Clinical Trials

RATIONALE: Giving radiation therapy that uses a 3-dimensional (3-D) image of the tumor to help focus thin beams of radiation directly on the tumor, and giving radiation therapy in higher doses over a shorter period of time, may kill more tumor cells and have fewer side effects. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy is more effective when given alone or together ...

The primary goal of this study is to prospectively incorporate ctHPVDNA in combination with clinical and pathologic factors to appropriately select patients for treatment intensity. 

This phase II trial studies how well radiation therapy and docetaxel work in treating patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving radiation therapy with docetaxel my kill more tumor cells.

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.