This study aims to improve access of Veterans with epilepsy living in rural areas to the most important diagnostic procedure for the care of patients with epilepsy: the routine electroencephalogram (EEG). We will test a new method for recording EEG which uses a novel dry electrode system headset that does not require an EEG technologist to operate. The headset integrates the EEG electrodes and amplifier into a compact system which is easily placed on the head. This approach could make it possible for a nurse or nurse assistant with minimal training to record an EEG in a rural community based outpatient clinic (CBOC) as part of an epilepsy telemedicine outreach program along with clinical interviews. We will compare performance of this dry electrode system to standard EEG when it is used by EEG technologists in three VA medical centers. This project has the potential to improve access of Veterans to the EEG procedure and decrease cost to the Veterans Health Care System.

This study is for patients who have been diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) that has returned (recurrent) or spread after previous treatment (metastatic). The investigational drug in this study is Buparlisib (AN2025) that will be given in combination with Paclitaxel (an approved drug). The study will also use alone.

The main purpose of this research study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of once-daily buparlisib in combination with weekly paclitaxel compared to weekly paclitaxel alone head and neck cancer that has progressed after prior immunotherapy (treatment that uses your immune system to attack your cancer, such as antiPD1/antiPDL1 treatments) with or without prior platinum-based chemotherapy. Participants can expect to be on this study for about 5 years.

This study is for patients who have been diagnosed with locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma. The purpose of this study is to compare two usual treatment approaches to head and neck cancer: high-dose cisplatin given every 3 weeks with radiation to low-dose cisplatin given weekly with radiation. The usual approach for patients who are not in this study is treatment with radiation therapy combined with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin. Cisplatin is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat your head and neck cancer. Cisplatin can be given at different doses and at different times during radiation, but the most common way to give cisplatin is either as a high-dose every 3 weeks or a low-dose weekly during radiation. Participants can expect to be on this study for up to 7 weeks and then followed annually until disease progression.

Because head and neck cancer arises in cosmetically and functionally critical areas, head and neck cancer survivors suffer high rates of body image-related distress. Body image-related distress is a source of significant morbidity, contributing to stigmatization, social isolation, and worse quality of life. Unfortunately, effective therapies exist to manage body image-related distress among head and neck cancer survivors are lacking. We have developed a novel, scalable, tele-cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for head and neck cancer survivors with body image disturbance that could provide the first effective treatment in this population, thereby minimizing psychosocial morbidity, improving quality of life, and developing new standards of clinical care.

This study is for anyone 18 years or older who provides unpaid care for a loved one living with cancer outside of the hospital setting. The purpose of this study is to help future caregivers and patients by learning how mental fatigue affects caregivers of persons living with cancer and determine if mental fatigue, participating in self-care activities, and general caregiver quality of life are related. Informal caregivers will be invited to complete a confidential, online survey that takes between 25 and 35 minutes to finish. Caregivers who complete the survey may be contacted and asked to participate in a 45-60 minute follow up interview either online or via phone if they are interested. The results of this study will help guide future research to identify ways healthcare professionals can help caregivers handle the stresses of caregiving and provide the best care possible to their loved ones at home.

This study is for patients that have been diagnosed with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using a combination of pembrolizumab and olaparib when given before and after standard chemoradiation therapy in treating locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Pembrolizumab and olaparib are drugs that are approved for treatment of different cancers including lung, head and neck, breast and prostate cancer. However, FDA has not approved use of these two drugs together in treating head and neck cancer.

Treatment will be offered in three phases. In the induction phase, participants will receive a single infusion of pembrolizumab and will take olaparib tablets twice daily for total of 21 days. Participants will move to the chemoradiation phase, where they will receive radiation therapy and chemotherapy per routine standard care, for a total of 7 weeks. Chemoradiation therapy is done on a daily basis (excluding weekends), and chemotherapy therapy will involve a cisplatin infusion once weekly. At the conclusion of this phase, participants start the maintenance phase, which involves treatment with pembrolizumab and olaparib in cycles that are 42-days long. Treatment will include a single pembrolizumab infusion during each cycle and taking olaparib tablets twice daily during each cycle. Total number of cycles to be completed in the maintenance phase are 8 cycles. Participants can expect to be in this study for about 6.5 years.

The goal of this study is to demonstrate that Photon Counting CT (PC-CT) creates similar or better-quality pictures of the body compared to CT systems we currently use in the clinic. The department of Radiology will be conducting this study using the new PC-CT system at MUSC for imaging of the head, neck, and blood vessels. Participants in this study will receive their normally ordered imaging scan as well as an additional imaging scan on the PC-CT machine. This second scan will take place within a month following the first normally ordered imaging study. This additional scan will be the only extra visit for this research study. Risks are the same as a typical CT scan which can include radiation dose, IV dye allergies, risks from IV, and potential loss of confidentiality.

This study is for men and women with HER2-positive salivary gland cancer (SGC) that has come back, spread outside of their salivary gland, or cannot be removed by surgery. This study is being done to find out if ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) extends the length of time without the cancer getting worse compared to the usual approach.

For patients with head and neck cancer, delays starting adjuvant radiation therapy are common, disproportionately burden racial minorities, and contribute to poor survival and racial disparities in mortality. However, effective therapies to improve the delivery of timely, equitable, guideline-adherent adjuvant radiation therapy are lacking. We have developed a navigation-based multilevel intervention to enhance care coordination, communication, and key cancer care delivery processes that could provide the first effective treatment in this population, thereby improving survival, decreasing racial disparities in outcomes, and developing new standards of clinical care.

This study is for patients that have been diagnosed with Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. The purpose of this research study is to determine if lower doses of radiation therapy are as effective as the standard higher doses. Participants will have tests and procedures that would be performed as part of regular care. Participants will be assigned to one of three study groups based on your risk for cancer recurrence. Depending on the group assigned, participants receive either standard dose of radiation therapy (RT), a moderately reduced dose of RT, or an extremely reduced dose of RT. During the RT treatment, participants will also receive chemotherapy. Chemotherapy will be given at the same dose used in routine care for everybody in the study. Participants will be in the study for up to 5 years.