ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06479070CIRADORUpdated Dec 24, 2025

Prognostic Value of Measuring CtDNA in a Cohort of Patients With Stage III and IV Upper Aero-digestive Tract (UADT) Cancer , Treated With Curative RADiOtherapy With or Without Concomitant Treatment.

An interventional study of Blood samples in SCC - Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Upper Aero-digestive Tract (UADT) Neoplasm, sponsored by Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine. Recruiting at 7 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-24.

Sponsored by Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2024; still recruiting 2 years 1 month later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
188
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aero-digestive tract (SCC-UADT) represent the seventh cause of cancer and affect approximately 600,000 patients per year worldwide. The majority of UADT cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage (70.3% at stage III and IV) and less than 60% of these patients are free of the disease at 3 years, despite aggressive multimodal local treatment by surgery and /or radiochemotherapy. The average progression-free survival (PFS) at 2 years varies between 45 and 60% depending on the studies. Tumor recurrence is most often incurable. To our knowledge, no study has demonstrated the benefit of early evaluation of the rate of decrease in ctDNA at 1 month after the end of radiotherapy alone or associated with concomitant treatment, as a predictive factor of PFS in UADT squamous cell carcinomas regardless of their HPV status. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the value of measuring the quantity of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) at 1 month post-treatment as a predictive factor for PFS at 24 months.

Read the detailed description

This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study carried out on a total of 188 patients suffering from non-metastatic stage III and IV SCC-UADT (oral cavity, larynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, maxillary sinus), naïve to any treatment during a consultation or day hospitalization during the radiotherapy consultation.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the value of measuring the quantity of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) at 1 month post-treatment as a predictive factor for PFS at 24 months. This objective will be achieved by quantitatively measuring the number of copies of methylated ctDNA of genes of interest per mL of plasma; This measurement of ctDNA will be evaluated by the rate of decrease in ctDNA between the centering scanner sample and 1 month post-treatment. Two groups will be then considered: patients with a reduction ≥ 85% and those with a reduction \< 85%.

In addition, the interest of measuring the quantity of ctDNA at 1 month post-treatment as a predictive factor of overall survival (OS) and specific survival (SS) at 24 months, the kinetics of the evolution of the quantities of ctDNA during the treatment and during follow-up up to 24 months and the evolution of ctDNA quantities during treatment and follow-up as a predictive factor for PFS and OS at 24 months will also be evaluated during this study. . The analyzes will be carried out in subgroups of populations according to their p16 status (HPV viral protein) and according to the presence or absence of concomitant treatment (Cisplatin or Cetuximab).

02

Conditions studied

  • SCC - Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Upper Aero-digestive Tract (UADT) Neoplasm

Keywords

  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • upper aero-digestive trac tumor
  • Ct DNA
  • Radiotherapy
  • Head and neck cancer
03

In context

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell

627 studies on the registry are indexed under Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; 133 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 188 is above the median of 45 across 476 interventional studies indexed under Carcinoma, Squamous Cell.

Browse Carcinoma, Squamous Cell studies →

Lead sponsor

Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine is the lead sponsor of 62 studies on the registry; 4 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

  • OMS 0 to 2;
  • Patient suffering from UADT squamous cell carcinoma, newly diagnosed and proven, regardless of the p16 protein status, naïve to any treatment for this cancer;
  • Non- cancer of stages III (N1), IVa (N1 minimum) or IVb;
  • Cancer localized in the oral cavity, larynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx and maxillary sinus;
  • Patient for whom treatment with curative radiotherapy associated or not with concomitant treatment (Cisplatin or Cetuximab) has been validated in a multidisciplinary consultation meeting (RCP);
  • Patient capable and willing to follow all study procedures in accordance with the protocol;
  • Patient having understood, signed and dated the consent form communicated on the day of inclusion;
  • Patient affiliated to the social security system.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Minor patient;
  • Cancer located in the cavum, ethmoidal sinus, salivary glands and skin (cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma);
  • Patient already treated for UADT tumor;
  • Patient treated with immunotherapy;
  • Patient who has already had cancer within 5 years (cancer other than in the UADT sphere);
  • OMS > 2;
  • to radiotherapy treatment associated or not with concomitant treatment;
  • Patient already included in another therapeutic trial;
  • disease (stage IVc);
  • Pregnant woman, who may be pregnant, or currently breastfeeding;
  • Persons deprived of liberty or under guardianship (including curatorship).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

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.

Histologically or cytologically confirmed

The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).

Your pathology report is the document that shows this.

Metastases

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

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
188 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Other
    Interventional arm

    12 blood samples will be taken from patients suffering from non-metastatic stage III and IV SCC-UADT (oral cavity, larynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, maxillary sinus), naïve to any treatment

    Other: Blood samples

Interventions

  • OtherBlood samples

    A blood sample of 20 mL (2 tubes of 10 mL) for research purposes will be collected during: * The day of the centering scan (Visit 1); * During treatment at Week 2 and Week 6 (+/- 1 week) (Visit 2 and 3); * The day of the post-therapeutic visit scheduled between 3 and 5 weeks after the end of radiotherapy, whether or not associated with concomitant treatment (Visit 4); * At each monitoring visit following radiotherapy associated or not with concomitant treatment (every 3 months for 24 months (V5 to V12 ; V12 = final visit) * When the disease progresses before initiation of the 2nd line of treatment.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. To evaluate the value of measuring the quantity of circulating tumor DNA (tcDNA) at 1 month post-treatment as a predictive factor for progression-free survival at 24 months.

    ctDNA will be measured quantitatively as the number of copies of methylated ctDNA of the genes of interest per mL of plasma. The ctDNA measurement will be evaluated by the rate of decrease in ctDNA between the centering scanner sample and 1 month post-treatment. Two groups will then be considered: patients with a reduction ≥ 85% and those with a reduction \< 85%. Progression-free survival is defined by the time elapsed between the date of end of treatment (radiotherapy associated or not with concomitant treatment) and the onset of disease progression or death from all causes.

    Time frame: At 1 month post-treatment

Secondary outcomes

  1. Evaluate the value of measuring the quantity of ctDNA at 1 month post-treatment as a predictive factor for overall survival and specific survival at 24 months.

    ctDNA will be measured quantitatively as the number of copies of methylated tcDNA of the genes of interest per mL of plasma.

    Time frame: At 1 month post-treatment

  2. Study the kinetics of the evolution of ctDNA quantities during treatment and during follow-up up to 24 months.

    Overall survival is defined by the time elapsed between the date of end of treatment and the date of death from all causes.

    Time frame: During treatment and follow-up up to 24 months.

  3. Evaluate the evolution of ctDNA quantities during treatment and follow-up as a predictive factor for progression-free survival and overall survival at 24 months.

    Specific survival is defined by the time elapsed between the date of end of treatment and the date of cancer-related death.

    Time frame: At 24 months.

  4. Evaluate the discriminatory capacity of ctDNA at 1 month post-treatment to predict response to treatment at 24 months.

    The kinetics of the evolution of the quantity of ctDNA will be studied from pre-treatment, during treatment and up to 24 months of post-treatment follow-up.

    Time frame: At 1 month post-treatment

  5. Compare the clinico-pathological characteristics according to the 2 defined groups: patients with a ≥ 85% decrease in ctDNA between the centration scanner sample and the sample at 1 month post-treatment and those with a decrease <85%.

    The evolution of the quantities of ctDNA before treatment, during treatment and up to 24 months of post-treatment follow-up will be evaluated as a risk factor for progression-free survival and overall survival at 24 months.

    Time frame: 1 month.

  6. Analyze the populations into subgroups according to their p16 status (HPV viral protein) and according to the presence or absence of concomitant treatment (Cisplatin or Cetuximab).

    Evaluation of partial or complete response to treatment at the last clinical evaluation at 24 months post-treatment by clinical and radiological data.

    Time frame: at 24 months post-treatment.

07

Study locations

7 of 7 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — The investigator centers responded to a feasibility questionnaire. After their agreement, they have access to the protocol, the synopsis and all the study documents as well as the eCRF for data entry.

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 Dec 24, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06479070
Lead sponsor
Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 27, 2024
Start date
Sep 30, 2024
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 30, 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Dec 24, 2025

Study contacts

Jean-Louis JLM MERLIN, Pr
Contact
jl.merlin@nancy.unicancer.fr
03 83 59 83 07
MARTZ NM Nicolas, MD.
Contact
n.martz@nancy.unicancer.fr
MARTZ NM Nicolas, MD.
principal investigator · Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine
FAIVRE JCF Jean-Christophe, MD.
study director · Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine

Oversight

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

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion