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Condition (MeSH)

Head and Neck Neoplasms

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8,335 trials for Head and Neck Neoplasms or a narrower condition beneath it. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has the most among industry and government lead sponsors, with 216.

MeSH D006258 Neoplasms Neoplasm C04
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Phase 1 Phase 1 1,102 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 545 Phase 2 Phase 2 2,258 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 108 Phase 3 Phase 3 617 Phase 4 Phase 4 116 Not applicable Not applicable 1,818 Observational Observational 1,758 Phase 1 Phase 1 1,102 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 545 Phase 2 Phase 2 2,258 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 108 Phase 3 Phase 3 617 Phase 4 Phase 4 116 Not applicable Not applicable 1,818 Observational Observational 1,758

Trials per phase (log scale)

1 more section with rows

2,691 of the 8,335 trials are tagged with Head and Neck Neoplasms itself; the rest are tagged with a narrower condition beneath it.

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When did Head and Neck Neoplasms trials start? (36)

Shown in this order: most recent first, 1990 onwards. 2026 is partial: trials registered with a 2026 start date so far, not a full year. 19 trials are registered to start in 2027 or later, and not listed here.

Trials over time, by phase

  • Phase 1
  • Phase 1/2
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 2/3
  • Phase 3
  • Phase 4
  • Not applicable
  • Observational
  • Other (Expanded access)

Top of scale: 570

1990: 3 trials (Observational 1, Not applicable 1, Phase 3 1) 1992: 8 trials (Observational 1, Phase 3 5, Phase 2 2) 1993: 3 trials (Not applicable 1, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 1) 1994: 10 trials (Observational 3, Not applicable 1, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 1, Phase 1 1) 1995: 18 trials (Observational 4, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 4, Phase 1 6) 1996: 19 trials (Observational 4, Not applicable 2, Phase 3 4, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 5, Phase 1 2) 1997: 29 trials (Phase 4 1, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 17, Phase 1/2 5, Phase 1 2) 1998: 37 trials (Observational 7, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 15, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 6) 1999: 50 trials (Observational 4, Not applicable 6, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 6, Phase 2 17, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 13) 2000: 65 trials (Observational 8, Not applicable 1, Phase 3 13, Phase 2 30, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 10) 2001: 65 trials (Observational 8, Not applicable 2, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 9, Phase 2 27, Phase 1/2 5, Phase 1 13) 2002: 67 trials (Observational 11, Not applicable 4, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 9, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 25, Phase 1/2 6, Phase 1 10) 2003: 98 trials (Observational 15, Not applicable 11, Phase 3 5, Phase 2 40, Phase 1/2 13, Phase 1 14) 2004: 126 trials (Observational 20, Not applicable 9, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 12, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 55, Phase 1/2 4, Phase 1 22) 2005: 142 trials (Observational 32, Not applicable 9, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 14, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 54, Phase 1/2 5, Phase 1 23) 2006: 162 trials (Observational 30, Not applicable 20, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 20, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 57, Phase 1/2 8, Phase 1 21) 2007: 185 trials (Observational 37, Not applicable 27, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 14, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 62, Phase 1/2 10, Phase 1 29) 2008: 194 trials (Observational 37, Not applicable 26, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 20, Phase 2/3 5, Phase 2 64, Phase 1/2 9, Phase 1 28) 2009: 191 trials (Observational 36, Not applicable 34, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 19, Phase 2/3 5, Phase 2 48, Phase 1/2 19, Phase 1 27) 2010: 209 trials (Observational 46, Not applicable 41, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 10, Phase 2/3 4, Phase 2 66, Phase 1/2 13, Phase 1 27) 2011: 217 trials (Observational 48, Not applicable 42, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 12, Phase 2/3 7, Phase 2 67, Phase 1/2 7, Phase 1 30) 2012: 221 trials (Observational 56, Not applicable 47, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 17, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 59, Phase 1/2 11, Phase 1 26) 2013: 228 trials (Observational 44, Not applicable 60, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 17, Phase 2/3 4, Phase 2 60, Phase 1/2 10, Phase 1 30) 2014: 260 trials (Observational 47, Not applicable 62, Phase 4 6, Phase 3 22, Phase 2/3 4, Phase 2 62, Phase 1/2 13, Phase 1 44) 2015: 331 trials (Observational 77, Not applicable 74, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 34, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 66, Phase 1/2 23, Phase 1 51) 2016: 337 trials (Other 1, Observational 69, Not applicable 89, Phase 4 9, Phase 3 23, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 78, Phase 1/2 25, Phase 1 41) 2017: 392 trials (Observational 84, Not applicable 95, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 27, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 94, Phase 1/2 39, Phase 1 48) 2018: 411 trials (Observational 72, Not applicable 116, Phase 4 8, Phase 3 31, Phase 2/3 5, Phase 2 89, Phase 1/2 37, Phase 1 53) 2019: 429 trials (Observational 86, Not applicable 102, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 23, Phase 2/3 4, Phase 2 118, Phase 1/2 35, Phase 1 57) 2020: 501 trials (Observational 105, Not applicable 123, Phase 4 7, Phase 3 36, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 124, Phase 1/2 31, Phase 1 74) 2021: 515 trials (Observational 110, Not applicable 133, Phase 4 7, Phase 3 23, Phase 2/3 6, Phase 2 142, Phase 1/2 27, Phase 1 67) 2022: 546 trials (Observational 142, Not applicable 143, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 26, Phase 2/3 8, Phase 2 127, Phase 1/2 33, Phase 1 62) 2023: 564 trials (Observational 137, Not applicable 145, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 27, Phase 2/3 6, Phase 2 124, Phase 1/2 46, Phase 1 78) 2024: 570 trials (Observational 152, Not applicable 122, Phase 4 12, Phase 3 39, Phase 2/3 11, Phase 2 150, Phase 1/2 27, Phase 1 57) 2025: 567 trials (Observational 132, Not applicable 136, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 36, Phase 2/3 7, Phase 2 141, Phase 1/2 39, Phase 1 71)

Trials registered with a start date in each year, 1990 onward, stacked by phase (complete years only; the current partial year is in the table's notes). The table below lists the same counts, most recent years first.

Trials started per year
Year Trials started
2026 (partial year) 496
2025 567
2024 570
2023 564
2022 546
2021 515
2020 501
2019 429
2018 411
2017 392

Forecast of the full-year count, planned starts included, not rows of this table: about 630 trials starting in 2026 and about 580 in 2027, the average of the 24 months through September, counted as registered and carried forward, with about 0.7 times the starts already registered for the rest of 2026 added. The rows of this table count trials registered so far with a start date in the year, planned starts included; the forecast looks ahead to the count for the whole year, so it is not the same measure. In backtests on conditions of this size, forecasts made part-way through the year were typically off by about 10 percent and ran about 4 percent high against the count later registered; forecasts made before the year began were off by about 25 percent and ran about 15 percent low against the count later registered, and had about 7 percent more error than repeating last year's count. The part-way figures are from forecasts that used a multiple fitted only on earlier years. A stricter check that trains only on older years did not support adding planned starts for conditions of this size: it ran about 6 percent high against the count later registered. These figures rest on a few years of history (target years from 2018 to 2025, varying by figure), place each condition as it is mapped today rather than as it was then, and score against a count for the newest year that was still being revised. Only condition series were scored.

Prediction, not a registry value: median of 36 months from start to primary completion across 1,186 trials still running at the 2026-10-09 snapshot; registered median of 35 months across 4,248 trials with a primary completion typed Actual. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov / AACT (CTTI), public domain.

What phase are Head and Neck Neoplasms trials in? (9)

Shown in this order: phase order.

Show the trials by phase as a table
Trials by phase
Phase Trials
Phase 1 1,102
Phase 1/2 545
Phase 2 2,258
Phase 2/3 108
Phase 3 617
Phase 4 116
Not applicable 1,818
Observational 1,758
Expanded access 13

How many Head and Neck Neoplasms trials are recruiting? (12)

Shown in this order: the order a trial moves through, from not yet recruiting to unknown.

Trials by recruitment status
Status Trials
Not yet recruiting 476
Recruiting 1,468
Enrolling by invitation 48
Active, not recruiting 537
Available 5

Status as registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Each trial is counted once.

Which lead sponsors run the most Head and Neck Neoplasms trials? (1)

Shown in this order: most trials first. Lead sponsors the registry classes as industry, NIH, US federal, other government or network. A hospital or university the registry files as government can appear here. Sponsors it classes as academic or other are shown on the full page, because that class cannot separate an institution from a named investigator.

Lead sponsors
Sponsor Trials
National Cancer Institute (NCI) 216

Which drugs are being tested for Head and Neck Neoplasms? (7)

Shown in this order: most trials first. One row per drug, matched to a single molecule under all its names, ranked by number of trials.

Drugs tested
Drug Trials
PEMBROLIZUMAB 332
CETUXIMAB 262
(nab)-paclitaxel 247
NIVOLUMAB 143
"Capecitabine" 107

Interventions as named in the registry (8)

Shown in this order: most trials first.

Interventions as named in the registry
Drug Trials
Cisplatin 1 636
Fluorouracile 256
Radiation Therapy 245
Docetetaxel 229
or carboplatin 228

These are the names sponsors entered on ClinicalTrials.gov that we have not matched to a single molecule. Some are drugs under a brand or code name; others are procedures, doses or arm labels.

Which serious adverse events do Head and Neck Neoplasms trials report? (10)

Shown in this order: most subjects affected first. Subjects affected summed across trials, a cross-trial signal, not a rate.

Serious adverse events in this condition's trials
Adverse event Subjects affected Trials
Pneumonia 2,429 246
Dehydration 1,785 321
Dysphagia 1,646 280
Nausea 1,565 302
Vomiting 1,361 307

Which publications cover Head and Neck Neoplasms? (2,254)

Shown in this order: major-topic papers first, then newest, then most linked to trials.

Sub-conditions in MeSH (8)

MeSH descendants one level down with at least one trial, most trials first.

Not on this page

Not measured: delivery record.

Checked, with nothing recorded for this condition: prevalence and rare-disease identity.

Browse all condition evidence pages