Proton beam vs. standard radiation: which is gentler on head and neck cancer patients?
NCT ID NCT02923570
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares proton beam radiation to standard photon radiation (IMRT) for people with head and neck cancer. The goal is to see if proton therapy causes fewer side effects, like painful mouth sores, by exposing less healthy tissue to radiation. About 108 adults with certain cancers (salivary gland, skin, melanoma, or head and neck) will be randomly assigned to one of the two radiation types.
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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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108 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2016
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
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: * Age greater than or equal to 18. * Histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of one the following cancer types: * Salivary gland cancer * Skin cancer * Melanoma * HNSCC that require ipsilateral radiation * Patients must be a candidate for ipsilateral radiation therapy. * Karnofsky performance status ≥70. * Negative pregnancy test for women of childbearing potential (\<51 years of age) as per institutional policy. Exclusion Criteria: * Any prior head or neck irradiation. * Physician recommendation of bilateral neck radiation. * Non-resectable disease * Physician recommendation of mucosal radiation
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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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Baptist Alliance MCI
Miami, Florida, 33143, United States
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Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen
Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10065, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack
Commack, New York, 11725, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth
Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau
Uniondale, New York, 11553, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester
Harrison, New York, 10604, 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?
- New PET tracer aims to light up hidden cancer targets
- Can immunotherapy before surgery stop early oral cancer from returning?
- Why do Non-Smokers get head and neck cancer? scientists probe tumor DNA
- Can a glowing dye show surgeons where head and neck tumors end?
- Re-irradiation plus cetuximab targets head and neck tumors that return