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ClinicalTrials.gov 89 recruiting now official registry

Head and Neck Cancer clinical trials

89 of 260 indexed Head and Neck Cancer trials are currently recruiting.

260 US clinical trials · 89 currently 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.

The research picture

Head and Neck Cancer has 260 registered US clinical trials, 89 of them open to new participants right now, about 34% of the total.

89
recruiting participants now
34%
of trials open to enrollment
13
in Phase 3–4 (later-stage)
19
top sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Phase 163Phase 274Phase 311Phase 42

Active & 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

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

Reading the Head and Neck Cancer Trial Landscape

260 indexed Head and Neck Cancer studies · 89 recruiting (34%).

Phase mix: 13 late (III/IV) vs 137 early (I/II).

Top sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (19 trials), 9 others listed. 50 shown below, recruiting first.

How to read this condition's trial landscape

That ratio is a useful proxy for activity level: a high share of recruiting studies often signals that research interest is current and that new enrollment opportunities are appearing, while a low share typically means the field is dominated by completed or follow-up work where most participant spots have already been filled. These counts reflect the public registry only and include studies at every stage of design, so they should be read as an index of research attention rather than as a measure of treatment availability.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies focus on early safety signals, dosing, and preliminary effect, while Phase 3 studies are typically the larger efficacy and safety trials submitted toward regulatory review, and Phase 4 studies follow approved interventions in real-world use. A condition weighted toward later phases often reflects a mature research pipeline with several interventions already close to or past approval, whereas a heavier early-phase tilt suggests the field is still exploring new mechanisms and candidate approaches.

All figures are derived from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset maintained by the National Library of Medicine and are reproduced here for reference. Inclusion of a trial, sponsor, or intervention on this page is neither an endorsement nor a recommendation, eligibility, protocol changes, and site-level status can shift frequently, so always verify current details on ClinicalTrials.gov and consult a qualified healthcare provider before acting on anything you see here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clinical trials are there for Head and Neck Cancer?

PlainTrial tracks 260 US clinical trials for Head and Neck Cancer, of which 89 are currently recruiting participants. Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov.

How do I find a recruiting trial for Head and Neck Cancer?

Use the trial list above filtered by "Recruiting" status, or visit our trial finder at /recruiting to search by condition and state. Always discuss trial participation with your healthcare provider before enrolling.

Is this data current?

Data is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and reflects our most recent data pull. Trial status may have changed since then. Always verify current information at ClinicalTrials.gov before making decisions about participation.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (National Library of Medicine). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH/NLM) ClinicalTrials.gov AACT registry · 2026 Trial counts and statuses sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Sponsor counts include both industry and federal/academic sponsors.

Verify with NIH →

Every figure on PlainTrial is rendered directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every registered trial for this condition, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.