Soy Isoflavones in Preventing Head and Neck Cancer Recurrence in Patients With Stage I-IV Head and Neck Cancer Undergoing Surgery

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine if short term, preoperative (300 mg/day x 14 treatment days) soy isoflavone supplementation modulates p16 methylation (% CpG sites methylated) and expression of p16, cyclooxygenase 2 \[COX-2\], vascular endothelial growth factor receptor \[VEGF\], epidermal growth factor receptor \[EGFR\], interleukin-6 \[IL6\], p53 and B-cell lymphoma-extra large \[Bcl-xL\] in tumor and non-tumor adjacent mucosa of patients with head and neck squamous carcinoma undergoing curative tumor resection. II. To estimate correlations of tumor p16 methylation (% CpG sites methylated) with expression of p16 and levels of, IL6, VEGF, and 15-F2t-isoprostane in serum and saliva. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Describe the toxicity of short-term, preoperative treatment with soy isoflavone. II. To determine overall and relapse-free survival. OUTLINE: Patients receive soy isoflavones orally (PO) for approximately 14 days before undergoing surgery. After completion of treatment, patients are followed up, within the routine cancer management schedule, at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months.