Virtual implants may save jawbone during cancer radiation
NCT ID NCT04801472
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a new planning method to protect areas where dental implants could later be placed in patients receiving radiation for head and neck cancer. Researchers used virtual implant markers on CT scans to adjust radiation doses, aiming to keep implant sites safe without reducing radiation to the tumor. Only 8 patients were enrolled before the study was stopped, so results are preliminary.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could help preserve jawbone for dental implants after radiation, improving quality of life for head and neck cancer survivors.
- What could go wrong
- This was a very small, early feasibility study (only 8 patients) that was terminated, so results are limited and may not apply broadly. The approach may not work for all patients or cancer types.
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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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
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8 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2021
- Finished
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Jun 2025
- 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.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Patients must be ≥ 18 years old * Performance Status 0 to 2 * Histologically-confirmed diagnosis of : infiltrating squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx * Indication for an exclusive radiotherapy or post-surgery radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy * Indication for a radiotherapy of lymph node areas * Partial or complete toothlessness requiring rehabilitation * Signed informed consent from the patient Exclusion Criteria: * History of head and neck radiotherapy * Partial mandibulectomy * Retarded wound healing or trismus impairing radiological guide preparation * Patient refusing the study * Pregnant women
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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
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Institut de cancérologie Strasbourg Europe
Strasbourg, 67033, France
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can an experimental drug shrink advanced solid tumors?
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- Can tumor genetics unlock gentler treatments for head and neck cancer?
- Can less radiation be safer for throat cancer?