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ClinicalTrials.gov 89 recruiting now early-phase tilt #39 of 28,707 conditions

Head and Neck Cancer: early-phase trial registry

89 of 260 indexed Head and Neck Cancer trials are currently recruiting, with more weight in Phase 1-2.

Corpus placement: #39 of 28,707 conditions by registered trial count.

260 US clinical trials · 89 currently recruiting · #39 of 28,707 conditions by registered trial count

Head and Neck Cancer: 260 US clinical trials tracked, 89 recruiting.

Head and Neck Cancer is the subject of 260 registered US clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov, 89 of them currently open to new participants. 13 are in Phase 3-4 (later-stage) and 137 in Phase 1-2 (earlier-stage). The most active sponsor is M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, running 19 of these trials.

Enrollment posture brief

Registry condition head-and-neck-cancer

OPEN 89 | RECR 34% | LATE 13 | EARLY 137 | RANK #39 | SPON 19

Nearest open-share peer: Recurrent Malignant Solid Neoplasm (34% recruiting · 38 trials)

Opioid Use Disorder60.5%Aging47.9%Post Traumatic Stress Disord41.5%Head and Neck Cancer (this)34%Melanoma33.1%
Open-enrollment share among volume-matched conditions near Head and Neck Cancer

Head and Neck Cancer lists 89 open slots (34% of 260 indexed trials). Peers are matched on registered volume, not therapeutic-area browse lists. How peer matching works →

Key findings

What ClinicalTrials.gov does not surface for Head and Neck Cancer on its own pages , computed from the registry mirror as of 2026-08-08. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.

  1. Head and Neck Cancer is recruiting below its size-band peers.

    89 of 260 indexed trials (34.2%) are open to enrollment, against a 37.1% average across 139 conditions with 100+ trials. The peer set uses the same ClinicalTrials.gov-derived counts as this page.

  2. Sponsorship of Head and Neck Cancer trials is spread across many organizations.

    M.D. Anderson Cancer Center accounts for 19 of 260 trials (7.3%). 124 distinct sponsors appear on at least one study for this condition label.

  3. Most Head and Neck Cancer trials plan to enrol fewer than 100 people.

    Median target enrolment is 53 among the 251 trials that report a genuine target (sentinel values excluded). 165 of those (65.7%) plan for fewer than 100 participants.

  4. Head and Neck Cancer research is mostly interventional.

    213 interventional and 47 observational studies make up this index (81.9% interventional). Study type is sponsor-reported on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Phase 163Phase 274Phase 311Phase 42

Open and recent trials

260 total, page 5 of 6

COMPLETED 37 participants

Nutritional Risk and Mucositis in Patients With Head and Neck Carcinoma Receiving Chemoradiation

University of Arkansas

NCT00577902

COMPLETED Phase 2 37 participants

Nab-Paclitaxel, Cetuximab, Cisplatin, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

NCT00833261

COMPLETED Phase 1 36 participants

Radiation Therapy, Combination Chemotherapy, and Amifostine in Treating Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

University of Miami

NCT00003582

COMPLETED Phase 1 36 participants

Pemetrexed (Alimta) in Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

NCT00507858

COMPLETED Phase 1 35 participants

Safety and Efficacy of MEDI0457 and Durvalumab in Participants With Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Associated Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

MedImmune

NCT03162224

COMPLETED 33 participants

Role of Immune Activation in Response of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma to Therapy

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

NCT01358097

COMPLETED Early Phase 1 33 participants

Curcumin Biomarker Trial in Head and Neck Cancer

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport

NCT01160302

COMPLETED NA 30 participants

Outcomes of Prophylactic Swallowing Therapy in Patients Undergoing Definitive Chemoradiation for Head and Neck Cancer

University of Miami

NCT03435471

COMPLETED NA 30 participants

Proactive Psychiatry Consultation for Patients With Cancer and Severe Mental Illness

Massachusetts General Hospital

NCT02594696

COMPLETED 30 participants

MRI for Eval Tumor & Node Response & Normal Tissue Function to Concurrent Chemo & Radiation Therapy in H&N Cancer (GCC1043)

University of Maryland, Baltimore

NCT01768442

COMPLETED Phase 2 30 participants

Bevacizumab, Cetuximab, and Cisplatin With IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy) for Patients With Stage III/IV Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

NCT00968435

COMPLETED Phase 1 30 participants

Radioimmunotherapy With or Without Chemotherapy Plus Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Thyroid Cancer

Garden State Cancer Center at the Center for Molecular Medicine and Immunology

NCT00004048

COMPLETED Phase 2 29 participants

Paclitaxel and Cisplatin Plus Radiation Therapy Followed by Filgrastim in Treating Patients With Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer or Lung Cancer

Fox Chase Cancer Center

NCT00021333

COMPLETED NA 28 participants

Study of KeraStat Cream for Radiation Dermatitis During Head and Neck Radiotherapy

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

NCT04173247

COMPLETED Early Phase 1 28 participants

Angiogenic and EGFR Blockade With Curative Chemoradiation for Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

David M. Brizel, MD

NCT00140556

COMPLETED Phase 2 27 participants

Gefitinib in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Thyroid Cancer That Did Not Respond to Iodine Therapy

Massachusetts General Hospital

NCT00095836

COMPLETED 26 participants

Functional and Aesthetic Outcomes After Mandible Reconstruction With Fibula Osteomyocutaneous Free Flaps

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

NCT02572869

COMPLETED Phase 2 26 participants

Preoperative Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor for Patients With Primary Untreated or Recurrent/Metastatic SCCHN

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

NCT03878979

COMPLETED Phase 2 26 participants

Combretastatin A4 Phosphate in Treating Patients With Advanced Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

NCT00060242

COMPLETED 25 participants

Topical Antisepsis in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

Medical College of Wisconsin

NCT04721626

COMPLETED 25 participants

Mirror Grant - Toward an Understanding of Body Image Adaptation Following Surgical Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

NCT01432132

COMPLETED 25 participants

Growth Factor Levels in the Blood of Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Epithelial Cancer

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

NCT00897793

COMPLETED Phase 2 25 participants

Celecoxib in Treating Patients With Progressive Metastatic Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

NCT00061906

COMPLETED NA 25 participants

A Pilot Trial of Image-Guided Adaptive Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

NCT00490282

COMPLETED Phase 1 25 participants

T-Lymphocytes in Treating Patients With Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Nasopharyngeal Cancer, NPC

Baylor College of Medicine

NCT00609219

COMPLETED Phase 2 24 participants

Local Infusion of Ropivacaine for Post-Op Pain Control After Osseocutaneous Free Flaps

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

NCT03349034

COMPLETED Phase 2 24 participants

Skin Rash Study Before Chemotherapy in Colorectal & Head and Neck Cancer Patients

University of Louisville

NCT01874860

COMPLETED NA 24 participants

Pain Management Smartphone Application for Patients With Stage III-IV Head and Neck Cancer Undergoing Radiation Therapy

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

NCT02324881

COMPLETED NA 23 participants

A Study Using Cone Beam CT for Head and Neck Cancer

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

NCT01661062

COMPLETED Phase 2 23 participants

Celecoxib in Preventing Cancer in Patients With Oral Leukoplakia and/or Head and Neck Dysplasia

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

NCT00052611

COMPLETED Early Phase 1 22 participants

Pyrimethamine as an Inhibitor of NRF2 in HPV-unrelated Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Washington University School of Medicine

NCT05678348

COMPLETED Phase 2 22 participants

Cisplatin Plus Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Advanced Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancer

Fox Chase Cancer Center

NCT00003264

COMPLETED Phase 1 22 participants

Chemotherapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

NCT00003200

COMPLETED Phase 1 22 participants

Lapatinib and Cetuximab in Patients With Solid Tumors

Georgetown University

NCT01184482

COMPLETED NA 20 participants

Study of Personalized Sterile Humidification Device for Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

University of California, San Francisco

NCT01930435

COMPLETED Phase 1 18 participants

A Study Comparing Oral Picoplatin With Intravenous Picoplatin in Subjects With Solid Tumors

Poniard Pharmaceuticals

NCT00465725

COMPLETED Phase 1 16 participants

Sorafenib, Pemetrexed, and Cisplatin in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

NCT00703638

COMPLETED 15 participants

Comprehensive Assessment of Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

Jay F. Piccirillo, MD

NCT01222481

COMPLETED Early Phase 1 12 participants

Intratumoral Microdosing of TAK-981 in Head and Neck Cancer

Presage Biosciences

NCT04065555

COMPLETED Phase 1 12 participants

Phase I Study of CUDC-101 With Cisplatin and Radiation in Subjects With Head & Neck Cancer

Curis

NCT01384799

COMPLETED NA 11 participants

Pilot Study of AuroLase(tm) Therapy in Refractory and/or Recurrent Tumors of the Head and Neck

Nanospectra Biosciences

NCT00848042

COMPLETED Phase 2 7 participants

Tadalafil and Pembrolizumab in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

University of California, San Diego

NCT03993353

COMPLETED NA 7 participants

Surgery With or Without Adjuvant Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

David A. Clump, MD, PhD

NCT02516969

COMPLETED Phase 1 6 participants

Radiation and Cetuximab Plus Intratumoral EGFR Antisense DNA in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

NCT01592721

COMPLETED Phase 1 6 participants

Study of ABT-510 (Thrombospondin Analogue) in Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

NCT00113334

COMPLETED Early Phase 1 5 participants

Pilot Study of Raltegravir and Cisplatin in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

New Mexico Cancer Research Alliance

NCT01275183

COMPLETED 3 participants

MRI Mapping in Planning Radiation Therapy to the Base of Skull and Brain in Patients With Nonmetastatic Head and Neck Cancer

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

NCT00984074

COMPLETED Phase 2 3 participants

Capecitabine For Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

NCT00095901

COMPLETED 3 participants

Finding Predictors of Side Effects to Chemoradiation Treatment in Elderly Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

NCT01688323

COMPLETED 1 participants

Detection of Cervical Lymph Node Metastases With a High-Resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging System

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

NCT01030497

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Phase Distribution

PhaseTrial count
Phase 1 63
Phase 2 74
Phase 3 11
Phase 4 2

Named interventions

Most-linked intervention names on Head and Neck Cancer records (sponsor-reported on ClinicalTrials.gov). Counts are trial links, not unique products.

cisplatin Drug
14 trials
Cisplatin Drug
10 trials
Carboplatin Drug
10 trials
radiation therapy Radiation
9 trials
Pembrolizumab Drug
8 trials
paclitaxel Drug
6 trials
Paclitaxel Drug
6 trials
Nivolumab Drug
6 trials

US sites by state

Facility locations filed on Head and Neck Cancer trials. A trial with sites in several states counts in each.

California 58 trials
Texas 49 trials
New York 45 trials
Florida 38 trials
Pennsylvania 32 trials
Illinois 29 trials
Tennessee 28 trials
Massachusetts 27 trials

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, National Library of Medicine. Data is informational only.

What to do with this Head and Neck Cancer page

260 registered trials, 89 currently recruiting, is a starting point for a conversation, not a diagnosis or a recommendation.

Trial and recruiting counts reflect ClinicalTrials.gov registry status as of the data vintage above; individual trial eligibility and enrollment status can change.

Every figure on PlainTrial is rendered directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, no number is typed in by an editor. This Head and Neck Cancer condition card totals 260 registered trials; most-linked intervention cisplatin; top US site state California. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error.