Reduced-Dose Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy With or Without Cisplatin in Treating Patients… (NCT02254278) | Clinical Trial Compass
CompletedPhase 2
Reduced-Dose Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy With or Without Cisplatin in Treating Patients With Advanced Oropharyngeal Cancer
United States, Canada, Ireland316 participantsStarted 2014-10
Plain-language summary
This randomized phase II trial studies the side effects and how well modestly reduced-dose intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with or without cisplatin works in treating patients with oropharyngeal cancer that has spread to other places in the body (advanced). Radiation therapy uses high energy x rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether IMRT is more effective with or without cisplatin in treating patients with oropharyngeal cancer.
Who can participate
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Inclusion criteria
. Pathologically (histologically or cytologically) proven diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (including the histological variants papillary squamous cell carcinoma and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma) of the oropharynx (tonsil, base of tongue, soft palate, or oropharyngeal walls); cytologic diagnosis from a cervical lymph node is sufficient in the presence of clinical evidence of a primary tumor in the oropharynx. Clinical evidence should be documented, may consist of palpation, imaging, or endoscopic evaluation, and should be sufficient to estimate the size of the primary (for T stage).
. Patients must have clinically or radiographically evident measurable disease at the primary site or at nodal stations. Tonsillectomy or local excision of the primary without removal of nodal disease is permitted, as is excision removing gross nodal disease but with intact primary site. Limited neck dissections retrieving ≤ 4 nodes are permitted and considered as non-therapeutic nodal excisions.
. Immunohistochemical staining for p16 must be performed on tissue, and this tissue must be submitted for central review. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy specimens may be used as the sole diagnostic tissue if formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cell block material is available for p16 immunohistochemistry. FNA specimens prepared with adequate p16 testing in this manner are acceptable to submit for central review. If the p16 preparation is not adequate, additional specimens will be required to establish p16 status. Centers are encouraged to contact the pathology chairs for clarification.
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Percentage of Participants Alive Without Progression at Two Years (Progression-free Survival)
. Clinical stage T1-T2, N1-N2b or T3, N0-N2b (AJCC, 7th ed.) including no distant metastases based on the following diagnostic workup:
. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the neck (with contrast) and a chest CT scan (with or without contrast);
. or an MRI of the neck (with contrast) and a chest CT scan (with or without contrast);
. or a CT scan of neck (with contrast) and a PET/CT of neck and chest (with or without contrast);
. or an MRI of the neck (with contrast) and a PET/CT of neck and chest (with or without contrast).
Exclusion criteria
. Cancers considered to be from an oral cavity site (oral tongue, floor mouth, alveolar ridge, buccal or lip), or the nasopharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx, even if p16 positive, or histologies of adenosquamous, verrucous, or spindle cell carcinomas;
. Carcinoma of the neck of unknown primary site origin (even if p16 positive);
. Radiographically matted nodes, defined as 3 abutting nodes with loss of the intervening fat plane;
. Supraclavicular nodes, defined as nodes visualized on the same axial imaging slice as the clavicle;
. Definitive clinical or radiologic evidence of metastatic disease or adenopathy below the clavicles;
. Gross total excision of both primary and nodal disease with curative intent; this includes tonsillectomy, local excision of primary site, and nodal excision that removes all clinically and radiographically evident disease. In other words, to participate in this protocol, the patient must have clinically or radiographically evident gross disease for which disease response can be assessed.
. Patients with simultaneous primary cancers or separate bilateral primary tumor sites are excluded with the exception of patients with bilateral tonsil cancers;
. Prior invasive malignancy (except non-melanomatous skin cancer) unless disease free for a minimum of 1095 days (3 years) (for example, carcinoma in situ of the breast, oral cavity, or cervix are all permissible);