Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

The purpose of this study is to determine whether any eventual skin damage caused by radiation therapy can be detected and monitored at a subclinical level via optical coherence tomography (OCT). Another key question is whether subclinical OCT detected skin damage correlates with acute and late clinical toxicity.

Multi-centric, one arm phase II study. The first phase of the study will consist of an evaluation of the initial dental state of each subject based on a stomatological examination, an orthopantomogram, two bitewing radiographs (right and left sides) and an evaluation of all potential risks of caries and fractures. For all of subjects, a dental decalcification, dental care and/or avulsion if necessary, and afterwards, a dental splint will be performed before the start of RT treatment. Our previously developed predictive model for dental dose in function of the localisation of tumour and suspect lymph nodes based on the stomatological examination and on the pre-treatment imaging. An estimation of the intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) teeth dose will be made and translated into a colour based form of the pre-RT dental status. A contouring of the teeth will be performed and the planned dose for each tooth of each subject will be recorded by a dose volume histogram (DVH) curve based on the pre-treatment imaging. In the same way the mean dose and the V25 (the volume receiving 25 Gy) of the homo- and the heterolateral parotid gland will be calculated. Based on our predictive model, every tooth which potentially will receive more than 40 Gy and for which long term survival is compromised will be avulsed at least 2 weeks before the start of RT. After RT, the subject will have clinical follow-up with dental evaluation every 6 months for 36 months in order to identify possible dental events. At each consultation, a stomatological examination will be performed as well as two bitewing radiographs. An orthopantomogram will be done once a year. Furthermore, periapical X-rays will be performed if there is a dental complain or to refine a lesion visible on orthopantomogram.

Based on the recently identified mutations in HNSCCs, the major pathologic pathways implicated in the tumorigenesis of HNSCC include dysregulation of four processes: cellular survival and proliferation (e.g., TP53, EGFR, MET, and PIK3CA); cell-cycle control (e.g., CDKN2A and CCND1); cellular differentiation (e.g., NOTCH1); and Adhesion and invasion signaling (e.g., FAT1).7 TP53, EGFR, PIK3CA, CDKN2A, CCND1, and MET participate in several common signaling pathways. Alterations of these genes are most frequently seen in alcohol and tobacco-related HNSCC. However their role in prognostication and selection of therapeutics is not known

This study will obtain tumor samples from patients with head and neck cancers and aims to develop personalized TCR-T therapy for head and neck cancer by determining the reactive TCR clone sequences in head and neck cancer.

Our objective in this study is to identify an optimal ultrasound spectroscopy parameter that can be used as an early predictor of pathological complete or partial response in men with prostate cancer and men and women with rectum and head and neck cancers receiving treatment radiotherapy. We have previously demonstrated that high-frequency ultrasound and spectroscopy, and recently conventional-frequency ultrasound and spectroscopy may be used to detect cell death in vitro, in situ and in vivo. The method can detect different forms of cell death and has been demonstrated to be sensitive to apoptotic, necrotic and mitotic cell death. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the use of ultrasound imaging and spectroscopy as a predictive marker of advanced tumour response to radiotherapy. Since radiation treatments may also act on tumour vasculature to "normalize" it we will also evaluate blood-vessel imaging by standard Doppler-imaging and with standard higher-resolution imaging using clinically approved microbubble contrast agents. The main goal, as described above, is to select the best ultrasound spectroscopy parameter to use as an early predictor of pathological complete response

Radiotherapy (RT), surgery and chemotherapy (CT) are treatments for head and neck cancers, used alone or in combination. Conformal RT with Intensity Modulation (IMRT) is currently the reference technique. IMRT requires a precise definition of the target volumes to be treated and the anatomical structures to be protected from irradiation. Most studies of head and neck cancers published in the literature demonstrate the variability in the contouring of the target volumes between radiotherapists. This may have an impact on dosimetry. To date, no studies have evaluated the impact of the ENT surgeon's evaluation in volumes contouring. The aim of this study is to compare the volumes determined by the radiotherapists alone and those determined jointly by the radiotherapists and the ENT surgeon.

Background: Researchers want to learn more about head and neck disorders. Understanding these disorders could help them find better treatments. To do this, they are collecting tissue samples for research. Objective: To create a repository of tissue samples and data to better study conditions of the head and neck. Eligibility: People who had or will have tissue samples taken because of a head or neck disorder. They must be ages 3 and older and not pregnant to join Part 2. Design: Participants will be screened with a questionnaire, medical history, and physical exam. Part 1. Participants will give permission for any of their tissue samples leftover from private care or other research protocols to be used. If participants tissue did not contain normal tissue or if they have a condition that suggests a genetic issue, they will be invited to join Part 2. Part 2: Participants will have additional samples collected. These could be: Blood: Blood is drawn through a needle in the arm. Cheek swab or brushing: A cotton swab or small brush is rubbed inside the cheek. Saliva: They rinse their mouth with water and spit into a tube or cup. Skin biopsy: They are injected with a numbing drug. A biopsy tool removes a small piece of skin. Mucosal biopsy: They are injected in the mouth with a numbing medication. A small piece of tissue from the inside of the cheek is removed. Participants samples will be used for future research, including genetic testing.

The purpose of this study is to study the genetic profile of head and neck tumors and their relationship to treatment response and outcome

To explore the use of PET/MRI in the staging and pretreatment evaluation of patients with head and neck cancer and to compare this modality to standard PET/CT imaging.

The main purpose and goal of this study is to find out if a particular course of radiotherapy for non-curable cancers, together with palliative care support, can help improve patients' quality of life.