Current Clinical Trials

Standard treatment options:

1. Surgical resection if radiation therapy fails and if technically feasible.[1]



2. Radiation therapy, if not previously used in curative doses that preclude further treatment, if surgery fails.



3. Surgical salvage if technically feasible, when surgery fails.



4. Chemotherapy for metastatic disease.[2]

Treatment options under clinical evaluation:

• Clinical trials evaluating the use of chemotherapy should be considered.[3]

Posttreatment follow-up:

• These patients should have a careful head and neck examination, looking for recurrence monthly for the first posttreatment year, every 2 months for the second year, every 3 months the third year, and every 6 months thereafter.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent hypopharyngeal cancer ¹. The list of clinical trials can be further narrowed by location, drug, intervention, and other criteria.

General information about clinical trials is also available from the NCI Web site ².

References

1. Wong LY, Wei WI, Lam LK, et al.: Salvage of recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma after primary curative surgery. Head Neck 25 (11): 953-9, 2003.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
2. Adelstein DJ, Tan EH, Lavertu P: Treatment of head and neck cancer: the role of chemotherapy. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 24 (2): 97-116, 1996.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
3. Jacobs C, Lyman G, Velez-García E, et al.: A phase III randomized study comparing cisplatin and fluorouracil as single agents and in combination for advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. J Clin Oncol 10 (2): 257-63, 1992.  [PUBMED Abstract]