Clinical Research Directory

First Line Weekly Chemo/Immunotherapy for Metastatic Head/Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

The purpose of this research is to see what effects the treatment regimen chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) plus immunotherapy (pembrolizumab), has on patients who have been diagnosed with head/neck squamous cell carcinoma and are unable to take the drug 5-fluorouracil

A Study of Sacituzumab Govitecan in Combination With Cetuximab in People With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer (HNSCC)

The purpose of this study to find out whether sacituzumab govitecan in combination with cetuximab is an effective and safe treatment approach for people with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC).

Quality of Life After Primary TORS vs IMRT for Patients With Early-stage Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is now the most frequently diagnosed head and neck cancer in Denmark which is mainly due to the increase of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Patients with HPV-positive OPSCC have a significantly higher survival rate compared to HPV-negative OPSCC. The traditional primary treatment modality in Denmark is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), and in advanced stages in combination with chemotherapy. Since 2009, Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) has enabled surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgery as an alternative to standard radiotherapy treatment which is considered the primary treatment for OPSCC in many countries. There is a lack of randomised trials comparing long-term functional outcomes after TORS or IMRT. Current data are mostly derived from retrospective studies with selection bias. However, several small retrospective studies have shown promising results when comparing the two treatment modalities in favour of TORS with regards to treatment related swallowing function and quality of life (QoL) without compromising survival outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the early and long-term functional outcomes following two treatment arms 1) TORS combined with neck dissection and 2) IMRT±concurrent chemotherapy with a special focus on swallowing-related QoL.

Selective Adjuvant Therapy for HPV-mediated Oropharynx SCCs Based on Residual Circulating Tumor DNA Levels (SAVAL)

Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer generally have favorable outcomes and how well they do depends on the specific details about the patient and their cancer. How well they do isn't as related to the kinds of treatment they get. However, there are significant side effects for the various types of treatments they may get. Because these patients generally have favorable outcomes no matter the kind of treatment, reducing side effects should be a priority when choosing their treatment. The goal of this clinical research study is to evaluate whether a new blood test called a Circulating Tumor DNA test (ctDNA test) can decrease the number of people that require radiation after surgery. This blood test is often elevated in people when they are diagnosed with head and neck cancer. There are studies that show that cancer most often returns when this blood test is positive after treatment. This study will test patients' blood before and after surgery. In cases where the test is negative after surgery, people on the study will not receive radiation unless they are considered high risk based on surgery findings. The hope is that radiation and its potential side effects can be limited to only people that need the treatment.

SURVEILLE-HPV: Evaluation of HPV16 Circulating DNA as Biomarker to Detect the Recurrence, in Order to Improve Post Therapeutic Surveillance of HPV16-driven Oropharyngeal Cancers

SURVEILLE-HPV - A new post therapeutic surveillance strategy for HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer based on HPV Circulating DNA measures. HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer patients have a much better prognosis that their HPV-negative counterparts. Despite this, Post Treatment Surveillance (PTS) strategy does not take into account HPV status. HPV Circulating DNA (HPV Ct DNA) has emerged as a promising tool to assess the risk of cancer recurrence following treatment. We assume that this biomarker could be helpful to guide PTS. The number of systematic PTS visits could be significantly reduced in patients with undetectable HPV Ct DNA whereas a closer clinical and radiological follow up could be performed in case of detectable HPV Ct DNA. If confirmed, this new strategy could have several benefits including: * reduction of PTS visits for most HPV-positive patients which implies a potential cost decrease and * Identification of relapse at early stages (before the occurrence of symptoms)

Training Swallowing Initiation During Expiration

Head and neck cancers have escalated to epidemic levels in the United States, and survivors are suffering from life-long, devastating swallowing disorders with limited therapeutic options. This clinical trial investigates a novel swallowing treatment that trains initiation of swallowing during the expiratory phase of respiration to improve swallowing safety and efficiency.

Prospective Observational Study to Validate Circulating HPVDNA and Prognostic Genomic Biomarkers in HPV-associated OPSCC

The primary goal of this study is to examine whether recurrence of HPV-associated OPSCC can be predicted by two factors: 1) mutations in genes called TRAF3 and CYLD, and 2) measurements of circulating HPV DNA in blood plasma. The study will also investigate whether HPV integration is associated with TRAF3 and CYLD mutations, and whether recurrence prediction improves when looking at HPV integration along with TRAF3 and CYLD mutations.

Detection of Oral and Throat Cancers Using OralViome Cancer Testing System

To evaluate the design, safety and efficacy of OralViome Cancer Testing system in the early detection of Oral and Throat Cancers using saliva metatranscriptomic analysis. This study will recruit only at existing clinical sites and will NOT use any additional clinical sites.

Circulating Biomarkers in Oropharyngeal Cancers

The goal of this observational longitudinal study is to learn about circulating tumor Human Papilloma Virus-DNA (ctHPV-DNA) as a biomarker for HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer and cancer of unknown primary of the head and neck. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can ctHPV-DNA be used for treatment evaluation in HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer and cancer of unknown primary of the head and neck? * Can circulating HPV-DNA be used as a biomarker for recurrent disease during surveillance? Participants will be asked to leave plasma samples at diagnose, at the end of treatment and at every clinical follow-up. The patients are there own controls.

Monitoring and Early Response Evaluation Using HPV DNA - A Study on Patients With HPV-positive Throat Cancer (MER-HPV)

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the value of circulating tumour HPV DNA (human papilloma virus DNA found in the blood) at diagnosis, during treatment, and in the follow-up of patients diagnosed and treated for throat cancer caused by HPV. The main question to answer is if the presence of HPV DNA in the blood one month after the treatment is useful in detecting remaining tumour or relapse within two years after treatment. The participants will be asked to provide blood tests: 1. before treatment 2. weekly during the treatment 3. on all scheduled follow-up appointments 4. on all unplanned appointments where a relapse is suspected