Special MRI to spot jaw and mouth bone damage after radiation
Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Prospective Validation of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI as a Metric of Orodental Injury After Radiotherapy (QI-ProVE-MRI)
This project uses a special contrast MRI to find early jaw and mouth bone problems in people treated with radiation for head and neck cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11301829 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would have dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) scans that measure blood flow and vascular changes in your jaw bone and nearby oral tissues over time. The MRI numbers (like Ktrans and Ve) will be tracked before and after radiotherapy and during follow-up to find patterns linked to healing, necrosis, or osteoradionecrosis. The team aims to create a standard way to stage and monitor radiation-related mouth and jaw injuries and to see whether MRI changes can predict who will develop problems. These imaging exams will be combined with clinical exams and other tests at MD Anderson over months to years.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people receiving or who have received head and neck radiation for cancer—especially HPV-related head and neck cancer—who can undergo contrast MRI scans and follow-up visits.
Not a fit: People who cannot receive gadolinium contrast, who have severe kidney failure, incompatible implants, or whose radiation did not affect the jaw are less likely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors detect jaw bone injury earlier and guide treatments to prevent severe osteoradionecrosis and improve long-term function.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research, including NIH-funded work, shows DCE-MRI can detect altered bone vascularity, but prospective validation for predicting or staging jaw osteoradionecrosis is still limited and is being tested here.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lai, Stephen Y — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Lai, Stephen Y
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.