AzTrials
AzTrials

Head and Neck CancerNCT03483337

New MRI Biomarkers in Head and Neck Cancers

An observational study of Head and Neck Cancer and Thyroid Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic technique that takes pictures of organs of the body. It uses magnetic fields and radio waves that cannot be felt. This makes specific organs, blood vessels, or tumors easier to see. Diffusion MRI lets us measure the motion of water in the tumor. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Head and Neck Cancer, Thyroid Cancer
What is being tested?
MRI examinations
How many people
200 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
16 Mar 2018to Mar 2027
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: MSK clinics in the medicine, surgery and radiation oncology departments.

Who may be able to join

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Group 1 patients: Presence of a suspicious metastatic lesion or suspicious for recurrent disease in the head and neck region.
  • Group 2 patients:
  • Biopsy proven recurrent or metastatic or definitive head and neck cancer or (differentiated and undifferentiated) thyroid cancers in the head and neck region only.
  • Patients planning to undergo reatment at MSK

Who cannot join

  • Patient would require anesthesia for the study
  • Patients who are claustrophobic
  • Patients selecting treatment outside of MSK
  • Known reaction to Gd based contrast agent
  • Patients who have presence of a known contradiction to MRI
  • Pacemaker
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Aneurysm clips
  • Patients with implants that are contradicted for MR imaging will be excluded
  • Pregnant
  • Age and mental status wherein he /she is unable to cooperate for MRI study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Amita Dave, PhD contact

212-639-3184

davea@mskcc.org

Alan Ho, MD, PhD contact

646-608-3774

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

    New York, New York, 10065

    Amita Dave, PhD, 212-639-3184

    Alan Ho, MD, PhD, 646-608-3774

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Quantitative Imaging Tools to Derive DW-MRI Oncological Biomarkers

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic technique that takes pictures of organs of the body. It uses magnetic fields and radio waves that cannot be felt. This makes specific organs, blood vessels, or tumors easier to see. Diffusion MRI lets us measure the motion of water in the tumor.

The purpose of this study is to see if new MRI methods can give us more information about the tumor.

Being tested
MRI examinations
Keywords
(DW)-MRI, oncological biomarkers, metastatic, recurrent, 18-063
Medical subject headings
Head and Neck Neoplasms, Thyroid Neoplasms, Neoplasm Metastasis, Recurrence

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • MRI examinationsOther

    Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3 T MR scanner either from GE or Philips. Patients will receive a test-retest scan in on session prior to start of treatment. Patients who will be receiving radiation therapy treatment at main campus, will also be imaged weekly during their course of treatment.

  • MRI examinationsOther

    Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3T MR scanner within one week prior to treatment initiation and at two months and four months after treatment completion (+/- 1 week).

Study groups in NCT03483337
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer patientsPatients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3 T MR scanner. Patients will receive a test-retest DWI scan in on session prior to start of treatment. Patients who will be receiving radiation therapy treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering's main campus, will also be imaged weekly during their course of treatment.
Receives: Other: MRI examinations
head and neck cancer or thyroid cancers (differentiated and undifferentiated)All patients, irrespective of treatment regimen, will be imaged on a 1.5T or 3T MR scanner prior to treatment initiation. Follow up imaging for patients undergoing surgery only will be as per clinical standard of care and not on this protocol. Patients undergoing treatment in radiation oncology and/or medicine will have imaging studies during week 2 of treatment. If patients receive 70Gy, they will also receive a scan during week 4 of treatment, if needed by treating physician. Scans will be performed to derive MRI biomarkers indicative of therapeutic mechanisms of action or efficacy will also be performed.
Receives: Other: MRI examinations

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. For group 1: number of patients that have biomarkers that maybe early response to therapy indicators

    The study is designed to determine if the MRI will provide quantitative imaging biomarkers to predict or assess early treatment response in R/M head and neck cancers. The MR data will be compared with clinical follow-up data. Additional sequence parameters.

    Measured: 1 year

  2. For group 2: number of patients response to treatment

    will be assessed using ROC curves with RECIST with the RECIST version 1.1 response as the gold standard and change in DW-MRI and image feature metrics as predictors.

    Measured: 1 year

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted30 Mar 2018
  2. Study start16 Mar 2018
  3. Primary completionMar 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionMar 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
200 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03483337
Sponsor's protocol ID
18-063
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
19 Mar 2018
Last updated
14 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Head and Neck Cancer and Thyroid Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Amita Dave, PhD (212-639-3184, davea@mskcc.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

For group 1: number of patients that have biomarkers that maybe early response to therapy indicators (time frame: 1 year). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Apr 2026.

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