Can a shorter radiation course tame side effects in head and neck cancer?
NCT ID NCT01211938
First seen Aug 17, 2026 · Last updated Aug 17, 2026
Summary
This trial is testing two different ways of delivering a second course of radiation to people whose head or neck cancer has come back after prior radiation. One approach uses a single daily dose of radiation combined with two chemotherapy drugs given every other week over 11 weeks. The other uses a more frequent, smaller-dose radiation schedule combined with a targeted therapy called cetuximab over 5 weeks. The goal is to see which approach causes fewer severe side effects and whether either helps control the cancer longer.
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 (single-fraction with 5FU and Hydrea, or hyperfractionated with cetuximab)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could identify a safer way to deliver a second course of radiation to people with recurrent head and neck cancer, potentially improving their quality of life and survival.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with a small number of patients, so results may not apply broadly. Reirradiation carries risks of severe side effects, and the added drugs (5FU, Hydrea, cetuximab) can cause their own toxicities.
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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
-
Institut Gustave Roussy
Villejuif, 94800, France
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