Ongoing multicenter clinical trials aim to improve treatment for head and neck cancer

By participating in numerous open multicenter clinical trials, physicians and researchers atPenn State Cancer Institutecontinually seek ways to advance treatment for patients with head and neck cancers. All open clinical trials are associated with two nonprofit research organizations—NRG Oncology and the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group—and involve multiple centers nationwide.

“Many of the current trials we’re actively involved in seek ways to deliver the same or better outcomes by using either less aggressive or novel treatments,” saidNeerav博士哥们，首席，头部手术部门，癌症学院耳鼻喉科。

The Cancer Institute is participating in these ongoing phase II/III trials:

NRG-HN004– This trial is studying how well radiation therapy works in combination with an immunotherapy medication — durvalumab or cisplatin — in treating patients with head and neck cancer that has spread to a local or regional area of the body. “This study is specific to patients who cannot tolerate cisplatin (chemotherapy), which is the current standard of care,” Goyal said. The study hopes to show whether radiation therapy with durvalumab will work better than the typical approach of radiation therapy with cisplatin.

NRG-HN005– This trial examines whether a reduction of radiation therapy with chemotherapy or immunotherapy can be as effective in treating head and neck cancers. This and other radiation therapy-related trials share a common goal. “We know radiation therapy treats cancer, but it also causes major side effects, including difficulty swallowing, damage to the upper and lower jaw, and significant issues with neck muscles,” Goyal said. “If we can find new treatments that decrease the amount of radiation and maintain efficacy, we can reduce those side effects.”

NRG-HN006– This trial is studying how well sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy surgery works compared to standard neck dissection for patients with early-stage oral cavity cancer. While standard neck dissection removes many lymph nodes in the neck, SLN uses imaging to identify the lymph nodes most likely for oral cavity cancer to spread to. Removing just the sentinel lymph nodes may allow for the removal of fewer lymph nodes while maintaining effective cancer treatment.

RTOG-1216– This trial is examining the efficacy of radiation therapy when given together with cisplatin, docetaxel, cetuximab and/or atezolizumab after surgery for patients with high-risk stage III-IV squamous cell head and neck cancer. “The current standard of care (radiation therapy with cisplatin) is not always effective in curing these types of cancer,” Goyal said. “This trial will help us determine whether a new agent — atezolizumab — can deliver more effective treatment.”

ECOG-EA3161- 本试验在审查辐射和顺铂之后是否与Nivolumab进行维持免疫疗法，将导致幸存者仍然存在癌症的总体生存率和时间长度的改善。这对于人乳头瘤病毒（HPV） - 阳性的肌肉癌患者具有特异性，其已经扩散到附近的组织或淋巴结。“我们希望，对于具有更先进的疾病的患者，使用维护Nivolumab可以防止他们的癌症的复发，”Goyal说。

Participation in these clinical trials continue a tradition of head and neck cancer research that’s been a hallmark at the Cancer Institute for nearly 20 years. “The sooner we can learn how to treat cancers more safely with less side effects, the more dramatic an improvement we’ll have on the quality and survival of patients with head and neck cancer,” Goyal said.

为患者参加上面列出的许多临床试验，正在进行招聘。将患者提及头部和颈部癌症临床试验，请致电717-531-5471。