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Trastuzumab Emtansine and Chemoradiation for the Treatment of HER2-Positive, Resectable Stage II-IVB Salivary Gland Cancer

Trial Status: active

This phase II trial studies the effect of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and standard chemoradiation (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) in treating patients with HER2-positive stage II-IVB salivary gland cancer that can be removed by surgery (resectable). T-DM1 is a specialized antibody targeting HER2 (a protein that is expressed in some breast and salivary gland cancers). The drug is an HER2 antibody that is bound to a chemotherapy agent (DM1) and delivered intravenously. T-DM1 then binds cancer cells that express HER2 and is taken up into the cell to allow DM1 to kill cancer cells in a more targeted way. This allows doctors to use a targeted treatment along with chemoradiation to treat HER2 expressing salivary cancers. Chemotherapy drugs work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving T-DM1 with standard chemoradiation may help control salivary gland cancer.