Clinical Trials

This study will test any good and bad effects of the study drug called enzalutamide. Enzalutamide could shrink the cancer but it could also cause side effects. Researchers hope to learn if the study drug will shrink the cancer by at least 30% compared to its present size, in at least 1 out of 5 patients. Enzalutamide is not FDA approved to treat salivary gland cancer, but it has already been FDA-approved to treat other cancers.

The purpose of this study is to review the Mayo Clinic cancer registry for patients with metastatic or non-resectable salivary gland tumors, review the histopathology and evaluate treatment approaches focusing on how they correlated with the histopathology results.

The purpose of establishing the salivary gland tissue biobank is to learn how to improve our ability to diagnose and treat salivary gland tumors.  Specifically, we will be evaluating DNA, RNA, and protein in tumors and normal tissue/blood. 

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy is more effective when given together with chemotherapy or alone after surgery in treating salivary gland tumors. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II/III trial is studying radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy to see how well it works in treating patients with high-risk malignant salivary gland tumors that have been removed by surgery.

1. Salivary tumor DNA (stDNA) and the HPV self-test for oncogenic HPV (self-test) will be detectable in patients with human papillomavirus associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV(+)OPSCC) and not in HPV(-)OPSCC, oral cavity cancer or normal controls.
    
2. There will be a difference in the microbiome, virome, and metabolomics in normal control patients compared to patients with oropharyngeal cancer or oral cavity cancer.
    
3. There will be a difference in patient reported risk factors between patients with malignancy and normal controls.
    
4. There will be dynamic changes in the microbiome and metabolomics which correspond with patient reported outcomes in patients with oropharyngeal cancer or ...

Compared to IMRT, PBRT is thought to give less radiation exposure to the surrounding healthy tissues. It is possible that side effect rates with PBRT will be lower or the same compared to IMRT, but this has not been well studied to date. Although both of these radiation therapies have been used in the past to treat head and neck cancer, this research study will compare the effects of these two different radiation treatment modalities with each other to see whether PBRT is better, the same or worse than IMRT.

The purpose of this study is to determine if intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or proton radiation therapy would result in improved local control rates and lowered toxicity compared to conventional radiotherapy. Data from retrospective studies suggest that IMRT and proton radiation therapy each resulted in promising outcomes for patients with sinonasal malignancy. No previous prospective study has been conducted to evaluate the outcome of sinonasal cancer treated with IMRT or proton radiation therapy.

The study would also assess if proton radiation therapy would result in equivalent or improved local control rate with similar or lower toxicity compared to IMRT.  It is not known if ...

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.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the challenges, behavioral patterns, and preferences of minority patient participation in clinical trials. Also, to develop and validate a personalized clinical trial educational platform to boost participation among underserved cancer patients.