This clinical trial studies the intensity of adjuvant ("helper") therapy required in p16 positive oropharynx cancer patients, who have had all known disease removed surgically by a minimally invasive approach, and who have extracapsular spread in their lymph nodes. Patients can consent to participate in either the randomized (physician chooses radiotherapy arm or radiotherapy \& cisplatin arm) or non-randomized (patient chooses radiotherapy arm or radiotherapy \& cisplatin arm) pathways. After the surgery, receive either radiation alone, or radiation and weekly cis-platinum during therapy. Patients are then followed for cancer, functional and quality of life outcomes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
42
Mayo Clinic Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
Washington University School of Medicine
St Louis, Missouri, United States
Number of Participants With Disease-free Survival (DFS)
Time frame: 1 year
Locoregional Control
Rate of patients with no recurrence at original oropharyngeal site or in the neck nodal basins.
Time frame: Up to 2 years
Rate of Distant Metastasis
Assessed by biopsy or imaging-detected recurrent disease at sites away from the original primary and cervical zone.
Time frame: Up to 2 years
Disease Specific Survival
Time frame: 1 year
Number of Complications/Acute Toxicity by Organ Class
-Assessed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0.
Time frame: Approximately 18 weeks
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory
* Each item is scored on a 5 point Likert scale (strongly disagree, disagree, no opinion, agree, strongly agree). Strongly agree = 1, Disagree = 2, No opinion = 3, Agree = 4, and Strongly Agree = 5 * The lower the score the lower the quality of life
Time frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months
Change in Cognitive Function as Measured by Cognitive Failures Questionnaire
* 25 questions to assess the frequency in which participants experience cognitive failures including forgetfulness, distractibility, and false triggering * Answers range from 0 = never to 4 = very often * The higher the score the worse the cognitive failures the participant has experienced
Time frame: Baseline, 1 month, 12 months, and 24 months
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by Neck Dissection Impairment Index (NDII)
-The NDII consists of 10 questions; each with a 5 level ordinally scaled response option ranging from "not at all" to "a lot". The response for each item is then scored from 1 to 5, with 5 denoting higher quality of life (Not at all) and 1 being the least (A lot).
Time frame: Baseline, 12 months, and 24 months
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by University of Michigan Xerostomia Questionnaire
* It contains 8 questions regarding dryness either during feeding or in the unstimulated state. Participants rate each item from 0 to 10, where 10 indicates the maximum dryness or discomfort due to dryness. * The higher the score the worse the participant's xerostomia
Time frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months
Change in Hearing as Measured by Hearing Handicap Inventory - Adult
* 11 item questionnaire to identify issues with hearing * Answers are yes = 4, sometimes = 2, and no = 0 * The higher the score the more issues the participant has with hearing
Time frame: Baseline, 1 month, and 12 months
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by Scale of Subjective Total Taste Acuity
* 1 question that asks about taste acuity * Answers are 0 = same taste acuity as before treatment; 1 = mild loss of taste acuity, but not inconvenient in daily life; moderate loss of taste acuity, and sometimes inconvenient in daily life; severe loss of taste acuity, and frequently inconvenient in daily life; and 4 = almost complete or complete loss of taste acuity * The higher the score the worse the participant's taste acuity
Time frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by Speech Handicap Index
* 31 questions regarding participant's speech and the effects of speech on his/her life * The answers for the first 30 questions range from 0 = never to 4 = always and the answers for the 31st question ranges from 0 = excellent to bad = 4 * The higher the score the worse the participant's speech is affecting his/her life
Time frame: Baseline and 12 months
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by EORTC QLQ-C30
* 30 questions designed to assess the quality of life of cancer patients * The first 28 questions have answers that range from 1=not at all to 4 = very much. The higher score indicates a worse quality of life * The last 2 questions have answers that range from 1 = very poor to 7 = excellent. The higher score indicates a better quality of life
Time frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months
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