View clinical trials related to Cancer of Head and Neck.
Filter by:Head and neck cancer is a group of biologically similar cancers which cause deleterious impact, such as the complication of facial disfigurement which may increase the psychological vulnerability of patients due to the society's emphasis on physical attractiveness. The appearance of facial disfigurement can increase depression and reduced quality of life (QoL) in head and neck cancer patients. Among the positive psychology developed in cancer patients despite their negative experience of cancer and the adverse effects of its treatment are posttraumatic growth (PTG) and hope which may enhance the QoL of cancer patients. Several psychosocial interventions have been suggested to enhance positive psychology in cancer patients and increase in their QoL. Among the psychosocial interventions shown to be promising include mindfulness-based intervention and newer psychosocial intervention, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Data is lacking on the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on enhancing positive psychology (such as PTG, optimism and hope) and QoL, while reducing depression and anxiety among head and neck cancer patients. This is a multicentre 3-armed longitudinal double blind randomized control trial aimed to test the study hypotheses of: 1. Head and neck cancer patients in the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) group reported significantly increase in posttraumatic growth (PTG), hope, optimism, and quality of life as well as significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and experiential avoidance compared with those in the control group at post-intervention and 6 months after intervention when compared with pre-intervention. 2. Head and neck cancer patients in the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) group reported significantly increase in posttraumatic growth (PTG), hope, optimism, and quality of life as well as significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and experiential avoidance compared with those in the control group at post-intervention and 6 months after intervention when compared with pre-intervention. 3. There are no difference in the increase in posttraumatic growth (PTG), hope, optimism and quality of life, and decrease in depression, anxiety, and experiential avoidance between the MBSR and ACT groups at post-intervention and 6 months after intervention.
The investigators want to verify the hypothesis that targeting the calcium-activated (KCa3.1) and the voltage-dependent K channel (Kv1.3) could be a valuable therapeutic strategy to reprogram cells of the innate immune system, with the aim to fight glioma, a deadly CNS tumor. The investigators will use murine models of glioma, injecting GL261 cells in the brain of syngeneic C57BL6 mice, to study the effect of K channel inhibition on the activation of microglia (M), macrophages (Mf) and NK cells. The investigators will use M and vesicles released from these cells, re-educated toward an anti-tumor phenotype, to interfere with the vicious circle responsible of uncontrolled tumor growth and will study the role of NK cells in tumor-M/Mf communication. The investigators will also investigate how K channels interfere with the communication of innate immune cells and brain cells like neurons and astrocytes, with experiments focused on synaptic transmission and calcium imaging, investigating the effect of modulation of the tumor microenvironment.