Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

To assess the efficacy of docetaxel, cisplatin combination in terms of disease free survival. Time to progression of the disease in terms of local and distant failure; assess the survival time, and assess the objective (clinical and radiological) response rate and the safety of the treatment.

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and toxicity of docetaxel/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil induction chemotherapy (4 cycles) followed by concomitant chemoradiation with cetuximab and weekly cisplatin in patients with inoperable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

This is an open-label, multicenter, single-dose pilot study of AuroLase(TM) Therapy in the treatment of patients with refractory and/or recurrent tumors of the head and neck. Three (3) treatment groups of five (5) patients each will be enrolled and observed for six (6) months following treatment. Each group will receive a single dose of AuroShell(TM) particles followed by one or more interstitial illuminations with an 808nm laser. Particle dose and laser power may be increased in each dosing group.

Objectives: To find out the maximum tolerated dose of the GI-6207 vaccine (the highest dose that does not cause unacceptable side effects), and to evaluate any side effects. To see if GI-6207 has any effect on patients tumors. To learn how the vaccine causes immune responses against the cancer. Eligibility: Patients 18 years of age and older who have been diagnosed with a cancer that has not responded to standard treatments. Patients must not be allergic to yeast or yeast products. Design: Initial physical examination, blood and tissue sampling, computed tomography (CT) scan, and skin test to determine eligibility for the procedure. Treatment with GI-6027 in seven 14-day cycles as follows: Vaccine administered on days 1, 15, 29, 43, 57, 71, and 85. Vaccine given at four sites around the body: right and left chest area below the armpit, and right and left upper thigh in the pelvic region. (These areas drain into parts of your body that contain large numbers of lymph nodes. The lymph nodes contain immune cells that may be activated by the vaccine to target cancer cells.) Clinic visits for physical examinations to check vital signs, take additional blood and urine samples, and perform other tests needed for the study. After day 85 (about 3 months), patients will continue to receive vaccine monthly (or every 28 days) as long as the vaccine is not producing harmful effects or side effects and the cancer is either stable or reducing. Patients who do well on the vaccine may continue to receive it for as long as it is available.

The purpose of this study is to determine the best doses of RAD001 (everolimus) tablets and cisplatin to give to patients who are receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.

RATIONALE: BI 2536 may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying the side effects and how well BI 2536 works in treating patients with recurrent or metastatic solid tumors.

The purpose of this study is to test whether the use of advanced radiation therapy delivery techniques can spare a patient's normal tissue, including salivary glands, from radiation. This study is being done to try to reduce radiation side effects, especially mouth dryness, which happens with standard radiation methods. In order to reduce these side effects, other normal tissues may receive a different radiation dose (sometimes more) than what would have been received using standard radiation therapy. A secondary goal of this study is to determine if the type of tumor a patient has can be controlled at least as well (or better) using this advanced radiation therapy delivery technique as it would be if the patient was treated with standard radiation therapy.

Palliative radiotherapy for head and neck cancer is widely used but the effect and side effects are largely unknown. We will study the effect of short hypofractionated palliative radiotherapy (20 Gy in 4 fractions) on symptom intensity and -frequency as weel as side effects

The purpose of this study is to determine if the combination of two new drugs, cetuximab (Erbitux) and bevacizumab (Avastin) can increase the effectiveness of treatment for head and neck cancer. Cetuximab has recently been approved by the FDA for head and neck cancer (that is locally or regionally advanced) when used in combination with radiation therapy. Cetuximab is also approved by the FDA for the treatment of colorectal cancer

For advanced head and neck cancer, combined radiation and chemotherapy prevents recurrences and for many patients, improves survival. While combined cisplatin and radiation or cetuximab and radiation is more effective than radiation alone, approximately 50% of these patients will still recur. A more aggressive approach may be needed for these patients to prevent recurrence and death. The strategy of using multiple chemotherapy drugs with radiation given twice a day has been tested at Mount Sinai and University of Chicago. Approximately 80% of patients are cured with this strategy. While cure rates are higher than standard chemotherapy and radiation and the treatment is tolerable, side effects during treatment are common. We propose replacing a chemotherapy drug with a less toxic, targeted therapy called cetuximab. Our goal is to reduce toxicity while maintaining or improving cure rates for these patients.