View clinical trials related to Head and Neck Cancer.
Filter by:RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cisplatin may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Giving radiation therapy and cisplatin together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy and cisplatin are more effective with or without cetuximab in treating head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy, cisplatin, and cetuximab to see how well they work compared to radiation therapy and cisplatin in treating patients with stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving capecitabine after surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy may kill any remaining tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well capecitabine works in treating patients who have undergone previous surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy for head and neck cancer.
The primary objective is to determine the nature and degree of the toxicity of weekly dosing of topotecan in escalating dose levels by cohorts of 3-6 patients in combination with a fixed dose of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil). The secondary objective is to determine the activity of weekly topotecan and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in advanced solid tumors.
RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine and docetaxel, 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 gemcitabine together with docetaxel works in treating patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic head and neck cancer.
Preliminary observations suggest positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with an F-18 labeled thymidine analog (FLT) can selectively identify proliferating and non-proliferating tissues, including tumors. FLT uptake in the tumor appears to reflect the level of cells undergoing DNA synthesis. This is clinically important because cell proliferation markers have significant prognostic value, both prior to initiating radiotherapy and as they change during the course of therapy. In the proposed study, the researchers assess the biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of FLT to obtain the necessary data to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The information collected under Radioactive Drug Research Committee (RDRC) approval will not be used for diagnostic purposes, to assess the subject's response to therapy, or for clinical management of the subject.
RATIONALE: 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. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving docetaxel together with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving docetaxel together with radiation therapy works in treating patients with stage II or stage III cancer of the larynx or hypopharynx.
The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the activity of the combination ZD1839, docetaxel and cisplatin in subjects with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer by estimating the objective response rate (complete response [CR] and partial response [PR]) at study closure.
To determine the ability of magnetic resonance lymphangiography using conventional gadolinium injected directly into the tumor site and PET scan in detecting microscopic nodal metastasis in patients with newly diagnosed H&N cancers
In patients with cancer of the head and neck and rectum, knowing the exact location of the tumor is important for designing the radiation field to ensure delivery of high dose of radiation to the tumor while sparing surrounding normal tissues. A new medical imaging method which is a combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scan, has shown promise in helping the radiation oncologist in defining the exact location and extent of the tumor in certain cancers such as lung cancers. Therefore the purpose of this study is to determine if these imaging methods can be used in combination with the standard radiation treatment planning procedure to improve the accuracy to targeting your tumor with radiation. In addition the PET-CT scan, similar to the PET scan alone with better resolution, can be used to determine whether the tumor has spread to any part of the body outside of the head and neck sites.
The purpose of the research study is to evaluate effectiveness and the quality of life, specifically the risk of dry mouth, after radiation treatment for head and neck cancers.