Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-Specific Donor T-Cell Infusion for the Treatment of Advanced HPV16-Associated Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer

Trial Status: active

This phase I trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of an HPV-specific donor T-cell infusion in treating patients with advanced HPV16-associated head and neck squamous cell cancer that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). A donor T-cell infusion is an infusion of a donor's white blood cells (donor lymphocyte infusion [DLI]) and may help the patient's immune system see the tumor cells and destroy them. Scientists have found that a family of viruses called HPV can cause certain cancers, particularly in the head and neck. Most of these cancers are caused by a specific type of HPV called HPV16. This research is being done to see if giving HPV16+ cancer patients an HPV-specific donor T-cell infusion, from a donor who received an HPV vaccine series, causes a stronger immune response and may more effectively treat the cancer. Giving an HPV-specific donor T-cell infusion may be safe, tolerable and/or effective in treating patients with advanced HPV16-associated head and neck squamous cell cancer.