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RecruitingNCT03483337Updated Apr 14, 2026

New MRI Biomarkers in Head and Neck Cancers

An observational study in Head and Neck Cancer and Thyroid Cancer, sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-14.

Primary conditionThyroid NeoplasmsRegistry: Head and Neck NeoplasmsReclassifiedWhy we changed it
Registry
Head and Neck Neoplasms — the first condition term the registry derived for this study.
ClinicalTrials.gg
Thyroid Neoplasms
Why
  1. The study's listed conditions name Thyroid Neoplasms, a narrower term within Head and Neck Neoplasms.
Confidence
High: the new condition is named in the study's own listed conditions. Of 351 hand-checked studies reclassified this way, 68% were exactly right and 84% in the right disease family; the registry's first term was right for 5% (measured 2026-10-21). How we classify →
Wrong?
Tell us the study's main condition →

Sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Mar 2018; still recruiting 8 years 7 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
200
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic technique that takes pictures of organs of the body. It uses magnetic fields and radio waves that cannot be felt. This makes specific organs, blood vessels, or tumors easier to see. Diffusion MRI lets us measure the motion of water in the tumor.

The purpose of this study is to see if new MRI methods can give us more information about the tumor.

02

Conditions studied

  • Head and Neck Cancer
  • Thyroid Cancer

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • (DW)-MRI
  • oncological biomarkers
  • metastatic
  • recurrent
  • 18-063
03

In context

Thyroid Neoplasms Reclassified

785 studies on the registry are indexed under Thyroid Neoplasms; 204 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 200 is above the median of 178 across 241 observational studies indexed under Thyroid Neoplasms.

Browse Thyroid Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is the lead sponsor of 1,964 studies on the registry; 327 are open to participants now.

Of its 135 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 71 (53%) have results posted.

Compared within Thyroid Neoplasms, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Head and Neck Neoplasms. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

MSK clinics in the medicine, surgery and radiation oncology departments.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Group 1 patients: Presence of a suspicious lesion or suspicious for recurrent disease in the head and neck region.
  • Group 2 patients:

    • proven recurrent or metastatic or definitive head and neck cancer or (differentiated and undifferentiated) thyroid cancers in the head and neck region only.
    • Patients planning to undergo reatment at MSK

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient would require anesthesia for the study
  • Patients who are claustrophobic
  • Patients selecting treatment outside of MSK
  • Known reaction to Gd based contrast agent
  • Patients who have presence of a known contradiction to MRI

    • Pacemaker
    • Aneurysm clips
    • Patients with implants that are contradicted for MR imaging will be excluded
    • Pregnant
    • Age and mental status wherein he /she is unable to cooperate for MRI study
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
200 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer patients

    Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3 T MR scanner. Patients will receive a test-retest DWI scan in on session prior to start of treatment. Patients who will be receiving radiation therapy treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering's main campus, will also be imaged weekly during their course of treatment.

    Other: MRI examinations

  • head and neck cancer or thyroid cancers (differentiated and undifferentiated)

    All patients, irrespective of treatment regimen, will be imaged on a 1.5T or 3T MR scanner prior to treatment initiation. Follow up imaging for patients undergoing surgery only will be as per clinical standard of care and not on this protocol. Patients undergoing treatment in radiation oncology and/or medicine will have imaging studies during week 2 of treatment. If patients receive 70Gy, they will also receive a scan during week 4 of treatment, if needed by treating physician. Scans will be performed to derive MRI biomarkers indicative of therapeutic mechanisms of action or efficacy will also be performed.

    Other: MRI examinations

Interventions

  • OtherMRI examinations

    Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3 T MR scanner either from GE or Philips. Patients will receive a test-retest scan in on session prior to start of treatment. Patients who will be receiving radiation therapy treatment at main campus, will also be imaged weekly during their course of treatment.

  • OtherMRI examinations

    Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3T MR scanner within one week prior to treatment initiation and at two months and four months after treatment completion (+/- 1 week).

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. For group 1: number of patients that have biomarkers that maybe early response to therapy indicators

    The study is designed to determine if the MRI will provide quantitative imaging biomarkers to predict or assess early treatment response in R/M head and neck cancers. The MR data will be compared with clinical follow-up data. Additional sequence parameters.

    Time frame: 1 year

  2. For group 2: number of patients response to treatment

    will be assessed using ROC curves with RECIST with the RECIST version 1.1 response as the gold standard and change in DW-MRI and image feature metrics as predictors.

    Time frame: 1 year

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
    New York, New York 10065, United States
    Recruiting
    • Amita Dave, PhD · Contact212-639-3184
    • Alan Ho, MD, PhD · Contact646-608-3774
    • Amita Dave, PhD · Principal investigator
08

References and documents

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 14, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03483337
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 30, 2018
Start date
Mar 16, 2018
Primary completion
Mar 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 14, 2026

Study contacts

Amita Dave, PhD
Contact
davea@mskcc.org
212-639-3184
Alan Ho, MD, PhD
Contact
646-608-3774
Amita Dave, PhD
principal investigator · Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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