Active clinical trials for "Head and Neck Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as oxaliplatin and capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving oxaliplatin together with capecitabine works in treating patients with relapsed or metastatic head and neck cancer.

This study is looking at the safety and tolerability of TNFeradeä Biologic combined with conventional once daily radiation therapy in elderly or frail patients with new onset locally advanced head and neck tumors.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, cisplatin, fluorouracil, and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Lapatinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving combination chemotherapy together with radiation therapy, with or without lapatinib, before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed or eliminate the need for surgery. PURPOSE: This phase I/II trial is studying the side effects and best dose of combination chemotherapy given together with radiation therapy with or without lapatinib and to see how well it works in treating patients with locally advanced cancer of the larynx or hypopharynx.

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of photodynamic therapy using HPPH in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for primary or recurrent head and neck cancer. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a drug, such as HPPH, that becomes active when it is exposed to a certain kind of light. When the drug is active, tumor cells are killed. Giving photodynamic therapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery.

The addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy (chemoradiation) has improved outcomes for patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck but additional improvements to treatment regimens are needed. The study is investigating if the addition of a targeted therapy (panitumumab) can improve the efficacy of chemoradiation without adding unmanageable toxicity.

The primary objective of the first phase is to determine the safety, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicity of TNFerade in combination with the previously studied combination of Fluorouracil (5FU), Hydroxyurea (HU) and standard daily radiotherapy in patients with recurrent head and neck cancer (RHNC). All chemoradiotherapy is administered on a "week-on/week-off" schedule. The primary objective of the second phase II is to determine the locoregional control rate at 24 months.

The overall goal of this study is to examine the effect of a single dose of TENS on mucositis pain and function secondary to head and neck radiation therapies. Oral mucositis is an extremely debilitating, unpreventable condition (inflammation, ulcers, bleeding in the mouth, nose, and throat) that causes significant pain, functional impairment, and diminished quality of life. Head and neck cancers pose specific challenges to effective pain management and past studies suggest the use of effective non-pharmacologic strategies such as TENS may be particularly beneficial for avoiding sources of acute and chronic pain, thereby improving quality of life. The investigators hypothesize that a single dose of TENS will decrease pain and improve function and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. This project is particularly innovative because it is the first known study to examine the efficacy of TENS, an established safe, inexpensive and easy-to-use non-pharmacologic pain management intervention, for treating acute oral mucositis pain. The investigators research translates bench (animal model) science to human subjects using an interdisciplinary approach to pain management. Establishing whether TENS is effective for reducing mucositis pain is a critical first step toward establishing an effective, non-pharmacologic pain relief intervention for mucositis.

This study is to support current and future Zalutumumab studies by increasing the Pharmacokinetic (PK) knowledge of the drug. PK is the study of how a drug is absorbed (taken up), distributed (moved around), metabolised (broken down) and excreted (removed) by the body, in relation to time. The first PK trial only went up to 8 mg/kg, and, as there has been some indication that the PK profile for the higher and lower doses is different, this needs to be further evaluated. Furthermore, there is a need for more PK data on dosing with 16mg/kg. The aim with this study is therefore to evaluate the PK profiles at different doses of Zalutumumab and the amount of drug in the blood at different time points after single and multiple doses. The results of this study, combined with data from completed and ongoing Zalutumumab studies, will enable us to provide patients with an effective treatment option which may significantly prolong their survival and/or improve their quality of life.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as E7389, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well E7389 works in treating patients with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer.

Study to investigate the effect of two types of radiotherapy on saliva: IMRT versus conventional radiotherapy. In each group, one part will receive normal dental preventive treatment. The other part will use products for treatment of dry mouth (Biotene gamma). Both anorganic and organic components of the saliva will be studied at different time points, combined with bacterial swabs.