
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
This study is for people with cancer in the part of the throat just behind the mouth (oropharynx) who are going to have radiotherapy treatment.
It is for people going to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.
Cancers that start in the part of the throat just behind the mouth are called oropharyngeal cancers. These are usually treated with:
But radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy don’t always work and some cancers come back after treatment.
In this study doctors are looking at a new type of MRI scan called diffusion weighted MRI (DW MRI). This measures the movement of water in body tissue. Changes in the movement of the water might help doctors know which cancers the radiotherapy is helping (the cancer is responding well to treatment).
The people whose cancer is not responding well could be at increased risk of their cancer coming back. So in the future doctors could potentially use this information to increase the amount of treatment and improve the chances of the cancer being cured.
The main aim of this study is to find out if a DW MRI scan can tell which cancers are responding well to radiotherapy.
The following bullet points list the entry conditions for this study. Talk to your doctor or the study team if you are unsure about any of these. They will be able to advise you.
You may be able to join this study if all of the following apply:
You cannot join this study if any of these apply:
Researchers need about 80 people going to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre to take part in this study.
You have 2 DW MRI scans. This is similar to a normal MRI, but takes a little longer. It takes about 30 minutes in total. You have the scan:
You don’t have to make a special trip for the scans. Both scans will be on days you have treatment.
Taking part in this study does not affect the radiotherapy you have. This is exactly the same as if you were not in the study. Your doctor will explain your treatment and what you can expect.
You do not have any extra hospital visits as part of this study. You have the scans when you are at the hospital having treatments that are part of your routine care.
MRI scans are very safe and the study team don’t think you should have any side effects.
During the scan you have an injection of a called gadolinium. The most common side effects of gadolinium are:
We have more information about MRI scans.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Claire Paterson
Beatson Cancer Charity
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.