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RecruitingInterventionalPhase 3

SPECT-CT Guided ELEctive Contralateral Neck Treatment for Patients With Lateralized Oropharyngeal Cancer. A Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial

NCT ID: NCT05451004Sponsor: Canadian Cancer Trials GroupLast updated: 2026-06-09

Summary

This study is being done to answer the following question: Is the chance of cancer spreading or returning the same if radiotherapy to the neck is guided, by using a special imaging study called lymph node mapping (lymphatic mapping) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT-CT), compared to the usual treatment when radiotherapy is given to both sides of the neck?

Detailed description

This study is being conducted in order to find out if this approach is as good as the usual approach in controlling the cancer and has fewer side effects and better quality of life. The usual approach for patients who are not in a study is treatment which includes radiotherapy to the tumour and to both sides of the neck to decrease the risk of spread or recurrence of the cancer

Arms & interventions

  • OtherLymphatic Mapping with SPECT-CT

    Radiation: Ipsilateral Neck Radiotherapy and SPECT-CT Guided Contralateral Neck Radiotherapy

  • RadiationIpsilateral and Contralateral Neck

    Radiotherapy

Outcome measures

Primary

  • Disease-free Survival

    Time frame: 8 years

Secondary

  • Quality of Life using M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI)

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Xerostomia-related Quality of Life using Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ)

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Isolated contralateral neck failure (iCNF)

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Overall Survival (OS)

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Logo-regional Failure (LRF)

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Distant Metastases (DM)

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Incidence and Severity of Radiation-related Toxicities

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Patient-Reported Toxicities using PRO CTCAE

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Gastrostomy Tube Usage

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Resource Utilization

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Lost Productivity

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Financial Toxicity [Financial Index of Toxicity (FIT)]

    Time frame: 8 years

  • Health Utilities using EQ-5D

    Time frame: 8 years

Eligibility criteria

Sex: AllAge: 18 Years and olderHealthy volunteers: No
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with pathologically proven diagnosis of lateralized OPC (tonsil, tongue base, soft palate, or pharyngeal wall) not involving or crossing midline. * HPV positive or negative (by p16 immunohistochemistry). * Clinical stage T1-3 M0 (UICC/AJCC TNM 8th Edition). Nodal involvement may include no nodes or single or multiple ipsilateral lymph nodes (largest ≤6cm in maximum diameter) * Radiological investigations within 8 weeks of registration: * CT or MRI of the neck (with head imaging as indicated); * PET-CT scan * Chest CT scan * Planned definitive RT or CRT with bilateral neck RT (patients planned for unilateral neck RT are excluded). * Intent to deliver concurrent chemotherapy or not must be known at the time of randomization. As this is a pragmatic trial, even patients who are not candidates for systemic therapy will be eligible for participation. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1, or 2. * Willing to complete the quality of life and/or health utility questionnaire, if sufficiently fluent in available language(s). * Informed consent prior to registration * Accessible for treatment and follow-up. * Commencement of definitive RT within 28 days (+ 14 days) of randomization. * Injection procedure for lymphatic mapping may be performed in the nuclear medicine, ambulatory clinic, or operating room setting * Women/men of childbearing potential must have agreed to use a highly effective contraceptive method * Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment does not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen are eligible for this trial. * Patient must consent to provision of, and investigator(s) must confirm location and commitment to obtain a representation of formalin fixed paraffin block of non-cytology tumour tissue in order that the specific correlative marker assays Exclusion Criteria: * T1-T2 cancers isolated to the tonsil fossa (i.e. without any soft palate, tongue base, posterior pharyngeal wall or posterior tonsil pillar involvement) with no involved lymph nodes or with a single ipsilateral node \< 3 cm without extranodal extension. * Tonsil or tongue base primary cancer who have previously undergone diagnostic palatine or lingual tonsillectomy with either complete excision or with no clinically apparent residual disease * Previous head and neck cancer or multiple synchronous primary head and neck cancers * Previous induction or neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. * Previous radiation therapy to the head and neck or comprehensive neck dissection of at least 3 levels on either side (due to potential for disrupted lymphatic channels and drainage pathways). Patients who have had excisional biopsies of involved lymph nodes are eligible * Radiotracer allergy * Severe, active co-morbidity including any of the following: * Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or other pulmonary illness requiring hospitalization within 30 days of registration * Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within the 30 days of registration * Acute myocardial infarction within 30 days of study registration * Diseases precluding RT (e.g. scleroderma)

Study locations (26)

City of Hope Corona

Corona, California, 92882

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Krupal B. Patel · Principal Investigator

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center

Duarte, California, 91010

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Krupal B. Patel · Principal Investigator

City of Hope at Irvine Lennar

Irvine, California, 92618

Suspended

UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Coral Gables

Coral Gables, Florida, 33146

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Gregory J. Kubicek · Principal Investigator

Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center

Jacksonville, Florida, 32207

Active Not Recruiting

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-Sylvester Cancer Center

Miami, Florida, 33136

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Gregory J. Kubicek · Principal Investigator

Moffitt Cancer Center-International Plaza

Tampa, Florida, 33607

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Deepa Danan · Principal Investigator

Moffitt Cancer Center - McKinley Campus

Tampa, Florida, 33612

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Deepa Danan · Principal Investigator

Moffitt Cancer Center

Tampa, Florida, 33612

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Deepa Danan · Principal Investigator

Emory University Hospital Midtown

Atlanta, Georgia, 30308

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
James E. Bates · Principal Investigator

Northwestern University

Chicago, Illinois, 60611

Active Not Recruiting

Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center Warrenville

Warrenville, Illinois, 60555

Active Not Recruiting

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center at University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky, 40202

Suspended

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
David W. Forner · Principal Investigator

University of Michigan - Brighton Center for Specialty Care

Brighton, Michigan, 48116

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
David W. Forner · Principal Investigator

Henry Ford Hospital

Detroit, Michigan, 48202

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Samantha H. Tam · Principal Investigator

MU Health - University Hospital/Ellis Fischel Cancer Center

Columbia, Missouri, 65212

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Patrick Tassone · Principal Investigator

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Colette Shen · Principal Investigator

Providence Portland Medical Center

Portland, Oregon, 97213

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Charles W. Drescher · Principal Investigator

MD Anderson in The Woodlands

Conroe, Texas, 77384

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Anna Lee · Principal Investigator

M D Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, Texas, 77030

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Anna Lee · Principal Investigator

MD Anderson West Houston

Houston, Texas, 77079

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Anna Lee · Principal Investigator

MD Anderson League City

League City, Texas, 77573

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Anna Lee · Principal Investigator

MD Anderson in Sugar Land

Sugar Land, Texas, 77478

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Anna Lee · Principal Investigator

University of Vermont Medical Center

Burlington, Vermont, 05401

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Havaleh Gagne · Principal Investigator

University of Vermont and State Agricultural College

Burlington, Vermont, 05405

Recruiting
Site Public Contact · Contact
Havaleh Gagne · Principal Investigator

References

  • Gau M, Alfaraj FA, Huang SH, O'Sullivan B, Su J, Xu W, Hamilton SN, Maletta A, Salman O, McInerney M, Javed A, Sanz-Garcia E, Bratman S, Hahn E, Hope A, Kim JJ, Malik N, McPartlin A, Tsai CJ, Waldron J, Yao CMKL, de Almeida JR, Hosni A. Unilateral vs bilateral neck irradiation: The importance of careful patient selection in tailoring radiation therapy for lateralized palatine-tonsil and non-palatine-tonsil oropharyngeal carcinoma. Radiother Oncol. 2025 Sep;210:111049. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2025.111049. Epub 2025 Jul 19.(PubMed)