ECOG-ACRIN EA3132
This phase II trial studies how well radiation therapy with or without cisplatin works in treating patients with stage III-IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who have undergone surgery. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known if radiation therapy is more effective with or without cisplatin in treating patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
ECOG-ACRIN EA3161
This phase II / III trial studies how well chemotherapy and radiation therapy with nivolumab or observation work in treating patients with intermediate risk HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy and radiation therapy with nivolumab or observation works better in treating patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer.
ECOG-ACRIN EA3163
This randomized phase II trial studies how well chemotherapy before surgery and radiation therapy works compared to surgery and radiation therapy alone in treating patients with nasal and paranasal sinus cancer that can be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, cisplatin, and carboplatin work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving chemotherapy before surgery and radiation therapy may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed and treated with radiation.
ECOG-ACRIN EA3191
This phase II trial studies the effect of pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy or pembrolizumab alone compared to the usual approach (chemotherapy plus radiation therapy) after surgery in treating patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that has come back (recurrent). Radiation therapy uses high energy radiation or protons to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin and carboplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy or pembrolizumab alone after surgery may work better than the usual approach in shrinking head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
ECOG-ACRIN EA3202
This phase II/III compares the standard chemotherapy alone to adding bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy, or a combination of just bevacizumab and atezolizumab in treating patients with head and neck cancers that have spread to other places in the body (advanced stage). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as atezolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Bevacizumab and cetuximab are monoclonal antibodies that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, carboplatin, and docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. The addition of bevacizumab and/or atezolizumab could shrink or stabilize head and neck cancers or stop them from growing.
NRG-HN001
There are two study questions we are asking in this randomized phase II/III trial based on a blood biomarker, Epstein Barr virus (EBV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) for locoregionally advanced non-metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer. All patients will first undergo standard concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. When this standard treatment is completed, if there is no detectable EBV DNA in their plasma, then patients are randomized to either standard adjuvant cisplatin and fluorouracil chemotherapy or observation. If there is still detectable levels of plasma EBV DNA, patients will be randomized to standard cisplatin and fluorouracil chemotherapy versus gemcitabine and paclitaxel. Radiation therapy uses high energy x rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, fluorouracil, gemcitabine hydrochloride, and paclitaxel work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether giving cisplatin and fluorouracil is more effective than gemcitabine hydrochloride and paclitaxel after radiation therapy in treating patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.
NRG-HN005 – Temporarily closed
This phase II / III trial studies how well a reduced dose of radiation therapy works with nivolumab compared to cisplatin in treating patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer that is early in its growth and may not have spread to other parts of the body (early-stage), and is not associated with smoking. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial is being done to see if a reduced dose of radiation therapy and nivolumab works as well as standard dose radiation therapy and cisplatin in treating patients with oropharyngeal cancer.
NRG-HN006
This phase II/III trial studies how well sentinel lymph node biopsy works and compares sentinel lymph node biopsy surgery to standard neck dissection as part of the treatment for early-stage oral cavity cancer. Sentinel lymph node biopsy surgery is a procedure that removes a smaller number of lymph nodes from your neck because it uses an imaging agent to see which lymph nodes are most likely to have cancer. Standard neck dissection, such as elective neck dissection, removes many of the lymph nodes in your neck. Using sentinel lymph node biopsy surgery may work better in treating patients with early-stage oral cavity cancer compared to standard elective neck dissection.
NRG-HN009
This phase II/III trial compares the effect of the combination of high-dose cisplatin every three weeks and radiation therapy versus low-dose cisplatin weekly and radiation therapy for the treatment of patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. This study is being done to find out if low-dose cisplatin given weekly together with radiation therapy is the same or better than high-dose cisplatin given every 3 weeks together with radiation therapy in treating patients with head and neck cancer.
NRG-HN010
This phase II trial tests whether ado-trastuzumab emtansine works to shrink tumors in patients with HER2-positive salivary gland cancer that has come back (recurrent), spread to other places in the body (metastatic), or cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). Trastuzumab emtansine is a monoclonal antibody, called trastuzumab, linked to a chemotherapy drug called emtansine. Trastuzumab attaches to HER2 positive cancer cells in a targeted way and delivers emtansine to kill them. Trastuzumab emtansine may work better compared to usual treatment of chemotherapy with docetaxel and trastuzumab in treating patients with salivary gland cancer.
RTOG 1216
This randomized phase II/III trial studies how well radiation therapy works when given together with cisplatin compared to docetaxel or cetuximab and docetaxel after surgery in treating patients with stage III-IV squamous cell head and neck cancer. Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. 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 transmit tumor killing molecules to them. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy is more effective when given with cisplatin, docetaxel, or cetuximab and docetaxel.
SWOG S2101
This phase II trial studies the good and bad effects of the combination of drugs called cabozantinib and nivolumab in treating patients with melanoma or squamous cell head and neck cancer that has spread to other places in the body (advanced). Cabozantinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine how quickly patients can be divided into groups based on biomarkers in their tumors. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in the blood, other body fluids, or in tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process or a sign of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition. The two biomarkers that this trial is studying are "tumor mutational burden" and "tumor inflammation signature." Another purpose of this trial is to help doctors learn if cabozantinib and nivolumab shrink or stabilize the cancer, and whether patients respond differently to the combination depending on the status of the biomarkers.