~2 spots leftby Apr 2026

Assessment of Treatment Response of Nasopharyngeal Cancer Using Simultaneous 18F-FDG-PET and MRI

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Overseen bySungheon Kim
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Waitlist Available
Sponsor: NYU Langone Health
No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The overarching goal of this study is to develop PET/MR techniques for accurate assessment of treatment response during and immediately after chemoradiation therapy. The central hypothesis is that the GMR measured using a simultaneous PET/MR scanner can more accurately detect residual tumor than conventional SUV measures from PET alone. It is important to note that SUV depends on both tumor metabolic rate and tracer delivery, which makes the interpretation of SUV challenging. For instance, inflammatory tissue can have high SUV due to increased vascularity and vascular permeability and cannot be easily differentiated from tumor based on the SUV. Investigators hypothesize that inflammatory tissue will have lower GMR than residual tumor that contain highly proliferating cells with increased expression of glucose transporters (GLUT). Measuring GMR accurately will improve the specificity of PET while maintaining the high sensitivity of PET for detection of residual tumor. In order to test our hypothesis, investigators propose to conduct dynamic PET and MRI scans with NPC patients who are undergoing a conventional two-stage chemoradiation therapy at our institution; the first stage for 7-week chemoradiation therapy followed by the second stage for 3-month chemotherapy. A combination of PET/CT and nasopharynx MRI is currently obtained before the initiation of treatment and 3 months after completion of treatment to assess treatment response. This study proposes to introduce PET/MR scans at the time of these exams (scan #1 for pre-treatment \& scan #4 for 3 months after completion) and to add two additional PET/MR scans in between them; one immediately after the first stage of treatment (scan #2) and another one immediately after the second stage (scan #3). A primary clinical endpoint of this study is the treatment response assessed at 3 months after completion of treatment. A secondary endpoint is 6 month follow-up exam. Complete responder will be determined based on clinical and imaging assessment of residual tumor size at each endpoint. It is hoped that preliminary data obtained from this study will be useful in planning larger studies to formally investigate the utility of GMR for detection of residual tumor and prediction of treatment response.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Patients with nasopharyngeal cancer who are scheduled for chemoradiation therapy at NYU Langone Medical Center or Bellevue hospital are eligible.

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • PET/CT scans (Diagnostic Test)
Participant Groups
1Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Chemo Patients with Nasopharyngeal cancerExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
The standard chemoradiation treatment (total 7000 cGy in 35 fractions at 200 cGy/fraction) for 7 weeks with 3 cycles of chemo followed by 3-month chemotherapy.

Find a Clinic Near You

Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
New York University School of MedicineNew York, NY
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

NYU Langone HealthLead Sponsor

References