Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Can a shorter, targeted radiation course tame throat cancer?

NCT ID NCT04178174

Disease control Sponsor: Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase III trial compares a new, shorter radiation approach to the standard 7-week chemoradiation for patients with HPV-positive oropharynx cancer. The experimental treatment uses a precise, high-dose radiation boost to the tumor followed by a reduced-dose chemoradiation course. The goal is to see if this shorter regimen can maintain cancer control while potentially reducing side effects and improving patient experience.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SABR) boost followed by de-escalated chemoradiation
What this could lead to
If successful, this could offer a shorter, less toxic treatment option for HPV-related throat cancer, potentially improving quality of life without compromising cancer control.
What could go wrong
The trial is still in progress, and it's uncertain whether the shorter course will be as effective as the standard 7-week regimen. There is also a risk of increased toxicity or recurrence.

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

Phase 3

Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.

Participants

About 360 people

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

Started

Feb 2020

Expected to finish

Dec 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

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: * Age ≥18 years * Ability to provide written informed consent. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2. * Biopsy proven diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx. * Positive for HPV by p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC) or HPV in-situ hybridization (ISH) * Clinical stage T1-3, N1 M0 (Stage I-II) as per AJCC 8th edition. * Primary tumor \< 30 cc * Planned for curative chemoradiation * For females of child-bearing age, a negative pregnancy test Exclusion Criteria: * Clinical N3 classification, as per AJCC 8th edition * Clinically overt extranodal extension (ENE). As per AJCC 8th edition, clinically overt ENE is defined as invasion of the skin, infiltration of musculature/fixation to adjacent structures on clinical examination, cranial nerve, brachial plexus, sympathetic trunk or phrenic nerve invasion with dysfunction). * Previous irradiation of the head and neck region * Previous surgery of the HNC region (except for incisional or excisional biopsies) * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Connective tissue disease * Any medical condition that could, in the opinion of the investigator, prevent follow-up after radiotherapy. * Non-Cisplatin concurrent chemotherapy * Prior induction chemotherapy

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Head and neck cancer are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

head and neck cancer Head and Neck Neoplasms human papilloma virus infection oropharynx cancer

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Head and neck cancer Human papilloma virus Oropharynx cancer

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal

    RECRUITING

    Montreal, Quebec, H2X 1R6, Canada

  • London Health Sciences Center

    RECRUITING

    London, Ontario, Canada

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.