Pea power: Plant-Based drink may cut feeding tube need in cancer patients
NCT ID NCT05115760
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a pea protein nutritional drink can reduce the need for feeding tubes in people with head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation. About 57 adults with locally advanced cancer will drink the supplement as a meal replacement. The goal is to see if it helps maintain nutrition and lowers the rate of feeding tube placement, which can cause long-term swallowing problems.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pea protein oral nutrition supplement (Kate Farms Standard 1.4 and 1.0)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, plant-based nutritional drink that helps patients avoid feeding tubes and maintain better swallowing function during cancer treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-phase trial with only 57 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The supplement may not prevent feeding tube placement in all cases, and some patients may still need a tube.
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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57 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
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.
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: * Documented locally advanced head and neck malignancies for which concurrent chemoradiation has been recommended for definitive or adjuvant treatment * Age \>= 18 years * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) \<= 2 * Body mass index \> 18kg/m\^2 * No evidence of distant metastatic disease (M1 disease) * No G-tube placement prior to initiation of chemoradiation * Eligible to undergo concurrent chemotherapy as determined by treating oncologist * If a woman is of childbearing potential, a negative urine pregnancy test must be documented prior to proceeding with chemoradiation. Women of childbearing potential must agree to use medically acceptable forms of adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; or abstinence) for the entire study period and for up to 4 weeks after study treatment * While negative pregnancy would be verified by urine test routinely prior to chemo-radiation therapy, we do not ask for verification of a negative urine pregnancy test. * Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent * Able to tolerate the taste of the Kate Farms Standard 1.4 or Standard 1.0 oral nutritional supplement at the time of screening * Able and willing to participate in the Swallow Preservation Program at the Speech Pathology Clinic * No evidence of clinically significant swallowing dysfunction by history or physical exam at time of radiation oncology consultation Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who refuse to use Kate Farms oral nutritional meal replacement due to its taste or other patient preference reasons * Patients with allergies to any of the ingredients contained in Kate Farms nutritional replacement * Evidence of clinically significant swallowing dysfunction by history or physical exam at time of radiation oncology consultation * Refusal to sign the informed consent
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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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University of California at Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States
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