Research into mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
Researchers around the world are looking at better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.
Go to Cancer Research UK’s clinical trials database if you are looking for a trial for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer in the UK. You need to talk to your specialist if there are any trials that you think you might be able to take part in.
Some of the trials on this page have now stopped recruiting people. It takes time before the results are available. This is because the trial team follows the patients for a period of time and collects and analyses the results. We have included this ongoing research to give examples of the type of research being carried out in mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.
Research and clinical trials
All cancer treatments must be fully researched before they can be used for everyone. This is so we can be sure that:
-
they work
-
they work better than the treatments already available
-
they are safe
To make sure the research is accurate, each trial has certain entry conditions for who can take part. These are different for each trial.
Hospitals do not take part in every clinical trial. Some trials are only done in a small number of hospitals, or in one area of the country. You may need to travel quite far if you take part in these trials.
Research into the risks and causes of mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
Gene changes
Researchers are looking at cells from normal mouth tissue as well as from people who have mouth diseases, including mouth cancer. They take samples from people who are having a biopsy and from people who are having treatment for mouth cancer.
Researchers want to find out:
- which
gene 
changes are important - how these changes may affect the way the immune system responds to cancer
Research into diagnosing mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
Measuring the growth of blood vessels in cancer
A study is looking at measuring the growth of blood vessels in a number of cancers, including mouth cancer. The researchers use the combination of a:
PET scan and a CT scan (PET-CT scan)- PET scan combined with an
MRI scan (PET- MR scan)
This study wants to find out:
- how good PET-CT scan is at measuring the growth of blood vessels around a cancer
- if measuring the blood supply of the cancer with a PET-CT scan can be used to find out how fast the cancer is growing
The study is also comparing PET-MR scans and PET-CT scans.
Research into treatments for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
Surgery
Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with and without adjuvant treatment
Researchers are comparing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with and without . It is for early stage (T1 to T2) oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers. The researchers are also looking at:
- survival
- how much treatment would reduce the risk of cancer coming back
- problems after surgery
Versius Surgical System
In another study, researchers are also looking at transoral robot assisted surgery (TORS). They are using a robotic system called the Versius Surgical System. It is used in a variety of other specialities safely and is being tested for its ability to work safely through the mouth for operating on oropharyngeal cancer The researchers want to find out:
- if Versius is safe
- how well it works in transoral surgeries
Drug treatment before surgery (neoadjuvant treatment)
Researchers are looking at giving drug treatments immediately before surgery (neoadjuvant treatment) for mouth and oropharyngeal cancer. The type of drug used will change between the different trials. These studies help researchers to see if a cancer changes in response to the drug:
- straight away - by looking at the cancer that is removed at the time of surgery
- later - by looking at survival
Your doctor can tell you more if there are any of theses studies that might be suitable for you.
Radiotherapy
Adjusting the plan of radiotherapy treatment
A study is looking at adjusting the plan of radiotherapy during treatment. Researchers want to improve the radiotherapy planning by doing an MRI scan as well as a CT scan. They also want to do another treatment plan after having the first couple of treatments.
They hope that by doing this they can better target the cancer and reduce the radiotherapy to the surrounding organs. This is called adaptive radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy and targeted treatment
This trial is looking at adding certain targeted drugs to radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Some parts of the trial are also looking at these treatments with immunotherapy.
Radiotherapy works by damaging the DNA inside cancer cells, which could cause them to die. Certain drugs work by stopping cells from repairing damage to their DNA. These drugs are called DNA damage response inhibitors (DDRi). They make it more likely that a damaged cell will die.
Researchers think that having a DDRi drug with radiotherapy might improve treatment.
Radiotherapy and surgery
Doctors usually treat early stage oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer with either surgery or radiotherapy. Newer techniques for surgery include transoral surgery (TORS) or transoral laser microsurgery (TLM). A newer radiotherapy technique is . All these treatments are successful but have different side effects.
In this study, researchers are looking at which one of the new techniques is better than the other. They look particularly at how well it preserves function, such as swallowing.
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy
A trial is looking at less intensive treatment after surgery for oropharyngeal cancer. It is for people whose cancers have tested positive for a virus called .
The researchers want to:
- compare the results of people who have less intensive treatment with those who have
standard treatment - find out whether less intensive treatment causes fewer problems with swallowing for people with HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer
Follow up after treatment
This trial is looking at guided patient led follow up. The team want to compare this to the standard clinical follow up.
Standard follow up is usually every 3 to 6 months for 5 years. Previous studies showed that a PET-CT scan done 1 year after treatment has finished can identify people who are less likely to have cancer . These people might not need as much follow up.
The aim of the trial is to find out how effective the PET-CT scan guided patient led follow up is compared to the standard follow up. They will do this by measuring the overall time people live after treatment.
Research into living with mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
Predicting long term side effects of radiotherapy
In this study, researchers are looking at developing a computer tool to predict what long term side effects people might have after radiotherapy.
Doctors can’t say what your risk is of getting these long term side effects. By knowing what the risks are, doctors can better prepare you for any long term side effects you might have.
The aim of this study is to get more information about the long term side effects after radiotherapy. And to use this to develop a computer tool to predict an individual’s risk of getting them.
Using a cancer support app
This study is looking at using an app to see if it can help support people having treatment for head and neck cancer.
The aims of the study are to find out if people:
- are willing to use the app
- can use the app easily
- find it helps to support them
