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Microbiome in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Role of Human Microbiome in Head and Neck Cancer

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05837221
Enrollment
60
Registered
2023-05-01
Start date
2025-05-23
Completion date
2028-10-01
Last updated
2026-02-24

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

Conditions

Head and Neck Cancer, Lip Cancer, Oral Cancer, Pharynx Cancer

Brief summary

This study aims to determine whether dysbiosis actively contributes to HNSCC and if so, the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Detailed description

HNSCCis a lethal cancer with a 5-year survival rate below 50%. Although smoking, alcohol intake, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are linked to HNSCC, only a small proportion of individuals exposed to these factors develop cancer and not all cases progress. Thus, additional environmental or host factors must contribute to HNSCC. The Study Team and others have observed significant oral dysbiosis in human HNSCC cases, both before and after treatment. This study aims to determine whether dysbiosis actively contributes to HNSCC and if so, the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTMetagenomic sequencing

Shotgun metagenomic sequencing will characterize cancer-associated changes in microbial functional capacity and species/strain-level taxonomic profiles. Metagenomics will provide data on microbial functional capacity along with broader taxonomic classifications.

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTMetabolic analysis

Metabolic analysis will be conducted using LC/MS-based metabolic analysis. A targeted approach will quantify a panel of 30 compounds including Trp pathway products while a non-targeted approach, when applied to both lipid and aqueous phase compounds, will profile relative changes in compounds that may influence host

Sponsors

University of Colorado, Denver
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 100 Years

Inclusion criteria

1. Subjects equal to or above the age of 18. 2. Patients who are seen and evaluated by a provider within the adult Otolaryngology clinic at the University of Colorado Health. 3. Patients that present with a diagnosis of OSCC. 4. An equal number of age-matched patients who are visiting the clinic for reasons other than OSCC diagnoses, as the control group. 5. Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion criteria

1. Subjects under the age of 18 or over the age of 100 2. Subjects unwilling to particiapte

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Characterize human dysbiosisDay 1Stool and saliva samples will be collected from participants, allowing us to reproduce human dysbiosis and analyze whether HNSCC affects one's microbiome composition. Metagenomic sequencing will be conducted through use of DNA extraction, library generation and Illumina sequencing. At least 30 million paired-end 2x150bp metagenomic reads will be generated per sample using the Illumina NovaSeq platform.
Characterize human metabolomicsDay 1Through our stool and saliva samples we will be able to characterize metagenomic and metabolic signatures in treatment naïve OSCC and non-OSCC patients. Metabolic analysis will be conducted using LC/MS-based metabolic analysis. A targeted approach will quantify a panel of 30 componds including Trp pathway products, while a non-targeted approach, when applied to both lipid and aqueous phase compounds, will profile relative changes in compounds that may influence host and metabolic and immune statuses.
Integrative multi-omic data analysis and biomarker discoveryDay 365We expect to find that specific sets of microbial and host factors interact with each other to promote OSCC.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Impact of human dysbiosis on OSCC development in miceDay 10-Day 100Freshly collected saliva and stool samples from 10 subjects of each treatment category will be used to reconstitute microbiota.
Monitor tumor sizeDay 10-Day 100Tumor size (both weight and size) will be monitored using Bli-imaging. These measures will be assessed between treatment groups by ANOVA or analysis of variance testing.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTYosr Doghri
yosr.doghri@cuanschutz.edu(303) 724-6550
CONTACTKristi Engle Folchert
kristi.englefolchert@cuanschutz.edu(303) 724-9528
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORShi-Long E Lu, MD, PhD

University of Colorado, Denver

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 25, 2026