Reflectance Confocal Microscopy of Oral Cancers in Vivo: a Preliminary Trial Comparing Intra-oral Imaging With Pathology

August 3, 2026 updated by: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
The purpose of this study is to get images (pictures) of oral lesions, which occur inside the mouth, before the patient's surgery using a special camera. These pictures will be used in our research to evaluate a new technology that uses a laser and takes pictures of the microscopic structure of tissue. The technology is called "reflectance confocal microscopy." We would like to compare what the camera sees to biopsies (pathology) of the same area. We will evaluate the pictures obtained from the patient to determine whether this technology may be useful in the future. We hope this technology can be used as a tool for early diagnosis of oral cancers and for guiding surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
140

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Snehal Patel, MD
  • Phone Number: 212-639-3412

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Milind Rajadhyaksha, PhD
  • Phone Number: 646-888-6243

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New Jersey
      • Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States
        • Recruiting
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Consent Only)
        • Contact:
          • Snehal Patel, MD
          • Phone Number: 212-639-3412
      • Middletown, New Jersey, United States, 07748
        • Recruiting
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Consent only)
        • Contact:
          • Snehal Patel, MD
          • Phone Number: 212-639-3412
    • New York
      • Harrison, New York, United States, 10604
        • Recruiting
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering West Harrison (consent only)
        • Contact:
          • Snehal Patel, MD
          • Phone Number: 212-639-3412
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • Recruiting
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
        • Contact:
          • Snehal Patel, MD
          • Phone Number: 212-639-3412
        • Contact:
          • Milind Rajadhyaksha, PhD
          • Phone Number: 646-888-6243
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Snehal Patel, MD
      • Uniondale, New York, United States, 11553
        • Recruiting
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau (Consent Only)
        • Contact:
          • Snehal Patel, MD
          • Phone Number: 212-639-3412

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Potential research subjects in the Head and Neck Service will be identified by a member of the patient's treatment team, the protocol investigator, or a member of the research team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with biopsy-proven oral SCC who are scheduled to undergo surgery in the MSK Head and Neck Service.
  • Ability to sign informed consent.
  • Age ≥ 18 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cancer located on a site that may not be convenient or accessible for imaging with the current version of the RCM device (gingivobuccal region, back of the oral cavity, back of the tongue, floor of the mouth, deep under the tongue, etc.).
  • Inability to give informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
SCC of the oral cavity scheduled for surgery
The patients will be imaged for testing the feasibility of intra-oral imaging. Images will be compared to and evaluated against the corresponding pathology that is routinely prepared during surgery.
Device: Reflectance Confocal Microscopy
Reflectance Confocal Microscopy imaging will be performed during surgery. The imaging procedure is expected to last no more than 15-20 minutes. The approach will be essentially similar to the imaging of skin cancer on patients, which is routinely performed in our Dermatology Service.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM) images
Time Frame: 1 year
Each set of images and the corresponding pathology will be evaluated by the study pathologist for the presence or absence of oral SCC. All images will be evaluated as a group. First, the pathologist will review the RCM images for each imaging site and will determine the presence/absence of tumor. Next, the pathologist will review the corresponding histopathologic material for the presence/absence of tumor. If there is discordance in the evaluations, the pathologist will re-evaluate the RCM images with the corresponding pathology, in a side-by-side manner, to highlight any features that may assist in the RCM evaluation.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Snehal Patel, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 21, 2015

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 22, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 22, 2015

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 23, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 3, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 15-128

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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