Immunotherapy may replace chemo in head and neck cancer trial

NCT ID NCT03383094

First seen Nov 01, 2025 · Last updated Jun 16, 2026 · Updated 36 times

Summary

This study tests whether the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) combined with radiation works better than the standard chemotherapy drug cisplatin with radiation for patients with a certain type of head and neck cancer (p16-positive). About 126 adults with advanced or intermediate-risk cancer will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. The main goal is to see which approach helps patients live longer without their cancer coming back, while also monitoring side effects.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Facility

    Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States

  • UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center

    La Jolla, California, 92093, United States

  • University of Arizona Cancer Center

    Tucson, Arizona, 85719, United States

  • University of Cincinnati Medical Center

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45219, United States

  • Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37203, United States

  • Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

Conditions

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Conditions inferred from the trial description

These were inferred from the trial's summary, not listed by the trial registrant.