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PET/CT Scan-Guided Watchful Waiting or Neck Dissection of Locally Advanced Lymph Node Metastases in Treating Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy for Primary Head And Neck Cancer

Phase 3
Conditions
Head and Neck Cancer
Interventions
Procedure: positron emission tomography/computed tomography
Procedure: therapeutic conventional surgery
Registration Number
NCT00720070
Lead Sponsor
Warwick Medical School
Brief Summary

RATIONALE: Imaging procedures, such as PET/CT scan, produce pictures of areas inside the body and may help doctors detect residual disease and plan the best treatment. Neck dissection is surgery to remove lymph nodes and other tissues in the neck. It is not yet known whether a neck dissection should always be performed in treating patients with head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying PET/CT scan-guided watchful waiting compared with neck dissection of locally advanced lymph node metastases in treating patients who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy for primary head and neck cancer.

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

* To compare the efficacy, in terms of overall survival, disease-specific survival, recurrence, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness, of a PET/CT scan-guided watch and wait policy with the current practice of planned neck dissection in the management of advanced (N2 or N3) nodal metastases in patients with primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing chemoradiotherapy.

* To assess the predictive value of PET/CT scanning in detecting persistent or residual disease in the primary site.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to center, chemotherapy schedule (concurrent platinum vs concurrent cetuximab vs neoadjuvant and concurrent platinum vs neoadjuvant docetaxel, platinum, and fluorouracil with concurrent platinum), T stage (T1-T2 vs T3-T4), and N stage (N2a-N2b vs N2c-N3). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

* Arm I: Patients receive standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Patients undergo PET/CT scan at 9-13 weeks after completion of CRT. Patients with complete response of primary site undergo neck dissection within 4 weeks.

* Arm II: Patients undergo neck dissection and then receive standard CRT. Patients undergo PET/CT scan at 9-13 weeks after completion of CRT.

Patients are assessed periodically for quality-of-life. Tissue and blood samples collected periodically are stored for future research.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed monthly for 1 year and then bimonthly for 1 year.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
560
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Arm Ipositron emission tomography/computed tomographyPatients receive standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Patients undergo PET/CT scan at 9-13 weeks after completion of CRT. Patients with complete response of primary site undergo neck dissection within 4 weeks.
Arm Itherapeutic conventional surgeryPatients receive standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Patients undergo PET/CT scan at 9-13 weeks after completion of CRT. Patients with complete response of primary site undergo neck dissection within 4 weeks.
Arm IIpositron emission tomography/computed tomographyPatients undergo neck dissection and receive standard concurrent CRT. Patients undergo PET/CT scan at 9-13 weeks after completion of CRT.
Arm IItherapeutic conventional surgeryPatients undergo neck dissection and receive standard concurrent CRT. Patients undergo PET/CT scan at 9-13 weeks after completion of CRT.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Overall survival at 2 years
Health economics using quality adjusted life years
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Recurrence and local control in neck
Utility cost
Quality of life
Complication rates
Accuracy of PET-CT scanning for assessing primary tumor
Disease-specific survival

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Warwick Medical School Clinical Trials Unit

🇬🇧

Coventry, England, United Kingdom

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