Miracle fruit tested as taste saver for head and neck cancer patients
NCT ID NCT05273307
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 12, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This phase 3 trial tests whether a 'miracle fruit' cube (miraculin) can improve taste loss in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Taste problems are common and hard to treat during radiation. The study will compare the fruit cube to a placebo in 40 patients, measuring changes in taste perception and diet over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- miraculin (miracle fruit cube)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, natural way to help cancer patients enjoy food again during radiation treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The effect may be modest and temporary.
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 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Expected to finish
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Nov 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: 1. Participants must have documentation of histologically or cytologically confirmed head and neck cancer diagnosis including primary tumors of the following sites: oropharynx, nasopharynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, salivary gland, unknown primary origin in the head and neck, or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma having had a surgery including neck dissection. 2. Treatment plan includes curative-intent (including post-operative) radiation therapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy 3. Age \>=18 years at screening visit. 4. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status \<= 2 (Karnofsky \>= 60%) 5. Ability to understand a written informed consent document, and the willingness to sign it Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patient-reported pre-existing dysgeusia prior to beginning radiation therapy. 2. Receiving nutrition through tube feeds or intravenously prior to beginning radiation therapy. 3. Inability to complete patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and quality of life questionnaires in English. 4. Known allergy to berries.
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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
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Experimental pill HG146 put to the test against rare head and neck cancer
- 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