Can a shorter chemo schedule work as well for head and neck cancer?
NCT ID NCT07419464
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares two ways of giving the chemotherapy drug 5-FU to people with head and neck cancer that has spread or come back after prior treatments. One group gets the drug over two days every two weeks, the other over four days every three weeks. The goal is to see which schedule better controls the cancer while causing fewer side effects. About 46 people will take part.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a chemotherapy drug
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this trial could identify a better-tolerated dosing schedule of 5-FU that still controls tumor growth in patients with advanced head and neck cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (46 participants) testing two existing regimens, not a new drug. The expected response rate is modest (10% or higher), and side effects like dose reductions or delays are common with chemotherapy.
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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
-
Washington University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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