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Shorter radiation course tested for advanced head and neck cancer

NCT ID NCT07823309

Symptom relief Sponsor: Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Columbia Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers compare two palliative radiation schedules for people with incurable head and neck cancer. The standard Split Course takes several weeks and often causes hard-to-tolerate side effects. The study tests whether a shorter Quad Shot regimen can shrink tumors and ease symptoms just as well, while improving quality of life. Participants are assigned by chance to one of the two schedules, and researchers track tumor response, side effects, and quality of life for up to six months.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Two different schedules of palliative radiation therapy: Quad Shot and Split Course
What this could lead to
If the shorter Quad Shot schedule works as well as the longer one, patients with incurable head and neck cancer could spend less time in treatment and have fewer side effects.
What could go wrong
This is a small study of 40 people, so the results may not apply to everyone. The shorter schedule might not control tumors as well, and radiation to the head and neck can cause mouth sores, trouble swallowing, and skin irritation.

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 40 people

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

Expected to start

Jan 2027

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a government body.

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: * Adult patients (\>= 18 years) with a histopathological diagnosis of incurable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, not candidates for curative-intent treatment. * Metastatic or locally advanced unresectable disease, in a strictly palliative setting. * Medical indication for palliative radiotherapy. * Performance status: Karnofsky \>= 50 or ECOG \<= 3. * Clinical capacity to receive radiotherapy in an outpatient setting. * Estimated life expectancy greater than 3 months. * Presence of at least one measurable lesion according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. * Logistical capacity and willingness to adhere to follow-up clinical and radiological controls up to 6 months post-treatment. * Signed informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * History of previous radiotherapy to the same anatomical region to be treated. * Diagnosis of a second active malignancy that could interfere with the evaluation of oncological outcomes. * Presence of clinical instability or severe comorbidities that contraindicate radiotherapy treatment. * Severe cognitive or psychiatric alterations that prevent the understanding of the nature of the study, signing the consent form, or adherence to the protocol. * Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Cancer Pain head and neck neoplasm Head and Neck Neoplasms head and neck squamous cell carcinoma Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Head and neck neoplasms Squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck

How to take part

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  1. The official record

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