Adaptive Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Tumor Patients

Most newly diagnosed oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers are treated with radiochemotherapy with curative intent. If the field-set UP margins are broad, the consequence may be that quality of life is impaired. The study group of Nutting et al. (2023) investigated this year whether dysphagia-optimized intensity-modulated radiotherapy can reduce the radiation dose to structures associated with dysphagia and aspiration and improve swallowing function compared to standard IMRT (Nutting C, Finneran L, Roe J, Petkar I, Rooney K, Hall E; DARS Triallist Group. Dysphagia-optimized intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus standard radiotherapy in patients with pharyngeal cancer - Authors' reply. Lancet Oncol. 2023 Oct;24(10):e398. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00457-6. PMID: 37797636.) The study group concluded that the results suggest that dysphagia-optimized IMRT improves patient-reported swallowing function compared to standard IMRT. DO-IMRT should be considered the new standard of care for patients receiving radiotherapy for pharyngeal cancer, and ART could further improve outcomes.

NCT Number	NCT06216171
Lead Sponsor	University Hospital, Essen
Conditions	Head and Neck Neoplasms, Head and Neck Cancer, Adaptive Radiotherapy, Optimization
Enrollment	30 participants
Start Date	2024-01-25
Primary Completion	2025-04-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2028-01-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2024-09-27