Recruiting

MRI Biomarkers

Sponsor:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Code:

NCT03483337

Conditions

Head and Neck Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

MRI examinations

MRI examinations

Study Details

Brief summary:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic technique that takes pictures of organs of the body. It uses magnetic fields and radio waves that cannot be felt. This makes specific organs, blood vessels, or tumors easier to see. Diffusion MRI lets us measure the motion of water in the tumor.

The purpose of this study is to see if new MRI methods can give us more information about the tumor.

Conditions

Head and Neck Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

Study ID

NCT03483337

Start date

Mar 16, 2018

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Mar, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Group 1 patients: Presence of a suspicious metastatic lesion or suspicious for recurrent disease in the head and neck region.
  • Group 2 patients:

  • Biopsy proven recurrent or metastatic or definitive head and neck cancer or (differentiated and undifferentiated) thyroid cancers in the head and neck region only.
  • Patients planning to undergo reatment at MSK

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient would require anesthesia for the study
  • Patients who are claustrophobic
  • Patients selecting treatment outside of MSK
  • Known reaction to Gd based contrast agent
  • Patients who have presence of a known contradiction to MRI

  • Pacemaker
  • Aneurysm clips
  • Patients with implants that are contradicted for MR imaging will be excluded
  • Pregnant
  • Age and mental status wherein he /she is unable to cooperate for MRI study

Study Design

Enrollment

200 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer patients

Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3 T MR scanner. Patients will receive a test-retest DWI scan in on session prior to start of treatment. Patients who will be receiving radiation therapy treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering's main campus, will also be imaged weekly during their course of treatment.

head and neck cancer or thyroid cancers (differentiated and undifferentiated)

All patients, irrespective of treatment regimen, will be imaged on a 1.5T or 3T MR scanner prior to treatment initiation. Follow up imaging for patients undergoing surgery only will be as per clinical standard of care and not on this protocol. Patients undergoing treatment in radiation oncology and/or medicine will have imaging studies during week 2 of treatment. If patients receive 70Gy, they will also receive a scan during week 4 of treatment, if needed by treating physician. Scans will be performed to derive MRI biomarkers indicative of therapeutic mechanisms of action or efficacy will also be performed.

Interventions

MRI examinations

Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3 T MR scanner either from GE or Philips. Patients will receive a test-retest scan in on session prior to start of treatment. Patients who will be receiving radiation therapy treatment at main campus, will also be imaged weekly during their course of treatment.

MRI examinations

Patients will be imaged on a 1.5 T or 3T MR scanner within one week prior to treatment initiation and at two months and four months after treatment completion (+/- 1 week).

Primary outcome measure

  • For group 1: number of patients that have biomarkers that maybe early response to therapy indicators [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • For group 2: number of patients response to treatment [ Time Frame: 1 year ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Amita Dave, PhD

212-639-3184davea@mskcc.org

Alan Ho, MD, PhD

646-608-3774

Locations

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Recruiting

New York, New York, United States, 10065

Contacts

Amita Dave, PhD

212-639-3184

Alan Ho, MD, PhD

646-608-3774

Principal Investigator:

Amita Dave, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Last update posted

Apr 14, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Keywords

  • (DW)-MRI
  • oncological biomarkers
  • metastatic
  • recurrent
  • 18-063

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-26. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on 2026-04-14. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.