Better Radiation Planning for Head and Neck Cancer
A Multifaceted Radiomics Model to Predict Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis for Involved Nodal Radiation Therapy
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 ID | NIH-11128695 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This work is most relevant for patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer who are candidates for radiation therapy.
Not a fit: 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.
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 performed: 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
Dallas, United States
- Ut Southwestern Medical Center — Dallas, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Jing — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Wang, Jing
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 below.