Skip to main content
TTrialFinderData
TrialFinderData is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Always talk to your doctor.

Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

Single-Center Eval of Clinical & Radiological Benefit AHCC in Combo W/ SOC Tx for HPV+ Pts W/ HNSCC

Single-Center Evaluation of the Clinical and Radiological Benefit of AHCC® in Combination with Standard of Care Treatment for HPV-Positive Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

Single-Center Eval of Clinical & Radiological Benefit AHCC in Combo W/ SOC Tx for HPV+ Pts W/ HNSCC (NCT06693323) is a Phase 2 interventional studying HNSCC and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, sponsored by University of California, Irvine. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

This is a phase 2, single-arm, open-label clinical trial determining safety and tolerability of AHCC in subjects with HPV-positive patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. These are subjects who have undergone surgery or will be undergoing surgery.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against HNSCC and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

With a target enrollment of 34 participants, this is a small study — typical of early-phase research, rare-disease trials, or pilot studies designed to generate preliminary signal before a larger study is launched.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Between 18 and 79 years of age. - Has a diagnosis of pathologically or cytologically proven HPV positive HNSCC. - For patients who have undergone surgery, they must be registered at least 4 weeks after surgery. - For patients that have completed surgery, has a high risk disease defined as: 1. Positive Margins and/or Extra Nodal Extension (ENE) 2. Positive margins are defined as malignancy at or within 1 mm of the margin. High grade dysplasia (i.e., carcinoma in situ) at the margin is also considered positive 3. ENE may be either gross or microscopic - No evidence of distant disease based on baseline imaging done within 28 days prior to registration. Patient may be any T or N stage, but must be M0 - Has an You should be able to carry out daily activities with 0 level of ability (ECOG 0)-1. - Has the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written willing to sign a consent form document. Patients with impaired decision-making capacity (IDMC) who have a legally authorized representative (LAR) or caregiver and/or family member available will also be considered eligible. - All females of childbearing potential must have a blood test or urine study within 14 days prior to registration negative for pregnancy. 1\. A female of childbearing potential is defined as any woman, regardless of sexual orientation or whether they have undergone tubal ligation, who meets any of the following criteria: has achieved menarche at some point, has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy, or has not been naturally postmenopausal (amenorrhea following cancer therapy does not rule out childbearing potential) for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months). ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: * Between 18 and 79 years of age. * Has a diagnosis of pathologically or cytologically proven HPV positive HNSCC. * For patients who have undergone surgery, they must be registered at least 4 weeks after surgery. * For patients that have completed surgery, has a high risk disease defined as: 1. Positive Margins and/or Extra Nodal Extension (ENE) 2. Positive margins are defined as malignancy at or within 1 mm of the margin. High grade dysplasia (i.e., carcinoma in situ) at the margin is also considered positive 3. ENE may be either gross or microscopic * No evidence of distant disease based on baseline imaging done within 28 days prior to registration. Patient may be any T or N stage, but must be M0 * Has an ECOG Performance Status 0-1. * Has the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Patients with impaired decision-making capacity (IDMC) who have a legally authorized representative (LAR) or caregiver and/or family member available will also be considered eligible. * All females of childbearing potential must have a blood test or urine study within 14 days prior to registration negative for pregnancy. 1\. A female of childbearing potential is defined as any woman, regardless of sexual orientation or whether they have undergone tubal ligation, who meets any of the following criteria: has achieved menarche at some point, has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy, or has not been naturally postmenopausal (amenorrhea following cancer therapy does not rule out childbearing potential) for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months). * Women of childbearing potential and sexually active males must not conceive or father children by using accepted and effective method(s) of contraception or by abstaining from sexual intercourse while on study treatment, and continue for 120 days after the last dose of study treatment. Accepted and effective methods are described in Appendix 4 * Has adequate organ and marrow function as defined below, based on clinical laboratory assessments obtained ≤ 28 days prior to registration: 1. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,500/μL 2. Platelets ≥ 100,000/μL 3. Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) 4. AST or /ALT ≤ 3.0 × institutional ULN 5. Creatinine clearance \> 30 mL/min using the Cockcroft-Gault formula Exclusion Criteria: * Patient must not be pregnant or breast-feeding due to the unknown potential harm to an unborn fetus and possible risk for adverse events in nursing infants with the treatment regimens being used. * Current active infection that requires systemic treatment at time of registration. * History of solid organ transplant or stem cell transplant. * Currently taking immunosuppressive medication within 7 days prior to registration, EXCEPT for the following: 1. intranasal, inhaled, topical steroids, or local steroid injection (e.g., intra-articular injection) 2. systemic corticosteroids at physiologic doses ≤ 10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent 3. steroids as premedication for hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., CT scan premedication). * New York Heart Association Class III or IV heart failure. Patients with known history or current symptoms of cardiac disease, or history of treatment with cardiotoxic agents, should have a clinical risk assessment of cardiac function using the New York Heart Association Functional Classification. * Received a live vaccine within 30 days prior to the first dose of study drug. 1. Examples of live vaccines include, but are not limited to, the following: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chicken pox), yellow fever, rabies, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), or typhoid fever. 2. Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally killed virus vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., FluMist®) are live attenuated vaccines and are not allowed. 3. COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines (mRNA or other) are allowed. * Known history of Hepatitis B (defined as HBsAg reactive) or known active Hepatitis C virus (defined as positive for HCV RNA on a qualitative test). * History of HIV with or without antiviral treatment having 1. detectable viral loads within 6 months, or 2. history of Kaposi sarcoma and/or Multicentric Castleman Disease. * Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in past 2 years (i.e., with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) is not considered a form of systemic treatment and is allowed. * Known allergy to mushrooms, mushroom products, or any components of the study formulation. * Known psychiatric or substance abuse disorder that would interfere with the participant's ability to complete study assessments or to adhere to protocol requirements.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

AHCC®capsules

Given PO

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine
Orange, California, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06693323), the sponsor (University of California, Irvine), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06693323 clinical trial studying?

This is a phase 2, single-arm, open-label clinical trial determining safety and tolerability of AHCC in subjects with HPV-positive patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. These are subjects who have undergone surgery or will be undergoing surgery. The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06693323?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06693323?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06693323. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06693323. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.