New MRI technique aims to spare saliva glands during cancer radiation
NCT ID NCT07278557
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This Phase 2 trial tests whether using MRI to map saliva ducts before radiation therapy can reduce dry mouth in people with oropharyngeal cancer. About 98 participants will be randomly assigned to standard radiation planning or a new approach that spares the parotid ducts. The main goal is to see if patients report less dry mouth six months after treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MRI sialography and parotid duct sparing radiation therapy planning
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could reduce chronic dry mouth after radiation for head and neck cancer, improving quality of life for many patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small Phase 2 trial (98 people) at one center, so results may not apply broadly. The benefit over standard care is uncertain, and dry mouth may still occur.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 98 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: To participate in this study a subject must meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined below. Eligibility must be maintained for the subject to be considered eligible for ongoing trial participation. * Provide written informed consent to participate in the study and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information. * Able to comply with study procedures based on the judgment of the clinical investigator. * Male or female, aged ≥ 18 years at the time of consent. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2 at the time of consent. * Women of reproductive potential must use highly effective contraception. * T0-4, N0-3, M0 stage cancer of the oropharynx (American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging System 8th edition) planned for definitive radiotherapy +/- chemotherapy. * No contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Exclusion Criteria: An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation In this study: * Patients with Sjogren's disease or baseline xerostomia. * Patients with lesions involving the salivary glands on diagnostic imaging * Patients with an allergy to lemon juice * Prior lifetime history of radiation therapy to the head and neck * Current pregnancy or lactation.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Radiation Oncology
RECRUITINGChapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a dental assistant keep cancer Patients' mouths healthier during radiation?
- Why do Non-Smokers get head and neck cancer? scientists probe tumor DNA
- Re-irradiation plus cetuximab targets head and neck tumors that return
- Sharper tumor maps: PET scans could tighten radiation beams
- Five days of radiation instead of weeks: a new test for head and neck cancer
- Can an online program ease the burden on cancer caregivers?