Locally Recurrent Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This phase II trial studies the good and bad effects of the combination of drugs called cabozantinib and nivolumab in treating patients with melanoma or squamous cell head and neck cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced). Cabozantinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. 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. This trial may help doctors determine how quickly patients can be divided into groups based on biomarkers in their tumors. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in the blood, other body fluids, or in tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process or a sign of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition. The two biomarkers that this trial is studying are "tumor mutational burden" and "tumor inflammation signature." Another purpose of this trial is to help doctors learn if cabozantinib and nivolumab shrink or stabilize the cancer, and whether patients respond differently to the combination depending on the status of the biomarkers.

This phase II trial tests the addition of chemotherapy, with carboplatin and paclitaxel, or chemo-immunotherapy, with carboplatin, paclitaxel and cemiplimab to standard salvage surgery followed by post operative radiation therapy and cisplatin for high risk patients, for the treatment of patients with PD-L1 positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that has come back and spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes after a period of improvement (locally recurrent) or is persistent. Carboplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called antimicrotubule agents. It stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as cemiplimab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Salvage surgery is surgery that takes place to remove tumor tissue after a failure of other treatment. High risk patients also receive radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Adding chemotherapy or chemo-immunotherapy to standard salvage surgery may kill more tumor cells than salvage surgery alone in patients with PD-L1 positive locally recurrent or persistent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

This phase II trial compares the effect of adding proton spatially fractionated radiotherapy (SFRT) or photon stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to standard immunotherapy pembrolizumab before surgery (neoadjuvant) in treating patients with oral cavity squamous cell cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) or that has come back where it first started (primary site) or near it (locoregionally recurrent) and have not had (naive) prior radiation. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Proton SFRT is a type of external beam radiation treatment that uses streams of protons (tiny particles with a positive charge) to deliver different doses of radiation to different parts of the tumor in a grid like pattern. This type of radiation kills tumor cells but does not damage nearby tissues. SBRT 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. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the tumor, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving neoadjuvant proton SFRT or SBRT in combination with pembrolizumab may be safe and tolerable and may be an effective approach to shrink the tumor, reduce the extent of surgery and/or the need for further treatment in patients with locally advanced or locoregionally recurrent oral cavity squamous cell cancer.

To learn if giving cemiplimab and cetuximab before salvage surgery can help to control recurrent oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.