Stage III Head and Neck Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma AJCC v8

This phase II trial compares the effectiveness of adding BMX-001 to usual symptom management versus usual symptom management alone for reducing oral mucositis in patients who are receiving chemoradiation for head and neck cancer. Oral mucositis (inflammation and mouth sores) is a common side effect of chemoradiation that can cause pain and difficulty swallowing. Usual management of these side effects typically consists of using mouth rinses and pain medications during treatment and for several weeks after completion of treatment. BMX-001 neutralizes harmful substances in the body, preventing damage to macromolecules such as DNA and minimizes free radical-related toxicity in normal tissues. Adding BMX-001 to usual symptom management may be more effective than usual symptom management alone at reducing oral mucositis in patients receiving chemoradiation for head and neck cancer.

This phase I/II trial tests the safety and tolerability of an experimental personalized vaccine when given by itself and with pembrolizumab in treating patients with solid tumor cancers that have spread to other places in the body (advanced). The experimental vaccine is designed target certain proteins (neoantigens) on individuals' tumor cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving the personalized neoantigen peptide-based vaccine with pembrolizumab may be safe and effective in treating patients with advanced solid tumors.

This phase I trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of camonsertib in combination with stereotactic body radiation therapy in controlling disease in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent) or that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). Camonsertib may stop the growth of tumor cells and may kill them by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Stereotactic body radiation therapy is a type of external radiation therapy that uses special equipment to position a patient and precisely deliver radiation to tumors in the body (except the brain). The total dose of radiation is divided into smaller doses given over several days. This type of radiation therapy helps spare normal tissue. Giving camonsertib in combination with stereotactic body radiation therapy may help control disease in patients with recurrent or unresectable head and neck squamous cell cancers.

This phase III trial tests if gabapentin can prevent the need for opiate pain medication for mouth sores (oral mucositis) in patients undergoing treatment with chemotherapy and radiation for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region. Oral mucositis is a common side effect of radiation treatment and can cause severe pain, dysphagia, and weight loss resulting in feeding tube placement, worse health-related quality of life, treatment interruptions, unplanned hospitalizations, and significant financial burden. Mucositis pain is often treated with opioid pain medications which do provide pain relief but have many known side effects not limited to mental clouding, constipation, fatigue, endocrinopathy, neurotoxicity, sleep-disordered breathing, and most distressingly persistent opioid use. Gabapentin may help relieve pain from oral mucositis caused by radiation while also reducing the need for opiate pain medications for patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region

This phase II trial studies how well low dose, reduced frequency nivolumab works in treating patients with cancer that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Nivolumab is a type of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). ICIs have revolutionized the treatment of numerous cancers with remarkable improvement in participant outcomes. However, accessibility of ICIs is extremely poor on a global scale, mainly due to high costs. Previous research has suggested that these drugs can be given at lower doses and reduced frequency than their approved dosing regimens, with similar results. Giving nivolumab at a lower dose and less often may help reduce the cost of therapy, improve immunotherapy accessibility, and therefore improve survival outcomes globally.