Combining Radiation Therapy With Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (NCT05721755)
Phase III Randomized Trial of Immunotherapy With or Without Consolidative Radiotherapy for Oligometastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
This phase III trial compares pembrolizumab with radiation therapy to pembrolizumab without radiation therapy (standard therapy) given after pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Pembrolizumab is a type of immunotherapy that stimulates the body's immune system to fight cancer cells. Pembrolizumab targets and blocks a protein called PD-1 on the surface of certain immune cells called T-cells. Blocking PD-1 triggers the T-cells to find and kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses high-powered rays to kill cancer cells. Giving radiation with pembrolizumab may be more effective at treating patients with metastatic head and neck cancer than the standard therapy of giving pembrolizumab alone.
Who can join: Review the eligibility criteria below.
Location: Moffitt Cancer Center-International Plaza — Tampa, Florida
Age range: 18 Years
🧪 Interventions in This Study
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistFull eligibility criteria are available on the official NIH protocol. View the criteria ↗
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (51 Sites)
Showing the first 25 of 51 sites.
- Moffitt Cancer Center-International Plaza — Tampa, Florida
- Moffitt Cancer Center - McKinley Campus — Tampa, Florida
- Moffitt Cancer Center — Tampa, Florida
- Emory University Hospital Midtown — Atlanta, Georgia
- Saint Luke's Cancer Institute - Boise — Boise, Idaho
- Saint Luke's Cancer Institute - Fruitland — Fruitland, Idaho
- Saint Luke's Cancer Institute - Meridian — Meridian, Idaho
- Saint Luke's Cancer Institute - Nampa — Nampa, Idaho
- Saint Luke's Cancer Institute - Twin Falls — Twin Falls, Idaho
- University of Illinois — Chicago, Illinois
- Carle at The Riverfront — Danville, Illinois
- Carle Physician Group-Effingham — Effingham, Illinois
- Carle Physician Group-Mattoon/Charleston — Mattoon, Illinois
- Carle Cancer Center — Urbana, Illinois
- Mission Cancer and Blood - Ankeny — Ankeny, Iowa
- Mercy Hospital — Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Oncology Associates at Mercy Medical Center — Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Iowa Methodist Medical Center — Des Moines, Iowa
- Mission Cancer and Blood - Des Moines — Des Moines, Iowa
- Sanford Joe Lueken Cancer Center — Bemidji, Minnesota
- Freeman Health System — Joplin, Missouri
- Sands Cancer Center — Canandiaqua, New York
- Wilmot Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology at Greece — Rochester, New York
- Highland Hospital — Rochester, New York
- University of Rochester — Rochester, New York
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
More studies in Clinical Stage IV HPV-Mediated (p16-Positive) Oropharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8
- Testing the Use of Investigational Drugs Atezolizumab and/or Bevacizumab With or Without Standard Chemotherapy in the Second-Line Treatment of Advanced-Stage Head and Neck Cancers — Little Rock, Arkansas
- Cemiplimab, Low-Dose Paclitaxel and Carboplatin for the Treatment of Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck — Columbus, Ohio
- TMV Vaccine Therapy Alone and With Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer — Atlanta, Georgia
- Lovastatin and Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer, LAPP Trial — Atlanta, Georgia
- Remote Audiometry to Monitor for Treatment-Related Hearing Loss in Patients With H&N SCC Receiving Cisplatin and/or Radiation — Atlanta, Georgia
Explore by condition: All Clinical Stage IV HPV-Mediated (p16-Positive) Oropharyngeal Carcinoma AJCC v8 clinical trials
💡 How to Participate
- Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
- Review the official NIH record below to find the coordinating site.
- Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
- Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.