ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT03815903INDUCTIONUpdated Jul 18, 2019

Induction Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A Phase 3 interventional study of Induction chemotherapy and Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Malignant Neoplasm, sponsored by Barretos Cancer Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Brazil. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-07-18.

Sponsored by Barretos Cancer Hospital · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Dec 2020, 5 years 11 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Dec 2018; still recruiting 7 years 10 months later.
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
434
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The benefit of induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is unknown. The present study is investigating if this therapeutic strategy improve overall survival.

02

Conditions studied

  • Locally Advanced Malignant Neoplasm
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Barretos Cancer Hospital is the lead sponsor of 49 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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

  • Confirmed histological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma or undifferentiated carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx or larynx;
  • Locally advanced stage (stage IVa / b - AJCC 8th edition), classified as resectable ** or unresectable and candidate for treatment based on radiotherapy and chemotherapy;
  • Locally advanced stage (stage III - AJCC 8th edition), classified as resectable or unresectable, positive p16 and candidate for treatment based on radiotherapy and chemotherapy;
  • It will be allowed to include a patient with cervical lymphadenectomy if the primary lesion is measurable;
  • Presence of according to 1.1 criteria;
  • performance status of 0-1;
  • ≥ 18 years;
  • Adequate marrow reserve indicated by:

    • (ANC) ≥ 1500 / mm³ or > 100,000 / mm³
    • ≥ 9 g / dL - red blood cell transfusion will be allowed in the screening period if necessary
  • Adequate renal and hepatic function:

    • Serum ≤ 1.5 times the the TGO and TGP ≤ 3 upper limit of normal. If hepatic ≤ 5 upper limit of normal
    • Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg / dL and ≥ 60 mL / min calculated by Cockcroft-Gault.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient submitted to curative resection of the primary site and / or site. NOTE: Patients submitted to cervical lymphadenectomy without surgery to the primary tumor are eligible;
  • Radiation therapy or previous chemotherapy for head / neck tumor;
  • Patients with occult primary tumor;
  • T4 from any site, resectable, with invasion of cartilage or jaw;
  • History of BMT or stem cell therapy;
  • Synchronous tumor or previous history of neoplasia, except for in situ carcinoma of the cervix, basal cell carcinoma or epidermoid carcinoma. Patients with previous history of cancer already treated and without evidence of disease for more than 3 years may participate in the study;
  • Prophylactic use of G-CSF or GM-CSF two weeks prior to the study;
  • heart disease: unstable angina or myocardial infarction 6 months prior to study entry Symptomatic ventricular arrhythmia the ICC classified as ≥ II • Uncontrolled hypercalcemia;
  • Uncontrolled infection;
  • Any other comorbidity that the investigator's judgment is inappropriate for the study;
  • Peripheral neuropathy> grade 2;
  • Hearing loss> grade 2;
  • Known positive serology for , or
  • Use of antiretrovirals;
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(15)

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.

Measurable disease

The amount of disease can be tracked with a defined measurement, so the study can see whether it shrinks or grows. It might be a tumour measured on a scan or, in some blood cancers such as myeloma, a marker measured in blood or urine.

The criteria or the study team say which measurement counts — having no tumour visible on a scan does not by itself rule you out.

RECIST

The standard rules for measuring tumours on CT or MRI scans, to tell whether a cancer is shrinking, stable or growing during treatment.

“Measurable disease per RECIST 1.1” usually means at least one tumour 10 mm or more at its longest on a CT scan, or a lymph node 15 mm or more across its short axis.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC)

The number of neutrophils, white blood cells that help fight infection, in a given amount of blood. Too few raises the risk of infection.

It is a count, not a percentage of the white cells. Limits are written in units that mean the same: ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L is ≥ 1,500 per mm³ (µL). Each lab has its own reference range.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

Metastases

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

Creatinine clearance (CrCl)

How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
434 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    A - induction chemotherapy

    Drug: Induction chemotherapy · Combination Product: Chemoradiotherapy

  • Experimental
    B - chemoradiotherapy

    Combination Product: Chemoradiotherapy

Interventions

  • DrugInduction chemotherapy

    3 cycles, each 21 days, of Cisplatin 80mg/m2 plus Paclitaxel 175mg/m2

  • Combination productChemoradiotherapy

    Radiotherapy 70Gy convencional fractionation concomitant to 3 cycles, each 21 days, of Cisplatin 100mg/m2

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. 3-years overall survival

    Time frame: From date of randomization until 3 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Progression free survival

    PFS

    Time frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months

  2. Systemic relapse free survival

    Time frame: From date of randomization until the date of first systemic relapse or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months

  3. Overall survival

    Time frame: From date of randomization until the date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months

  4. Overall response rate

    Time frame: At the end of Cycle 3 of IC (each cycle is 21 days) and 8 weeks after the end of radiotherapy, through study completion, an average of 6 months

  5. Adverse Events Rates

    Time frame: At the end of cycle 1, cycle 2 and cycle 3 (each cycle is 21 days).

  6. 1-year functional organ preservation rate

    Time frame: From date of randomization until 1 year after

  7. Quality of Life (EORTC Quality of Life Questionnare - C30 version 3.0)

    The QLQ-C30 is composed of both multi-item scales and single-item measures. These include five functional scales, three symptom scales, a global health status / QoL scale, and six single items. Each of the multi-item scales includes a different set of items - no item occurs in more than one scale. All of the scales and single-item measures range in score from 0 to 100. A high scale score represents a higher response level. Thus a high score for a functional scale represents a high / healthy level of functioning, a high score for the global health status / QoL represents a high QoL, but a high score for a symptom scale / item represents a high level of symptomatology / problems.

    Time frame: From date of randomization until 5 years

  8. Overall response rate to induction chemotherapy

    Time frame: At the end of Cycle 3 (each cycle is 21 days)

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Barretos Cancer Hospital
    Barretos, São Paulo 14784-400, Brazil
    Recruiting
    • Pedro De Marchi, MD, MSc · Contactpedrodemarchi@yahoo.com.br · +55 17 33216600
    • Raiany Carvalho, RN · Contactraiany.carvalho@hcancerbarretos.com.br · +55 17 33216600
    • Augusto E Mamere, MD, MSc · Sub investigator
    • Alexandre A Jacinto, MD · Sub investigator
    • Domingos Boldrini Junior, MD, MSc · Sub investigator
    • Renato C Capuzzo, MD · Sub investigator
    • Carlos R Santos, MD · Sub investigator
    • Andre L Carvalho, MD, PhD · Sub investigator
    • Luciano S Vianna, MD, PhD · Sub investigator
    • Josiane D Mourão, MD · Sub investigator
    • Ricardo R Gama, MD, PhD · Sub investigator
    • Gustavo J Dix, MD, MSc · Sub investigator
    • Diogo D Prado, MD · Sub investigator
    • Pedro De Marchi, MD, MSc · Principal investigator
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 18, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03815903
Lead sponsor
Barretos Cancer Hospital
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 24, 2019
Start date
Dec 19, 2018
Primary completion
Dec 2020 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 18, 2019

Oversight

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

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No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.

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