
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
This study is looking at a number of different scans to see how head and neck cancers are responding to .
Doctors can treat head and neck cancers with a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This is called chemoradiotherapy. They use CT scans and MRI scans to find out about the size and shape of the cancer and the surrounding tissue.
The researchers want to use 4 other scans to see what is happening inside the cancer. They are a PET-CT scan and 3 different types of MRI scan
The aim of this study is to find out if these scans can be used to predict and see how well people with head and neck cancers respond to chemoradiotherapy.
You may be able to enter this trial if you are going to the head and neck clinic at the Royal Marsden Hospital and you
You cannot enter this trial if
This study will recruit 129 people. Everyone will have chemotherapy followed by .
You have CT scans, MRI scans and PET-CT scans before you start treatment, during treatment and after treatment.
The study team will do the DW MRI scan, DCE MRI scan and IS MRI scans at the same time as the MRI scan. This takes about 45 minutes.
The study team will ask for extra blood samples to be taken when you have your routine ones done. The will use these to look for substances () in the blood.
You have a CT scan, PET-CT scan and MRI scans
If in the 2 years after treatment your doctor thinks the cancer has come back you will have another PET-CT scan and MRI scans.
Side effects of the injection used for the PET-CT scan and MRI scan include
You will also be exposed to a little extra radiation from the study scans themselves. Being exposed to radiation can increase your risk of developing cancer. The team believes that the risk of developing a second cancer from these scans is very small.
Your doctor will talk to you about the possible side effects of chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy. This varies depending on the drugs you are having and on the part of the body being treated.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Kate Newbold
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”