MRI-guided protection of salivary ducts to reduce dry mouth after head and neck radiation
A Phase II Randomized Assessment of Sparing Parotid Ducts via MRI Sialography for Reduced Patient Reported Xerostomia
This project tries using MRI to map and spare salivary ducts during radiation for head and neck cancer so patients have less dry mouth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11332094 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have head and neck cancer and need radiation, doctors will use a special MRI (sialography) to pinpoint the ducts inside the parotid salivary glands and plan beams to avoid those ducts when possible. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive duct-sparing radiation planning or conventional parotid-sparing planning. Researchers will collect patient-reported dry mouth symptoms and other quality-of-life measures after treatment to compare the two approaches. The goal is to preserve the salivary stem/progenitor cells in the ducts so the glands can better recover after radiation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with head and neck cancer who are scheduled for radiotherapy and can undergo MRI sialography would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumor location or treatment needs prevent sparing the parotid ducts, or who cannot have MRI, are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce long-term radiation-induced dry mouth and improve chewing, swallowing, speech, and overall quality of life.
How similar studies have performed: Reducing overall radiation dose has improved symptoms in some prior studies but dry mouth remained common, and duct-focused sparing guided by MRI is a newer idea that has not yet been widely proven.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fried, David V — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Fried, David V
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.