Intratumoral PV701 in Treating Patients With Advanced or Recurrent Unresectable Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

You may be eligible if

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
• * Locally advanced or recurrent disease
• * Distant metastases in addition to locally advanced disease acceptable
• Not amenable to available standard treatment or palliative measures
• At least one target lesion accessible for intratumoral injection, less than 4 cm, and not situated near an airway or major artery
• Tumor volume(s) must be large enough to receive injection
• No known brain metastases
• Performance status - ECOG 0-2
• More than 3 months
• WBC \>= 3,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin \> 10 g/dL (transfusion permitted)
• Platelet count \>= 100,000/mm\^3
• Bilirubin \< 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST/ALT =\< 2.5 times ULN
• Creatinine \< 2.5 mg/dL
• No uncontrolled symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia
• No history of significantly compromised pulmonary function (i.e. FEV\_1 \< 50% of predicted) or decreased oxygen saturation of \< 95% on room air
• No history of allergy to eggs or egg-based or chicken embryo-based vaccines
• No frequent contact with immunocompromised individuals
• No ongoing or active infection
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• No history of diabetes mellitus requiring oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin
• No HIV-positive patients receiving combination antiretroviral therapy
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• More than 4 weeks since prior surgery and recovered
• No other concurrent investigational agents or commercial agents or therapies for treatment of malignancy
• No concurrent antiviral therapy