Clinical trials · California
Head and Neck Cancer clinical trials in California
We’re tracking 91 recruiting head and neck cancer studies with a site in California — including Phase 1, Phase 1/Phase 2, Phase 2, Phase 2/Phase 3 and Phase 3 studies, each written for real people, not researchers.
Recruiting studies in California
- NCT07195734RecruitingPhase 2
Adding chemo or immunotherapy before surgery for advanced head and neck cancer
This trial tests whether giving chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus immunotherapy before surgery can improve outcomes for people with advanced head and neck cancer that has come back or not gone away after prior treatment.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT07441681RecruitingPhase 3
Comparing radiation plus targeted therapy vs standard chemo for head and neck cancer
This trial compares two treatments for advanced head and neck cancer in patients who cannot take the drug cisplatin. One group gets radiation plus a targeted drug called cetuximab, the other gets radiation plus standard chemotherapy. The goal is to see which approach works better and is safer for people who are not candidates for cisplatin.
Beverly Hills, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT05902988RecruitingPhase 1/Phase 2
Study of VLS-1488 for advanced cancers
This early-phase study tests VLS-1488, a new cancer medicine, in people with advanced cancers that have limited treatment options. It may help by finding a safe dose and whether it can shrink or control tumors.
Newport Beach, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06022029RecruitingPhase 1
Study of injected ONM-501 alone or with cemiplimab for advanced cancers
This trial tests an injected study drug (ONM-501) alone or with another drug (cemiplimab) for people with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas that haven't responded to other treatments. It aims to find a safe dose and see if the combination helps shrink or control the cancer.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT07020117RecruitingPhase 1
Study of AKY-1189 for advanced solid tumors
This trial tests a new radioactive drug, AKY-1189, for people with solid tumors that have spread or cannot be removed. It may help if other treatments have stopped working.
Duarte, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06242470RecruitingPhase 1
Study of MGC026 for advanced solid tumors
This trial tests a new drug called MGC026 that targets a protein called B7-H3 on cancer cells, aiming to shrink or slow different advanced solid tumors. It is an early-phase study to find the right dose and check safety.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT05176483RecruitingPhase 1
New drug combinations for advanced solid tumors
This trial tests a new drug called zanzalintinib, which may slow or shrink various types of advanced cancer. It is given together with other cancer treatments, and the study is looking at many different cancers including kidney, prostate, bladder, lung, liver, and more.
Palo Alto, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT04981119Recruiting
Test apheresis for CAR T manufacturing in HLA-A2 solid tumors
This trial studies how a process called apheresis is used to make CAR T cells for people with certain solid tumors. It is designed for tumors that have lost a specific immune marker (HLA-A*02), which may affect how well CAR T therapies work.
Santa Monica, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06990737RecruitingPhase 2
Sentinel node biopsy for high-risk skin cancer of the head and neck
This trial is testing whether a procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) can help manage high-risk skin cancer on the head and neck that has not spread to lymph nodes. It is for people whose skin cancer is considered high-risk due to features like size, depth, or location, and who are able to have surgery.
Sacramento, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT04119024RecruitingPhase 1
Gene-edited immune cells for advanced melanoma or solid tumors
This Phase 1 study tests a gene-modified immune cell treatment for advanced cancers that don’t have standard curative options. It may help by attacking cancer cells that show a specific marker called IL13Rα2 after patients receive “conditioning” chemotherapy to prepare the immune system.
Stanford, CaliforniaAges 18–75 - NCT05877599RecruitingPhase 1
Study of a new treatment for advanced cancers with a specific gene change
This trial tests a new type of therapy (NT-175) for people with certain advanced cancers that have a specific genetic change. It might help if your tumor has the TP53 R175H mutation and you have the HLA-A*02:01 immune marker.
Duarte, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT07227168RecruitingPhase 1
Study of STRO-004 for advanced solid tumors
This trial tests a new drug called STRO-004 for people with advanced solid tumors (cancers that have spread or come back). It aims to see if the drug is safe and effective for those who have already tried other treatments.
San Diego, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06747585RecruitingPhase 1/Phase 2
ALE.P02 for advanced squamous cell cancers with CLDN1
This trial tests a new drug called ALE.P02 for people with advanced squamous cell cancers (like lung, head and neck, esophagus, or skin cancer) that have a certain protein called CLDN1. The drug is given alone and aims to shrink or stop the cancer.
Fullerton, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06769698RecruitingPhase 2
Testing fianlimab with cemiplimab for head and neck cancer
This study compares a new combination of two drugs (fianlimab and cemiplimab) against cemiplimab alone for people with head and neck cancer that has returned or spread. It aims to see if the combination works better.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06163534Recruiting
Biomarker profiling study for advanced head and neck cancer patients
This study collects blood and tumor tissue samples to analyze biological markers in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma before starting immunotherapy. The goal is to better understand how these markers relate to treatment response.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT07109726RecruitingPhase 1/Phase 2
Testing TER-2013 for advanced tumors with AKT/PI3K/PTEN changes
This trial tests a new drug called TER-2013, alone or combined with another drug (fulvestrant), for people with advanced solid tumors that have specific genetic changes in the AKT/PI3K/PTEN pathway. It aims to see if the drug is safe and effective.
Duarte, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT02734537RecruitingPhase 2
Radiation with or without cisplatin after head and neck surgery
This trial studies whether adding cisplatin (a chemotherapy medicine) to radiation therapy helps people with stage III–IVA squamous cell cancer of the head and neck after they’ve had surgery. It’s meant to lower the risk of the cancer coming back.
Arroyo Grande, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06420219Recruiting
New head and neck cancer study for untreated patients
This study is looking at newly diagnosed head and neck cancer before any treatment begins. It will analyze your cancer's genes and other markers to understand how it develops and grows, which may help improve future care.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06788990RecruitingPhase 2/Phase 3
Study of ficerafusp alfa with pembrolizumab for advanced head and neck cancer
This study tests a new drug called ficerafusp alfa (BCA101) combined with the immunotherapy pembrolizumab for people with advanced head and neck cancer that has not been treated before. The goal is to see if adding ficerafusp alfa helps shrink tumors better than pembrolizumab alone.
La Jolla, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT04671667RecruitingPhase 2
Pembrolizumab vs chemo-radiation after surgery for recurrent head/neck cancer
This trial tests whether pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy drug) works better than the usual chemo plus radiation after surgery for cancer that has come back in the head and neck area. It may help reduce cancer returning or spreading by using your immune system, but eligibility depends on how the cancer came back and your prior treatments.
Anaheim, CaliforniaAges 18–79 - NCT06256588RecruitingPhase 3
Dostarlimab vs placebo after chemoradiation for head and neck cancer
This study tests whether the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab, given after standard chemoradiation, can keep advanced head and neck cancer from coming back. It is for people who have not had surgery and whose tumors are PD-L1 positive.
Torrance, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06535607RecruitingPhase 2
Study of volrustomig for advanced solid tumors
This trial tests a new drug called volrustomig, alone or with other cancer treatments, for people with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. It aims to see if the drug can help shrink or control the cancer.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT06699212RecruitingPhase 3
Light-activated therapy with immunotherapy for head and neck cancer
This trial tests a new light-activated treatment (ASP-1929) combined with an immunotherapy drug (pembrolizumab) as a first treatment for head and neck cancer that has come back in the same area but has not spread to other parts of the body. It aims to see if this combination works better than standard treatment alone.
Duarte, CaliforniaAges 18 years+ - NCT07517198RecruitingPhase 1
EXS74539 Study for Advanced Solid Tumors
This is an early-stage study testing a new cancer drug called EXS74539 to find the right dose and see how well it works in people with various advanced solid tumors. The drug may help patients whose cancers have stopped responding to standard treatments.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaAges 18 years+
Head and Neck Cancer trials by city in California
Where these studies are running in California
Institutions with a site for the recruiting head and neck cancer studies listed above.
- City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center · 6 studies
- USC / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center · 5 studies
- Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian · 2 studies
- Providence Medical Foundation · 2 studies
- Research Site · 2 studies
- UC Irvine Health · 2 studies
- UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center · 2 studies
- University of California, Irvine Medical Center / UC Irvine Health · 2 studies
What taking part in a head and neck cancer study involves
A screening visit first
Before anything else, the study team checks whether you fit — usually a visit with some tests. You can stop at any point, and screening is typically free.
Care at a nearby site
Study visits happen at a clinic or hospital taking part. Many studies cover the cost of the study treatment and related visits, and some reimburse travel.
You stay in control
Taking part is voluntary and you can leave a study at any time, for any reason, without affecting your regular care.
The team decides eligibility
Our fit check is a helpful first read, not a decision. The study team makes the final call after reviewing your health history.
Head and Neck Cancer trials in other states
Common questions
- Are there head and neck cancer clinical trials in California?
- Yes. We're currently tracking 91 recruiting head and neck cancer studies with a site in California, each rewritten in plain language so you can see what it's testing and who it's for.
- How do I find out if I qualify for a head and neck cancer study in California?
- Each study lists its eligibility rules — age, diagnosis, prior treatments. On every trial page we explain these in plain language and offer a short, optional pre-screen for a fit read. The study team makes the final decision.
- Do I have to live in California to take part?
- Not necessarily. These studies have a site in California, but eligibility is about your health, not your address — some people travel to take part, and a few studies reimburse travel. The study team can tell you what's required.
- Does it cost anything to join a head and neck cancer trial?
- Using Clin2 is always free. Many trials cover the study treatment and related visits; some reimburse travel. The study team explains exactly what's covered before you decide.
Not the right time?
New head and neck cancer studies open in California regularly. Set up a health profile and we’ll quietly watch for studies that fit you and email you when one opens.
Clin2 helps you find and understand clinical trials and does not provide medical advice. Study data comes from ClinicalTrials.gov. Talk with your doctor about whether a specific trial is right for you.