A trial of Reolysin with chemotherapy for head and neck cancer that has come back or spread to other parts of the body (REO 18)

This trial is studying a treatment called Reolysin alongside paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy for squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. It is for people whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body or has got worse despite previous chemotherapy with a platinum drug.

Squamous cells are the flat, skin like cells that cover the inside of the mouth, nose, larynx and throat. When a cancer starts in these cells, it is called a squamous cell carcinoma. Many head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Doctors can treat these cancers with radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy depending on the extent of the cancer.

Cisplatin and carboplatin are 2 chemotherapy drugs that doctors often use. They are called platinum drugs. You often have one of these drugs alongside drugs such as 5-FU or a taxane drug. Paclitaxel is a taxane drug. If the cancer does not respond to the first treatments, or if it comes back later, you may have more treatment, including chemotherapy.

Reolysin is a new type of treatment that uses a virus called ‘reovirus’. Reovirus is very common in the environment and rarely causes illness. We know from research that it can kill cancer cells, but it does not seem to affect normal cells. Having Reolysin with chemotherapy may help people with head and neck cancer.

The people taking part in this trial have already had chemotherapy that included a platinum drug, but their cancer has come back or spread to other parts of the body. The aim of the trial is to see if having Reolysin at the same time as carboplatin and paclitaxel is more helpful than having chemotherapy alone.