Clinical trial · Interventional
Study Using Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy in Patients With Nasopharynx Cancer to Permit Sparing of Contralateral Parotid Gland Function
A Phase I/II Feasibility Study Using Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy in Patients With Nasopharynx Cancer to Permit Sparing of Contralateral Parotid Gland Function
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
One of the side effects of standard radiation therapy for cancer of the nasopharynx is a permanent lessening of normal mouth moisture (saliva). This reduction in saliva is important because it causes a feeling of dry mouth, and has been shown to increase the risk of dental cavities and infections; change or decrease the ability to taste certain foods; and make chewing and swallowing food more difficult. Recent technical advances in radiation therapy offer the possibility of shielding a portion of one of the major salivary glands (parotid gland) from receiving a dose of radiation that would eliminate its ability to produce saliva, while still treating all sites of known cancer effectively. Recently, cancer researchers in Ann Arbor, Michigan used this new treatment technique to treat patients with head and neck cancers (but none with nasopharyngeal cancer), and found that patients treated in this manner still had significant saliva production from the spared gland. This study will try to use the treatment planning technique called intensity-modulated radiation therapy to protect a portion of one parotid gland while treating all known and suspected areas of cancer to full radiation doses.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms | Nasopharyngeal Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intensity-modulated radiation therapy | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (0)
[]Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- rate of grade 2 xerostomia
Secondary outcomes (1)
- measure
- feasibility
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Epithelial carcinoma of the nasopharynx, oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx Exclusion Criteria: * Previous therapy for carcinoma of head/neck
References
Publications (1)
- BACKGROUNDParliament MB, Scrimger RA, Anderson SG, Kurien EC, Thompson HK, Field GC, Hanson J. Preservation of oral health-related quality of life and salivary flow rates after inverse-planned intensity- modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for head-and-neck cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2004 Mar 1;58(3):663-73. doi: 10.1016/S0360-3016(03)01571-2. PMID 14967418