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Surgical sleuthing: new method hunts for hidden cancer origins

NCT ID NCT04151134

Diagnosis Sponsor: Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests a surgical technique called tongue base mucosectomy, combined with detailed tissue analysis, to find the original site of head and neck cancers that have spread to lymph nodes but have no known primary source. About 100 patients will undergo this procedure, and researchers will measure how often they can identify the hidden cancer. The goal is to improve diagnosis and guide more precise treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
tongue base mucosectomy and step serial sectioning
What this could lead to
If successful, this approach could help doctors find the original cancer site in more patients, leading to more targeted treatment.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study with only 100 participants. The technique may not significantly improve detection rates and could cause pain or swallowing difficulties after surgery.

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.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Nov 2019

Expected to finish

Dec 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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.

Who is studied

Cervical metastatic SCC, confirmed with cytology or biopsy, undergoing TBM for identification of primary site

Ages

16 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 16 or over * Both sexes * Cervical metastatic SCC, confirmed with cytology or biopsy, undergoing TBM for identification of primary site Exclusion Criteria: * Primary site identified by any means prior to being indicated for TBM * Patients undergoing targeted biopsies or resections * Patients known to have a history of previous H\&N cancers * Patients known to have undergone previous radiation to the H\&N region

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cancer of unknown primary site oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

    Birmingham, United Kingdom

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.