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Comparing an Investigational Scan (F-18 NaF PET/CT) to Standard of Care Imaging (F-18 FDG PET/CT) for Evaluating Vascular Complications in Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

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Emory University

Status and phase

Enrolling
Early Phase 1

Conditions

Stage IVA Laryngeal Cancer AJCC v8
Stage III Oropharyngeal (p16-Negative) Carcinoma AJCC v8
Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Clinical Stage II HPV-Mediated (p16-Positive) Oropharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8
Clinical Stage I HPV-Mediated (p16-Positive) Oropharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8
Stage III Laryngeal Cancer AJCC v8
Stage IVA Oropharyngeal (p16-Negative) Carcinoma AJCC v8
Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Stage IVB Laryngeal Cancer AJCC v8
Stage IVB Oropharyngeal (p16-Negative) Carcinoma AJCC v8
Stage IVB Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8
Stage IVA Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8
Clinical Stage III HPV-Mediated (p16-Positive) Oropharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8
Stage III Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8
Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Treatments

Radiation: Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy
Drug: Sodium Fluoride F-18
Other: Fludeoxyglucose F-18
Procedure: Positron Emission Tomography
Procedure: Computed Tomography
Procedure: Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other
NIH

Identifiers

NCT06914999
P30CA138292 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
NCI-2025-00404 (Registry Identifier)
H-N Ca Patients (Other Identifier)
STUDY00008261 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This early phase I trial compares sodium fluoride F-18 (F-18 NaF) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to the standard of care imaging scan (and fludeoxyglucose F-18 [F-18 FDG] PET/CT) for assessing the effects radiation therapy has on the blood vessels in the neck in patients with head and neck cancers. For people with cancers in the head and neck, doctors often use radiation to target both the tumor and nearby glands. Radiation therapy to this region can affect the blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain. F-18 NaF and F-18 FDG are contrast agents that can be used together with PET/CT imaging to visualize areas inside the body. A PET scan is a procedure in which a small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the glucose is taken up. A CT scan is a procedure that uses a computer linked to an x-ray machine to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. The pictures are taken from different angles and are used to create 3-dimensional views of tissues and organs. Combining a PET scan with a CT scan can help make the image easier to interpret. PET/CT scans are hybrid scanners that combine both modalities into a single scan during the same examination. Imaging with F-18 NaF PET/CT may be as effective or more effective than the standard F-18 FDG PET/CT for assessing the effects radiation therapy has on blood vessels in the neck in patients with head and neck cancers.

Full description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the role of FDG- and NaF-PET in assessing radiation-induced vascular complications by comparing baseline and follow-up scans in patients with head and neck cancer.

II. To assess the presence and extent of radiation-induced vascular inflammation following proton versus (vs) photon radiation therapy (RT) in patients with head and neck cancer.

III. To determine the correlation between inflammation and actual radiation dose received to the vasculature to assess the effects of dose response.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the effect of radiation-induced vascular inflammation (possibly atherosclerosis) on global brain function as measured by FDG-PET.

OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive F-18 NaF intravenously (IV) and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each standard of care (SOC) F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMRT.

ARM II: Patients receive F-18 NaF IV and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each SOC F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMPT.

After completion of study intervention, patients are followed up within one to five business days.

Enrollment

20 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • Males and females 18 years of age and older

  • Diagnosis of clinical stage III-IVb (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] 8th edition) squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (human papillomavirus [HPV]-negative), larynx, or hypopharynx, or clinical stage I-III (AJCC 8th edition) HPV-associated squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx receiving curative-intent, organ preservation (non-surgical)

  • Treatment with concurrent chemoradiotherapy per institutional standard of care at the discretion of Medical Oncology. RT is delivered per institutional standard of care at the discretion of Radiation Oncology

  • Patients must give protocol-specific consent on an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved consent form prior to completion of protocol-specific testing/procedures

  • Women are eligible to participate in the study if they meet one of the following criteria:

    • Females of childbearing potential (FCBP) must have a negative pregnancy test at baseline and follow-up visit. Women of childbearing potential must undergo pregnancy testing during each study visit and agree to use at least one of the following methods of contraception throughout the study duration:

      • Oral contraceptives, transdermal contraceptives, injectable or implantable methods, intrauterine devices, and/or vaginal ring
      • Women who are postmenopausal (for at least one year), sterile, or hysterectomized;
      • Women who have undergone tubal ligation will be required to undergo pregnancy testing during each study visit

Exclusion criteria

  • Adults who are unable to consent
  • Pregnant women
  • Prisoners
  • Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier (i.e., have residual toxicities > grade 1)
  • Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents or an investigational device within 21 days before administration of the F-18 NaF for the pre-RT PET/CT imaging
  • Patients planned to receive any immunotherapy agent during their radiotherapy or in the interval between radiotherapy and post-RT PET/CT imaging
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to F-18 NaF or other agents used in the study
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Significant cardiovascular disease (eg, myocardial infarction, arterial thromboembolism, cerebrovascular thromboembolism) within 3 months prior to study entry; angina requiring therapy; symptomatic peripheral vascular disease; New York Heart Association class 3 or 4 congestive heart failure; or uncontrolled grade >= 3 hypertension (diastolic blood pressure >= 100 mmHg or systolic blood pressure >= 160 mmHg) despite antihypertensive therapy

Trial design

Primary purpose

Diagnostic

Allocation

Non-Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

20 participants in 2 patient groups

Arm I (F-18 NaF PET/CT)
Experimental group
Description:
Patients receive F-18 NaF IV and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each SOC F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC IMRT and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMRT.
Treatment:
Procedure: Computed Tomography
Procedure: Positron Emission Tomography
Other: Fludeoxyglucose F-18
Drug: Sodium Fluoride F-18
Radiation: Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy
Arm II (F-18 NaF PET/CT)
Experimental group
Description:
Patients receive F-18 NaF IV and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each SOC F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC IMPT and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMPT.
Treatment:
Procedure: Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy
Procedure: Computed Tomography
Procedure: Positron Emission Tomography
Other: Fludeoxyglucose F-18
Drug: Sodium Fluoride F-18

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Central trial contact

Amol M. Takalkar, MD, MS, MBA, FACNM

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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