Clinical Trials

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 ...

This randomized phase II trial studies how well cetuximab with or without tivantinib works in treating patients with head and neck cancer that is recurrent, metastatic, or cannot be removed by surgery. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can interfere with tumor growth by blocking the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Tivantinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether cetuximab is more effective with or without tivantinib in treating patients with head and neck cancer.

This phase II trial gathers information on the feasibility, safety, and effect of giving methotrexate, erlotinib, and celecoxib in treating oral cavity cancer that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) among rural Midwest patients. Methotrexate is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It is also a type of antifolate. Methotrexate stops cells from using folic acid to make deoxyribonucleic acid and may kill tumor cells. Erlotinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by ...