Onalespib in Treating Patients With Locoregionally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Receiving Radiation Therapy and Cisplatin

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have a histologically or cytologically confirmed, previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx * Tumors must be staged T1-4, N2b-3, M0 (human papillomavirus positive \[HPV\]+ or HPV negative \[-\]); patients with HPV+ tumors should have at least one high risk feature such as T4, N3, or smoking history of \> 10 pack years * The disease must be considered to be potentially curable by combined radiotherapy and cisplatin based chemotherapy * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 1 (Karnofsky \>= 70%) * Life expectancy of greater than 6 months * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1.5 x 10\^9/L * Hemoglobin \>= 9 g/dL * Platelets \>= 100 x 10\^9/L * Serum creatinine =\< 1.5 mg/dL (=\< 120 umol/L) OR calculated creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault formula) \>= 50 mL/min OR 24-hour urine creatinine clearance \>= 50 mL/min * Bilirubin =\< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) =\< 2.5 x ULN * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =\< 2.5 x ULN * Proteinuria =\< +1 on dipstick or =\< 1 gram/24 hours * Corrected QT using the Fridericia formula (QTcF) \< 470 msec * Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, during the study participation, and for three months after the last dose of the drug; women of child-bearing potential must …