Better Radiation Planning for Head and Neck Cancer
Official title: A Multifaceted Radiomics Model to Predict Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis for Involved Nodal Radiation Therapy
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-11128695 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work aims to use advanced imaging to accurately find cancer in lymph nodes for people with head and neck cancer, helping doctors target radiation more precisely.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $542,556 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA251792-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11128695 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This work is most relevant for patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer who are candidates for radiation therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other types of cancer or those not receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
When treating head and neck cancer with radiation, doctors often treat a wide area to make sure all cancer cells are caught, which can unfortunately affect healthy tissues. This project wants to create a new way to analyze imaging scans, like CT scans, to better identify which lymph nodes truly contain cancer. By pinpointing only the cancerous nodes, we hope to reduce the amount of healthy tissue exposed to radiation. This could lead to fewer side effects for patients while still effectively treating the cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could significantly reduce side effects like dry mouth and difficulty swallowing for head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.
How similar studies have gone: While involved nodal radiation therapy is used in other cancers, applying and optimizing this precise targeting for head and neck cancer using advanced imaging models is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Jing — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Wang, Jing
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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A smarter radiomics tool to predict lymph node cancer spread for targeted neck cancer radiation
A new radiomics model uses imaging data to predict which cervical lymph nodes are cancerous so doctors can tailor radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.
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A model to predict lymph node cancer spread for targeted radiation therapy
This study is looking to develop a smart tool that uses special imaging to figure out if lymph nodes in the neck have cancer, so that only the ones that really need treatment get targeted radiation, helping to avoid unnecessary side effects for patients.
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Lymph node metastasis and immune tolerance in head and neck cancer
A study in people with head and neck cancer looks at how cancer spread to lymph nodes may shape the immune system and help tumors grow.
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How lymph node metastasis affects the body's immune response to tumors
This study is looking at how cancer spreading to lymph nodes affects the body's immune response, especially in people with melanoma and other solid tumors, to find new ways to boost the immune system's ability to fight cancer.
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Targeting how RMS cells fail to mature to slow or stop pediatric muscle cancer spread
A project to understand why a pediatric muscle cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma spreads, and to test ideas that could slow or stop it by helping cancer cells mature properly.
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Centers studying how cancer spreads through the body
A multi-institutional project at Rockefeller University is exploring how nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, immune cells, and metabolites influence the spread of cancer to help identify new ways to stop metastasis.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.