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Hypofractionated Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Resected Head and Neck Cancers

A Phase I Study of Hypofractionated Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Resected Head and Neck Cancers (HART-HN)

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05120947
Acronym
HART-HN
Enrollment
18
Registered
2021-11-16
Start date
2021-12-01
Completion date
2025-11-22
Last updated
2026-05-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Resectable Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Keywords

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Hypofraction Adjuvant Radiation

Brief summary

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the safe reduction of the treatment fractions to 10, 8, or 5, that may be delivered safely in resected head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients with intermediate pathologic risk features.

Detailed description

RATIONALE: Postoperative hypofractionated radiation is well established in many malignancies, yielding benefits in compliance, access to care, convenience, and cost savings. In several solid tumor types, short-course high dose-per-fraction (hypofractionated) post-operative radiation has shown excellent tolerability, reduced healthcare costs, improved compliance, and at least equivalent cancer control compared to conventional post-operative radiation (long course, low dose-per-fraction).(1-3) Despite advances in other malignancies, hypofractionated post-operative radiation is not used in previously untreated mucosal HNSCCs, for which an extended course of conventional post-operative radiation (usually 60 Gy in 2 Gy fractions delivered over six weeks) remains the standard. Hypofractionation has been stymied in the post-operative setting for HNSCCs primarily due to concerns of toxicity in treating a large mucosal field and an inability to spare critical structures such as the brain and spinal cord. These concerns were well-founded in the 1970s during the era of 2-dimensional radiotherapy when conventional HNSCC radiotherapy regimens were developed.(4) But because radiotherapy can be delivered far more precisely using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), it is hypothesized that post-operative radiation for HNSCCs can now be delivered safely in only five fractions delivered over one week.(3, 5, 6)

Interventions

RADIATION42 Gy Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy: Dose per fraction of 4.2 Gy.

RADIATION39 Gy Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy: Dose per fraction of 4.875 Gy.

RADIATION32.5 Gy Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy: Dose per fraction of 6.5 Gy.

Sponsors

Medical College of Wisconsin
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

This study will use a time-to-event continual reassessment method (TITE-CRM) for assigning subjects to the radiation therapy dosages.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients 18 years or older with gross totally resected (R0 resection) Human papillomavirus (HPV) -negative squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, hypopharynx, oropharynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses or carcinoma of unknown head/neck primary) who have at least 1 of the following intermediate risk factors for adjuvant radiation: 1. Pathologic Node Positive Disease 2. Perineural Invasion 3. Oral cavity cancer with depth of invasion of at least 5 mm 4. Lymphovascular Space Invasion 5. Pathologic T3 or T4 disease 2. Zubrod performance status 0-2. 3. Patients must have the psychological ability and general health that permits completion of the study requirements and required follow up. 4. Inclusion of Covid-19 positive patients will be based on standard institutional protocol. 5. Female patients must meet one of the following: * Postmenopausal for at least one year before the screening visit, or * Surgically sterile (i.e. undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy), or * If subject is of childbearing potential (defined as not satisfying either of the above two criteria), agree to practice two acceptable methods of contraception (combination methods requires use of two of the following: diaphragm with spermicide, cervical cap with spermicide, contraceptive sponge, male or female condom, hormonal contraceptive) from the time of signing of the informed consent form through 90 days after the last dose of study agent, AND o Agree to practice true abstinence when this is in line with the preferred and usual lifestyle of the subject. (Periodic abstinence \[e.g., calendar, ovulation, symptom-thermal, post ovulation methods\] and withdrawal are not acceptable contraception methods). 6. Male patients, even if surgically sterilized (i.e., status post vasectomy), must agree to one of the following: * Practice effective barrier contraception during the entire study period and through 60 calendar days after the last dose of study agent, OR * Must also adhere to the guidelines of any study-specific pregnancy prevention program, if applicable, OR o Agree to practice true abstinence when this is in line with the preferred and usual lifestyle of the subject. (Periodic abstinence \[e.g., calendar, ovulation, symptom-thermal, post ovulation methods\] and withdrawal are not acceptable methods of contraception.) 7. Ability to understand a written informed consent document, and the willingness to sign it.

Exclusion criteria

1. Pathologic evidence of extranodal extension. 2. Pathologic evidence of a final positive margin (R1 resection) or gross residual disease (R2 resection). 3. HPV-positive squamous cell carcinoma. 4. Prior invasive malignancy within the past 3 years (except for non-melanomatous skin cancer, and early stage treated prostate cancer). 5. Life expectancy less than 12 months. 6. Performance status Zubrod ≥ 3. 7. Patients with prior radiation therapy to the head and neck Note: Prior external beam radiotherapy is excluded, but Iodine 131 is allowed. 8. Prior systemic therapy, including cytotoxic chemotherapy, biologic/targeted therapy, or immune therapy for the study cancer. 9. Body weight ≤ 30 kg. 10. Any of the following severe laboratory abnormalities within 14 days of registration, unless corrected prior to it: Sodium \< 130 mmol/L or \> 155 mmol/L; Potassium \< 3.5 mmol/L or \> 6 mmol/L; Fasting glucose \< 40 mg/dl or \> 400 mg/dl; Serum calcium (ionized or adjusted for albumin) \< 7 mg/dl or \> 12.5 mg/dl; Magnesium \< 0.9 mg/dl or \> 3 mg/dl. 11. Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within 3 months prior to Step 1 registration. 12. Transmural myocardial infarction within three months prior to Step 1 registration. 13. Medical or psychiatric illness which would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate treatment or limit compliance with study requirements. 14. Pregnancy or women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active and not willing/able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception during treatment and for 6 months after radiation, this exclusion is necessary because the treatment involved in this study may be significantly teratogenic. Women who are breastfeeding are also excluded.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Maximum-tolerated Radiation Dose12 monthsThis will be determined as the radiation dose with the minimum number of fractions at which there is no more than a 33% rate of dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) up to 12 months after completion of radiation treatment using the TITE-CRM design.
Incidence of Dose-Limiting Toxicities12 monthsThis measure is the number of subjects experiencing a dose-limiting toxicity. A dose-limiting toxicity is defined as an inability to complete radiation treatment within 30 days of the start of radiotherapy that is not deemed to be related to disease progression; OR an unacceptable toxicity within one year of treatment (Grade 4+ toxicity) that is probably or definitely related to radiation treatment as determined by the treating physician or a death within one year of treatment that is probably or definitely related to treatment.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Overall SurvivalOne yearThis measure is the number of subjects alive at one year following the conclusion of scheduled radiation therapy.
Locoregional ProgressionOne yearThis measure is the number of subjects showing disease progression in the head and neck by response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) criteria.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMusaddiq Awan, MD

Medical College of Wisconsin

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
8 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
6 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
0 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
4 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
18 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
11 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
8 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
2 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
EG002
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 30 / 32 / 11
other
Total, other adverse events
3 / 33 / 311 / 11
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 31 / 33 / 11

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 2, 2026