Paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) appears to be one of the most active drugs in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer. The maximum tolerated dose of paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin is currently being evaluated in phase I/II studies. We designed a phase II study to evaluate the activity and acute and cumulative toxicity of this combination in patients with recurrent or metastatic cancer of the head and neck. Chemotherapy consisted of paclitaxel 200 mg/m2, given as a 3-hour infusion, and carboplatin dosed to an area under the concentration-time curve of 7 mg x min/mL, administered every 28 days. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (5 microg/kg) also was given on days 2 to 12 of each cycle. At the time of this report, 41 patients had entered this study. Primary sites included the nasopharynx (10 patients), larynx (18), oral cavity (three), oropharynx (six), hypopharynx (three), and unknown (one). Among 25 evaluable patients with non-nasopharyngeal cancer, there were two complete responses and three partial responses, for an overall response rate of 20% (95% confidence interval, 4% to 36%). Among eight evaluable patients with nasopharyngeal cancer, four achieved a complete response and two a partial response. Grade 3 to 4 toxicities included anemia (2.5%), leukopenia (7.5%), thrombocytopenia (5%), vomiting (5%), stomatitis (2.5%), and infection (5%). These preliminary data indicate that the combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin is active against advanced head and neck cancer, particularly when used in the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer.