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Updated June 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

Testing Less Intensive Radiation With Chemotherapy to Treat Low-risk Patients With HPV-positive Oropharyngeal Cancer

Phase II Trial of Definitive Chemoradiation With Elective Nodal Irradiation Dose De-escalation for p16 Positive Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx "ENID"

Testing Less Intensive Radiation With Chemotherapy to Treat Low-risk Patients With HPV-positive Oropharyngeal Cancer (NCT04444869) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Cancer of the Head and Neck and Oropharynx Cancer, sponsored by University of Missouri-Columbia. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

This trial will explore giving standard dose chemotherapy and radiation therapy to sites of disease including all lymph nodes involved with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, but administer lower doses of radiation therapy to the lymph nodes that are not known to be involved with cancer. By doing so, it is hypothesized that there will be equally good long term loco-regional and distant disease control but will reduced long term treatment side effects and improved quality of life in persons living well beyond their cancer treatment.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Cancer of the Head and Neck and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

With a target enrollment of 28 participants, this is a small study — typical of early-phase research, rare-disease trials, or pilot studies designed to generate preliminary signal before a larger study is launched.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Patients generally must have the psychological ability and general health that permits completion of the study requirements and required follow up. - Women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active should be willing and able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception throughout the treatment phase of the trial and until at least 60 days following the last study treatment. - Pathologically (histologically or cytologically) proven diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (including the histological variants papillary squamous cell carcinoma and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma) of the oropharynx (tonsil, base of tongue, soft palate, or oropharyngeal walls); cytologic diagnosis from a cervical lymph node is sufficient in the presence of clinical evidence of a primary tumor in the oropharynx. Clinical evidence should be documented, may consist of palpation, imaging, or endoscopic evaluation, and should be sufficient to estimate the size of the primary (for T stage). - Patients must have clinically or radiographically evident measurable disease at the primary site or at nodal stations. Tonsillectomy or local excision of the primary without removal of nodal disease is permitted, as is excision removing gross nodal disease but with intact primary site. Limited neck dissections retrieving ≤ 4 nodes are permitted and considered as non-therapeutic nodal excisions. - Immunohistochemical staining for p16 must be performed on tissue and documented in the pathology report(s) with reported result positive for p16. - Clinical stage T1-T3, N0-N2c (AJCC, 7th ed.), which is equal to T1-T3, N0-2 (AJCC, 8th ed.) including no distant metastases based on the following diagnostic workup: - General history and physical examination within 30 days prior to registration; - Fiberoptic exam with laryngopharyngoscopy (mirror and/or fiberoptic and/or direct procedure) within 60 days prior to registration; ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients generally must have the psychological ability and general health that permits completion of the study requirements and required follow up. * Women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active should be willing and able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception throughout the treatment phase of the trial and until at least 60 days following the last study treatment. * Pathologically (histologically or cytologically) proven diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (including the histological variants papillary squamous cell carcinoma and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma) of the oropharynx (tonsil, base of tongue, soft palate, or oropharyngeal walls); cytologic diagnosis from a cervical lymph node is sufficient in the presence of clinical evidence of a primary tumor in the oropharynx. Clinical evidence should be documented, may consist of palpation, imaging, or endoscopic evaluation, and should be sufficient to estimate the size of the primary (for T stage). * Patients must have clinically or radiographically evident measurable disease at the primary site or at nodal stations. Tonsillectomy or local excision of the primary without removal of nodal disease is permitted, as is excision removing gross nodal disease but with intact primary site. Limited neck dissections retrieving ≤ 4 nodes are permitted and considered as non-therapeutic nodal excisions. * Immunohistochemical staining for p16 must be performed on tissue and documented in the pathology report(s) with reported result positive for p16. * Clinical stage T1-T3, N0-N2c (AJCC, 7th ed.), which is equal to T1-T3, N0-2 (AJCC, 8th ed.) including no distant metastases based on the following diagnostic workup: * General history and physical examination within 30 days prior to registration; * Fiberoptic exam with laryngopharyngoscopy (mirror and/or fiberoptic and/or direct procedure) within 60 days prior to registration; * One of the following combinations of imaging is required within 45 days prior to registration: 1. A CT scan of the neck (with contrast) and a chest CT scan (with or without contrast); 2. or an MRI of the neck (with contrast) and a chest CT scan (with or without contrast); 3. or a CT scan of neck (with contrast) and a PET/CT of neck and chest (with or without contrast); 4. or an MRI of the neck (with contrast) and a PET/CT of neck and chest (with or without contrast). Note: A CT scan of neck and/or a PET/CT performed for the purposes of radiation planning may serve as both staging and planning tools. * Patients will be asked about their personal smoking history prior to enrollment. Only active smokers with greater than 10 pack years will be excluded from the trial. The total number of pack years will be collected at baseline. Current smokers who wish to discontinue will be offered smoking cessation information, and if they are able to discontinue smoking prior to initiation of radiation therapy, they can remain eligible for the trial. Number of pack-years = \[Frequency of smoking (number of cigarettes per day) × duration of cigarette smoking (years)\] / 20 Note: Twenty cigarettes is considered equivalent to one pack. The effect of non-cigarette tobacco products on the survival of patients with p16-positive oropharyngeal cancers is undefined. * Zubrod Performance Status of 0-1 within 30 days prior to registration; * Adequate hematologic function within 14 days prior to registration, defined as follows: * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,500 cells/mm3; * Platelets ≥ 100,000 cells/mm3; * Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dl; Note: The use of transfusion or other intervention to achieve Hgb ≥ 8.0 g/dl is acceptable. * Adequate renal function within 14 days prior to registration, defined as follows: * Serum creatinine \< 1.5 mg/dl or creatinine clearance (CC) ≥ 50 ml/min * Adequate hepatic function within 14 days prior to registration defined as follows: * Bilirubin \< 2 mg/dl; * AST or ALT \< 3 x the upper limit of normal. * Negative serum pregnancy test within 14 days prior to registration for women of childbearing potential Exclusion Criteria: * Cancers considered to be from an oral cavity site (oral tongue, floor mouth, alveolar ridge, buccal or lip), or the nasopharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx, even if p16 positive; * Carcinoma of the neck of unknown primary site origin (even if p16 positive); * T1-T2 N0-1 lateralized squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil. * Radiographically matted nodes, that span 6 cm or more; N3 disease * Supraclavicular nodes, defined as nodes visualized on the same axial imaging slice as the clavicle; * Definitive clinical or radiologic evidence of metastatic disease or adenopathy below the clavicles; * Gross total excision of both primary and nodal disease; this includes tonsillectomy, local excision of primary site, and nodal excision that removes all clinically and radiographically evident disease. * Simultaneous primary cancers or separate bilateral primary tumor sites; * Prior invasive malignancy (except non-melanomatous skin cancer) unless disease free for a minimum of 5 years (for example, carcinoma in situ of the breast, oral cavity, or cervix are all permissible); * Prior systemic chemotherapy for the study cancer; note that prior chemotherapy for a different cancer is allowable; * Prior radiotherapy to the region of the study cancer that would result in overlap of radiation therapy fields; * Severe, active co-morbidity defined as follows: * Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within the last 6 months; * Transmural myocardial infarction within the last 6 months; * Acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring intravenous antibiotics at the time of registration; * Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness requiring hospitalization or precluding study therapy within 30 days of registration; * Hepatic insufficiency resulting in clinical jaundice and/or coagulation defects; note, however, that laboratory tests for liver function and coagulation parameters are not required for entry into this protocol other than those requested in Section 3.2.11 of the protocol.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Cisplatin injection

Standard dose cisplatin given concurrently with radiation therapy

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT04444869), the sponsor (University of Missouri-Columbia), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT04444869 clinical trial studying?

This trial will explore giving standard dose chemotherapy and radiation therapy to sites of disease including all lymph nodes involved with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, but administer lower doses of radiation therapy to the lymph nodes that are not known to be involved with cancer. By doing so, it is hypothesized that there will be equally good long term loco-regional and distant disease control but will reduced long term treatment side effects and improved quality of life in persons living well beyond their cancer treatment. The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT04444869?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT04444869?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT04444869. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT04444869. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-06-07 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.