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Can ditching the mask make radiation therapy more comfortable?

NCT ID NCT06870799

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Zurich Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial is testing whether head and neck cancer patients can undergo radiation therapy without a restrictive face mask, using a surface-guided system that tracks their position with infrared light. Half of the participants will receive treatment with a standard closed face mask, while the other half will go mask-free. The study aims to see if the no-mask approach reduces discomfort, anxiety, and pain, and whether it can be as accurate as the traditional method.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Surface guided radiation therapy (no mask) compared to closed face mask immobilization
What this could lead to
If successful, this could establish no-mask radiation therapy as a comfortable and accurate option for head and neck cancer patients, reducing anxiety and discomfort.
What could go wrong
This is a small early-stage trial, and the no-mask approach may not be as precise as the standard mask, potentially affecting treatment accuracy. Patient preference and comfort may vary.

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

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 25 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

May 2025

Expected to finish

May 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Written informed consent according to Swiss law and ICH/GCP regulations before any trial specific procedures; * Indication for head and neck radiotherapy irrespective of tumor type; * Age: ≥ 18 years old; * Karnofsky performance status ≥70; * Patients who are willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment, and other trial procedures. Exclusion Criteria: * Prior head and neck irradiation; * Women who are pregnant or breast feeding; * Intention to become pregnant during the course of the trial; * Lack of safe contraception, defined as: Female participants of childbearing potential, not using and not willing to continue using a medically reliable method of contraception for the entire study duration, such as oral, injectable, or implantable contraceptives, or intrauterine contraceptive devices, or who are not using any other method considered sufficiently reliable by the investigator in individual cases; * Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse; * Inability to follow the procedures of the trial, e.g. due to language problems of the participant; * Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons. * One of the following Tumor Types: Nasopharynx, Sinunasal, patients with CTV within 5 mm of eyes or spinal cord.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

head and neck cancer Head and Neck Neoplasms

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Head and neck cancers

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University Hospital Zurich

    RECRUITING

    Zurich, 8091, Switzerland

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