The dose of radiation most commonly used to treat oropharyngeal cancer results in side effects including sores in the mouth and throat, dry mouth and thick saliva, loss or altered taste, swallowing problems including pain or inability to swallow requiring feeding tubes to be placed in the stomach, hoarseness or breathing problems from swelling requiring tracheostomy or a hole surgically placed in the windpipe to allow the patient to breathe, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and loss of energy, decreased hearing from fluid behind the ear drums in the middle ear, skin redness tenderness and blistering. The purpose of this study is to determine if the investigators can reduce the dose of radiation to the lymph nodes in the neck that may contain cancer cells that are not detected by physical examinations or radiologic studies (CT scans, PET CT scans, or MRI scans) in order to reduce the side effects from treatment and still adequately kill any cancer cells that may be contained in those lymph nodes.
A Pilot Single Arm Study of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Elective Nodal Dose De-Escalation for HPV-Associated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
1
University of Virginia Health System
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
N0 Nodal Control Rate
Effectiveness of 39.6 Gy (Gray) radiation on tumor control in the clinically uninvolved (N0) cervical lymphatics of patients with p16+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCCA)
Time frame: Up to 3 years post treatment
Adverse Events of Participants Treated With 39.6 Gy Radiation to the Clinically Uninvolved Neck
Evaluated safety and tolerability of treatment of p16+ OPSCCA by overall incidence of adverse events, incidence of acute and late toxicities and subject-rated quality of life assessments.
Time frame: Up to 3 years post treatment
Progression Free Survival Following 39.6 Gy Radiation to the Clinically Uninvolved Neck
Patient status reviewed and confirmed through Neck CT and PET scans at follow up time points throughout trial
Time frame: Up to 3 years post treatment
Dose Volume Histograms (DVH)
Comparison of DVH of treatment plans between patients receiving 39.6 Gy versus the standard dose of 50 Gy to the clinically uninvolved neck
Time frame: Up to 3 years post treatment
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