Can less radiation be safer without sacrificing cancer control?
NCT ID NCT02528955
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tested whether giving lower doses of radiation after surgery for head and neck cancer could reduce long-term side effects like dry mouth and trouble swallowing, while still keeping the cancer from coming back. About 200 patients with certain stages of oral, throat, or voice box cancer received one of three reduced-radiation plans. The goal was to see if the cancer recurrence rate after two years stayed low enough to make these gentler treatments a new standard.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- radiation therapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that some patients can get lower radiation doses after surgery, reducing long-term side effects like dry mouth and swallowing problems without increasing cancer recurrence.
- What could go wrong
- This is a Phase 2 study with 200 patients, so results are not definitive. Lower radiation might lead to higher recurrence rates in some patients, and the findings may not apply to all head and neck cancers.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Dept. of Radiooncology, University Hospital
Erlangen, 91054, Germany
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