OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the individual clinical benefit of temoporfin-mediated photodynamic therapy for palliative treatment in patients with recurrent, refractory, or second primary squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. II. Determine the improvement in global, functional, and symptomatic measures of quality of life in these patients. III. Determine the toxic effects, tolerability, and safety of this regimen in these patients. IV. Determine the population pharmacokinetics, objective tumor response (complete and partial), and the 1 year survival of these patients on this regimen.