View clinical trials related to Head and Neck Cancer.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine the maximum tolerated dose of ZD6474 given in combination with radiation or in combination with chemotherapy and radiation in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
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.
The purpose of this study is to determine if combination Erlotinib, Cisplatin/Carboplatin, and Paclitaxel are effective first line treatment for metastatic, recurrent and persistent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
To estimate the effect of second-line panitumumab monotherapy on objective response in patients with metastatic or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN).
The purpose of this study is to look at several genes that might determine how the body processes the drugs used to treat lung, colorectal and head and neck cancers. The goal of this examination is to help investigators determine the proper dosage to give future cancer patients or to better predict which future patients will respond to particular drug therapies.
This study is using the combination of radiation and antiangiogenic agents (agents that destroy existing blood vessels) seems to be an approach to tumor cure.
RATIONALE: Nelfinavir may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of nelfinavir in treating patients with metastatic, refractory, or recurrent solid tumors.
Mucositis and xerostomia are the most common complications of head and neck (H&N) irradiation, and the combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy is associated with a significantly higher rate of complications. Mucositis usually develops during the second or third week of a course of standard radiotherapy, and the pain it causes peaks between the third and last week of treatment. The pain then persists for at least one month following the completion of therapy, and may be so overwhelming that it prevents patients from swallowing food and fluids. The patient is therefore at a risk to develop malnutrition, and must be treated vigorously. In this respect, the use of gastrostomy tubes (PEG) has been shown to be beneficial. Completion of the full course of irradiation, without interruption, is important for achieving best possible results in cancer of the H&N. It is therefore essential to identify and refer patients at risk to receive effective and timely nutritional intervention. Since mucositis represents a clinical continuum which differs between patients, it is difficult to assess before-hand which patients will be at risk. There is no simple laboratory tool available, which could predict which patients are susceptible to develop severe mucositis and dysphagia, and eventually will require a feeding gastrostomy. The first phase of mucositis, inflammation, results in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). In general, the inflammatory cytokines IL-1, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and TNF-α are elevated in inflammatory conditions and are found in increased levels in blood and tissue fluid during inflammation, while anti-inflammatory cytokines are produced in a decreased manner. The main purpose of this study is to find the best indicators and prognosticators of mucositis occurring in the healthy oral tissues of H&N cancer patients receiving treatment, and to understand the cytokines balance mechanism of action. Assuming there is a correlation between high cytokines levels during inflammation and the severity of radiation induced mucositis, finding these prognostic factors may help us predict during the first part of the treatment the need for PEG, placing it prior to the complications associated with severe mucositis on one hand, and avoiding unnecessary procedures on the other hand.
Rationale for Study Oral mucositis is a major complication arising from contemporary chemoradiation treatment of patients with head and neck cancer. No effective therapy exists to prevent this complication in this population. MRX-1024 is an investigational agent that has demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo experiments to have the potential to exert a protective effect in normal mucosa cells, without interfering with the intended antitumor effect of radiation. A pilot Phase 1 study of MRX-1024 was conducted in India in patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiation alone or radiation in combination with cisplatin or carboplatin. MRX 1024 doses of 100 mgkg given orally twice a day, five days a week during radiation treatment cycles, were well tolerated and appeared to exert a protective effect against the development of severe mucositis. Twice daily doses of MRX 1024 impose a certain level of inconvenience to the patient, to their clinic companion, and to the general work flow within radiation oncology clinics. This study is designed to study the safety and pharmacokinetics of both single daily dose and twice daily dose regimens of oral MRX 1024 given in conjunction with daily radiation fractions and intermittent high-dose cisplatin to patients with high-risk for recurrence head and neck cancer following surgical resection. The study will also document the incidence and severity of oral mucositis that occurs following such therapy. The results will be instrumental in determining the regimen of MRX 1024 to use in subsequent definitive clinical trials.
RATIONALE: Bortezomib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking blood flow to the tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving bortezomib together with docetaxel may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving bortezomib together with docetaxel works in treating patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.