Trial Aims to Boost Survival in Head, Neck Cancer

New NCI-funded clinical trial to test chemotherapy and immunotherapy before surgery for patients whose disease returns after radiation therapy.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 3:31am

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A newly approved National Cancer Institute-funded clinical trial aims to improve survival for head and neck cancer patients whose disease returns after radiation therapy. The Phase II trial will examine whether giving chemotherapy, or chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, before surgery can improve survival compared with surgery alone for these patients.

Why it matters

Up to 40% of head and neck cancer patients experience a return of their disease after radiation therapy, which is often associated with poor outcomes. This trial aims to find a more effective treatment approach for these high-risk patients, who currently have limited options beyond aggressive surgery.

The details

Patients deemed surgical candidates will be randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) before surgery; the same chemotherapies plus the immunotherapy drug cemiplimab before surgery; or surgery alone. Cemiplimab, a PDL1 inhibitor, harnesses the body's own immune system to fight the cancer. Most head and neck cancers are PDL1-positive.

  • The newly approved clinical trial is set to begin enrolling patients in Oklahoma and across the United States.

The players

Christina Henson, M.D.

Associate professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and radiation oncologist at the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. She is the radiation oncology chair for the trial.

Mark Newpower, Ph.D.

Assistant professor in the OU College of Medicine and the lead proton physicist for OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. He is the medical physics chair for the trial.

National Cancer Institute

The federal agency that is funding the clinical trial.

OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center

The cancer center leading the trial and providing institutional knowledge and expertise.

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What they’re saying

“Even when a patient is a good surgical candidate, the operation is often aggressive and life-altering. It can mean losing the voice box, removing much of the tongue, or risking serious complications in the neck, and despite all that, outcomes are still not where we want them to be. We hope this trial identifies a treatment that will help patients live longer without the cancer returning.”

— Christina Henson, M.D., Associate professor and radiation oncologist (Mirage News)

“We have worked to standardize the technical details of this trial. It has been gratifying to contribute the institutional knowledge of our radiation oncology department.”

— Mark Newpower, Ph.D., Assistant professor and lead proton physicist (Mirage News)

What’s next

The trial is set to begin enrolling patients in Oklahoma and across the United States.

The takeaway

This clinical trial represents a promising new approach to treating head and neck cancer patients whose disease returns after radiation therapy, a group with limited treatment options and poor outcomes. By combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy before surgery, the trial aims to improve survival and reduce the need for aggressive, life-altering surgical interventions.