiotherapy, low complication rate after BNCT can be obtained. However, further local recurrence after BNCT for recurrent H & N cancer was reported in several publications. Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is the process of frequent two and three-dimensional imaging, during a course of radiation treatment, used to direct radiation therapy utilizing the imaging coordinates of the approved radiation treatment plan. IGRT such as Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) using an On-Board Imager (OBI) enhance delivery and further improve outcomes as the treatments create a higher level of precision. By combining BNCT and IG-IMRT, we expect to procure high control rate of recurrent H & N cancer with acceptable toxicity. This study will be the first BNCT plus IG-IMRT trial to treat head and neck cancer in Taiwan.