Active clinical trials for "Neoplasms, Squamous Cell"

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the immune system in the response of squamous cell cancers of the head and neck to treatment that includes radiation therapy. Current research demonstrates that several natural immune cells and molecules affect the way the body's immune system interacts with a cancerous growth. Some cancers may be related to infection with a virus, such as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Studying the activity of the immune system in head and neck cancers, especially cancers related to HPV infections, can provide valuable information to better understand the body's interaction with cancer cells.

Head and Neck Squaumous Cell Cancer(HNSCC) is the 6th most common cancer in the United States and the 3rd most common worldwide. Risk factors include abuse to tobacco and alcohol. Survival is related to stage of HNSCC when treatment is sought. Most HNSCC patients present with advanced staged disease. This screening activity will educate patients with HNSCC rick factors and screen for pre malignant and/or early staged lesions.

Patients with squamous cell cancer of neck nodes but unknown primary will have a PET-CT scan prior to biopsies. The utility of PET-CT will be determined in this subset of patients.

The human oral cavity is a diverse habitat that contains approximately 700 prokaryotic species. The oral microbiome is comprised of 44% named species, 12% isolates representing unnamed species, and 44% phylotypes known only from 16S rRNA based cloning studies (http://www.homd.org/). Species from 11 phyla have been identified: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Spirochaetes, Fusobacteria, TM7, Synergistetes, Chlamydiae, Chloroflexi and SR1 (http://www.homd.org/). Because these observations have been mainly based on data generated from traditional Sanger sequencing, the diversity of oral microbiome is highly likely underestimated. Application of high throughput sequencing to the oral microbiome similar to the scale of the microbiome studies of other body sites (GI tract, skin, and vagina) under the Human Microbiome Project is necessary to obtain data essential for understanding the diversity and community structure of the oral microbiome in health and disease.

In this case-only study, the investigators try to define a novel staging parameter, the Primary Tumor Burden Score (PTBS).

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a model can be created to predict the progression of early anal cancer precursor lesions in HIV using potential predictors such as: HIV treatment history, smoking history, sexual history, human papillomavirus viral load, human papillomavirus protein expression, and cell markers associated with progression of HPV-related lesions.

Use by Oncologists of Validated Geriatric Assessment Tools: G8 Screening Test and Certain Tests for Thorough Geriatric Evaluation

The study's aim is to define imaging and molecular bio-markers for prediction of radiotherapy response of squamous cell carcinomas, in an early treatment phase.