
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.
This trial looked at different doses of IMRT for cancer of the larynx (voice box) or hypopharynx.
Radiotherapy is one of the treatments used to treat cancer of the larynx or hypopharynx. But radiotherapy has side effects, such as a dry mouth and difficulty swallowing.
Radiotherapy has improved in recent years, and doctors are often able to shape the beam to the exact treatment area. For some cancers they can also vary the strength within the beam, so the treatment is very precise. This is called intensity modulated radiotherapy, or IMRT. It means that there is less damage to the healthy tissue around the area being treated.
Everyone taking part in this trial had IMRT. Some had a lower dose and some had a higher dose.
The aims of this trial were to find out
The research team found that using a higher dose of radiotherapy in this way was safe.
This trial recruited 60 people who had stage 3 or 4 cancer of the larynx or hypopharynx. Of these 60 people, 29 had a lower dose of radiotherapy (DL1) and 31 had a higher dose (DL2).
The research team looked at the side effects and found that more people who had the higher dose of radiotherapy had severe problems swallowing for 4 to 6 weeks after treatment. This was
Similar numbers of people in both groups had other side effects, and none of them were classed as ‘severe’.
The research team also looked at how well the treatment worked. They found that the cancer responded to treatment in
They found that the cancer had not come back in the laryngeal or hypopharyngeal area up to 2 years after treatment for
They also looked at how many people hadn’t needed to have their larynx (voice box) removed up to 2 years after treatment. This is sometimes called laryngeal preservation. It was
The research team concluded that the higher dose of radiotherapy was safe to use.
Researchers are now looking at this treatment in a larger phase 3 trial called ART-DECO.
We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Prof Chris Nutting
Cancer Research UK
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.