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

Many types of head and neck cancers will have local spread to the neck. As such selective neck dissection is performed as part of the treatment. The neck is divided into various levels. Selective neck dissection targets areas that are most likely to harbor cancer cells for specific types of head and neck cancers. Level IIB has been particularly controversial in the last few years, as the rate of cancer spread to this area has been shown to be quite low (0-8%). Moreover, because the spinal accessory nerve (involved in shoulder function) runs through this area, there is theoretical risk of causing post-operative shoulder weakness. As such, the question of whether removing level IIB, knowing that there is low chance of it containing disease spread, is worth risking decreased shoulder function. Some would argue that all potential diseased sites should be removed at all costs. While other advocate that a balance between disease cure and function should be maintained. However, what needs to be determined is just what impact does dissecting IIB have on shoulder function. At our institution, the rate of poor shoulder function associated with selective neck dissection has been perceived as being quite low. This study is designed to test this observation. Hypothesis: Neck dissection including level IIb in head and neck cancer patients will not lead to worse shoulder function and quality of life than when level IIb is preserved.

Brief Summary: RATIONALE: Comparing results of diagnostic procedures, such as esophagoscopy, done before and after radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy may help doctors predict a patient's response to treatment and help plan the best treatment. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying esophagoscopy in evaluating treatment in patients with stage I-IV head and neck cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy.

This study will evaluate the local control rates as well as acute and late toxicity rates of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for the treatment of benign and malignant head and neck tumors.

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. Sorafenib tosylate may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth and by blocking blood flow to the tumor. It is not yet known whether cetuximab is more effective when given alone or together with sorafenib tosylate in treating patients with head and neck cancer. This randomized phase II trial is studying cetuximab to see how well it works when given together with or without sorafenib tosylate in treating patients with refractory, recurrent, and/or metastatic head and neck cancer.

Surgical resection followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy is considered as the standard of care for locally advanced OSCC (LAOSCC). Although the treatment could provide prompt local control, but it is also associated with high incidence of distant failure. Systemic chemotherapy given either before (neoadjuvant) or after (adjuvant) definitive local treatment has been extensively evaluated to improve the clinical outcome in LAOSCC. Regimens of taxane/cisplatin-based combinations have been shown to improve the treatment outcome of patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in neoadjuvant setting. Recently, cetuximab (Erbitux®), a monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), has also been proven to be an efficient agent for advanced and/or refractory HNSCC with acceptable toxicity profiles. In current study, we shall evaluate the feasibility, efficacy and safety of a triplet bio-chemotherapy consisting of cetuximab, paclitaxel, and cisplatin followed by cetuximab-based concurrent bio-radiotherapy (CBRT) in patients with LAOSCC.

The main purpose of this first human study with CC-115 is to assess the safety and action of a new class of experimental drug (dual DNA-PK and TOR kinase inhibitors) in patients with advanced tumors unresponsive to standard therapies and to determine the appropriate dose and tumor types for later-stage clinical trials. The bioavailability of tablet and capsule formulations under fasting and fed conditions will also be evaluated in some patients.

In this clinical trial, the investigators want to know if cabazitaxel is more effective than methotrexate for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in palliative treatment.

This phase II trial is studying how well giving carboplatin, paclitaxel, cetuximab, and erlotinib hydrochloride together works in treating patients with metastatic or recurrent squamous cell head and neck cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. 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. Erlotinib hydrochloride may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving combination chemotherapy together with cetuximab and erlotinib hydrochloride may kill more tumor cells.

This research is being done because we do not know the best treatment for advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. These cancers have been treated with a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy in varying combination. When the tumor is inoperable, radiation therapy is used with or without chemotherapy in the hope of curing the tumor. Recently, it has become recognized as generalized knowledge that cancer cells are hypoxic (low oxygen concentration). Because of the low oxygen concentrations, many cancer treatments have not been successful. The theory behind this study is to give oxygen to patients prior to chemotherapy and radiation in hopes of generating greater results in killing cancer cells. The purpose of this study has two main objectives. The primary objective is to determine patient tolerance to each arm of the trial. The second objective is to determine the feasibility of treatment delivery and acute toxicities associated with each regimen. It is our intention to undertake a randomized and controlled trial should this Phase I trial prove successful in terms of patient tolerance.

This is a randomized, open-label, 2-arm, controlled, phase 2, multi-center, estimation clinical trial of docetaxel and cisplatin combination chemotherapy with and without panitumumab in the first-line treatment of subjects with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer, as well as a cross-over second-line panitumumab monotherapy of subjects who fail the chemotherapy only arm. This study will be conducted in the United States. Approximately 150 subjects with histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic and/or recurrent SCCHN.