Clinical trial · Interventional
Evaluation of De-escalated Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-Associated Oropharynx Cancer
DART-HPV: A Phase III Evaluation of De-escalated Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for HPV-Associated Oropharynx Cancer
- 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)
This study is designed for patients with a cancer of the oropharynx (tonsils or base of tongue) caused by the HPV virus. Traditional treatment involves surgery followed by six weeks of daily radiation therapy. This study investigates a less intense radiation treatment following surgery that uses half the dose of radiation given over two weeks rather than six weeks. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive the less intense treatment versus the traditional treatment by coin flip. Patients are twice as likely to receive the less intense treatment during randomization.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oropharynx Cancer | Malignant Oropharyngeal Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (3)
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- De-escalated Adjuvant Radiation Therapy
- description
- Docetaxel 15 mg/m2 days 1, 8 + Radiation Therapy (RT) 30 Gy/1.5 Gy fractions twice daily (b.i.d.) days 1-12 only (intermediate risk) or 36 Gy/1.8 Gy b.i.d. fractions (high risk)
- interventionNames
- Radiation: Adjuvant Radiation Therapy
- Drug: Docetaxel
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Standard of Care Treatment
- description
- RT 60 Gy/2 Gy fractions daily (qday) days 1-40. For high risk, add weekly Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 (Around days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 36)
- interventionNames
- Radiation: Adjuvant Radiation Therapy
- Drug: Cisplatin
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years. * Histological confirmation of HPV+ squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx. HPV positivity will be defined as positive staining for p16 on immunohistochemistry (IHC). * Gross total surgical resection with curative intent of the primary tumor and at least unilateral neck dissection within 7 weeks of registration. * ECOG Performance Status (PS) 0 or 1 * Absence of distant metastases on standard diagnostic work-up ≤ 10 weeks prior to registration. (Chest CT, Chest x-ray (CXR), or PET/CT.) * Must have one of the following risk factors: * Lymph node \> 3 cm * 2 or more positive lymph nodes * Perineural invasion * Lymphovascular space invasion * T3 or T4 primary disease * Lymph node extracapsular extension * The following laboratory values obtained ≥14 days prior to registration. * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1500/mm3 * Platelet count ≥100,000/mm3 * Hemoglobin ≥8.0g/dL * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL or creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min * Total bilirubin \< 2 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST or ALT \< 3 x institutional ULN * Negative pregnancy test done ≤7 days prior to registration, for women of childbearing potential only. * Ability to complete questionnaire(s) by themselves or with assistance. * Provide informed written consent. * Willingness to return to enrolling institution for follow-up (during the Active Monitoring Phase of the study). Exclusion Criteria: * Any of the following because this study involves an agent that has known genotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects: * Pregnant women * Nursing women * Men or women of childbearing potential who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception * Co-morbid systemic illnesses or other severe concurrent disease which, in the judgment of the investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for entry into this study or interfere significantly with the proper assessment of safety and toxicity of the prescribed regimens. * Immunocompromised patients and patients known to be HIV positive. * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements. * Receiving any other investigational agent which would be considered as a treatment for the primary neoplasm. * Other active malignancy ≤ 5 years prior to registration. EXCEPTIONS: Non-melanotic skin cancer or carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix. NOTE: If there is a history or prior malignancy, they must not be receiving other specific treatment for their cancer. * Prior history of radiation therapy to the affected site. * History of connective tissue disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or Sjogren's disease. * Presence of any of the following risk factors after surgery: * Any positive surgical margin. * Adenopathy below the clavicles * Prior systemic chemotherapy. * Receiving any medications or substances which in the opinion of the investigators would interfere with treatment. Examples could include strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 at oncologist discretion (see Appendix IV). * Severe pre-existing ototoxicity or neuropathy that would, in the opinion of the investigator, preclude the use of cisplatin chemotherapy.
References
Publications (2)
- DERIVEDMa D, Price K, Moore E, Patel S, Hinni M, Routman D, Fruth B, Foster N, Van Abel K, Yin L, Neben-Wittich M, Garces Y, McGee L, Lester S, Rwigema JC, Holtzman A, Price D, Janus J, Kasperbauer J, Chintakuntlawar A, Garcia J, Foote R. De-escalated adjuvant radiotherapy versus standard adjuvant treatment for human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (MC1675): a phase 3, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncol. 2025 Sep;26(9):1227-1239. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(25)00324-9. PMID 40907518
- DERIVEDRoutman DM, Van Abel KM, Price KA, Moore EJ, Patel SH, Hinni ML, Fruth B, Foster NR, Yin LX, Neben-Wittich M, Garces YI, McGee LA, Lester SC, Gamez ME, Rwigema JM, Holtzman AL, Price DL, Janus JR, Kasperbauer JL, Chintakuntlawar AV, Garcia JJ, Foote RL, Ma DJ. ctDNA and Recurrence Risk for Adjuvant De-Escalation in HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: A Secondary Analysis of the DART Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2025 Jul 1;151(7):665-672. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0903. PMID 40402484