Could skipping radiation to the tongue reduce side effects without raising cancer risk?

NCT ID NCT06485778

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study is for people who had surgery for oral tongue cancer and need radiation to prevent recurrence. Instead of radiating the whole mouth, doctors will only target the neck lymph nodes, sparing the tongue. The goal is to see if this reduces severe mouth sores while keeping the cancer from coming back. Twenty-four participants will also fill out quality-of-life questionnaires.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: photon intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could reduce painful mouth sores from radiation while still preventing cancer from returning, improving quality of life for tongue cancer patients.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase trial with only 24 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. There is a risk that limiting radiation could lead to higher recurrence rates.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for ORAL TONGUE SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

ORAL TONGUE SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

Contacts and locations

Locations

Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge
RECRUITING

Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen
RECRUITING

Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
RECRUITING

New York, New York, 10065, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth
RECRUITING

Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau
RECRUITING

Uniondale, New York, 11553, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Suffolk - Commack
RECRUITING

Commack, New York, 11725, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester
RECRUITING

Harrison, New York, 10604, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.