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Head and Neck Tumor clinical trials at UCSF

9 in progress, 4 open to eligible people

Head and neck tumors are growths that can form in your throat, sinuses, or mouth. UCSF has ongoing studies looking at new treatments for head and neck cancer. These include trials of a drug called ruxolitinib that may help improve outcomes of surgery, and a study of a new drug called CAB-ROR2-ADC that may be effective for different kinds of solid tumors. There is also a clinical trial exploring a combination of PDS0101 and Pembrolizumab to treat HPV16 + recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC, as well as a study on how radiation therapy alters taste in head and neck cancer patients who take miraculin.

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  • Addressing Taste Dysfunction With Miraculin in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    Patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer who receive radiation therapy with and without chemotherapy develop altered sense of taste due to treatment effect, which typically arises in the second week of radiation therapy and progresses throughout the course of treatment. While some symptoms such as pain, mucositis, and xerostomia can be managed with pain medications and saliva replacements, taste alteration has an earlier onset and is a more difficult symptom to readily address and intervene upon. There are no effective established interventions for taste, although this is a major issue in the patient experience. The investigator will be examining they hypothesis that a miracle fruit cube would yield the greatest benefit to improve taste dysfunction in the beginning half of radiation treatment when taste function is decreased but not absent.

    San Francisco, California

  • CAB-ROR2-ADC Safety and Efficacy Study in Patients With TNBC or Head & Neck Cancer (Ph1) and NSCLC or Melanoma (Ph2)

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    The objective of this study is to assess safety and efficacy of CAB-ROR2-ADC in solid tumors

    San Francisco, California and other locations

  • Ruxolitinib in Operable Head and Neck Cancer

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib in patients with operable Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who are planned for definitive surgery.

    San Francisco, California and other locations

  • Study of PDS0101 and Pembrolizumab Combination I/O in Subjects With HPV16 + Recurrent and/or Metastatic HNSCC

    open to eligible people ages 18 years and up

    VERSATILE-002 is a Phase 2, open-label, multicenter study of the efficacy and safety of PDS0101 administered in combination with pembrolizumab in adults with HPV16 and PD-L1 positive recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

    San Francisco, California and other locations

  • Basket Study of Entrectinib (RXDX-101) for the Treatment of Patients With Solid Tumors Harboring NTRK 1/2/3 (Trk A/B/C), ROS1, or ALK Gene Rearrangements (Fusions)

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    This is an open-label, multicenter, global Phase 2 basket study of entrectinib (RXDX-101) for the treatment of patients with solid tumors that harbor an NTRK1/2/3, ROS1, or ALK gene fusion. Patients will be assigned to different baskets according to tumor type and gene fusion.

    San Francisco, California and other locations

  • Evaluating a Low-Cost Therapeutic Device in Managing Head and Neck Cancer Patients With Radiation-Related Trismus

    Sorry, not yet accepting patients

    This trial evaluates how well a new therapeutic device works in managing trismus in patients who received radiation treatment for head and neck cancer. Radiation therapy is a common form of treatment in patients with head and neck cancers. However, changes to surrounding tissue following radiation therapy may lead to trismus, an inability to open the mouth fully. This can create significant functional impairment leading to malnutrition due to impaired chewing, risk of dental infections due to impaired oral hygiene, difficulty with speech, and decreased health-related quality of life. Exercise therapy is the mainstay of treatment for post-radiation trismus to help improve mobility and flexibility and increase range of mouth opening. This new device is non-invasive and is similar to other jaw stretching devices where a mouthpiece is placed between the teeth and a hand-lever is used to spread open the upper and lower jaw. However, it will also have additional sensors to measure pressure exerted by the hands and jaw as well as the distance to open the mouth which could help guide therapy. This study may help doctors customize a device to patient-specific needs, provide real-time feedback, and encourage compliance for trismus exercise therapy.

    San Francisco, California

  • Radiation Therapy With Durvalumab or Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Who Cannot Take Cisplatin

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    This phase II/III trial studies how well radiation therapy works with durvalumab or cetuximab in treating patients with head and neck cancer that has spread to a local and/or regional area of the body who cannot take cisplatin. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as durvalumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. It is not known if radiation therapy with durvalumab will work better than the usual therapy of radiation therapy with cetuximab in treating patients with head and neck cancer.

    San Francisco, California and other locations

  • Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) or Placebo With Chemoradiation in Participants With Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (MK-3475-412/KEYNOTE-412)

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab given concomitantly with chemoradiation (CRT) and as maintenance therapy versus placebo plus CRT in participants with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA HNSCC). The primary hypothesis is that pembrolizumab in combination with CRT is superior to placebo in combination with CRT with respect to event-free survival (EFS).

    San Francisco, California and other locations

  • TRYHARD: Radiation Therapy Plus Cisplatin With or Without Lapatinib in Treating Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    PURPOSE: This trial is studying if and how well lapatinib adds to the effectiveness of radiation therapy plus cisplatin in patients who have head and neck cancer that is not related to the human papillomavirus (HPV).

    San Francisco, California and other locations

Our lead scientists for Head and Neck Tumor research studies include .

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