Prospective Observational Study to Validate Circulating HPVDNA and Prognostic Genomic Biomarkers in HPV-associated OPSCC

April 27, 2026 updated by: UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

LCCC 2044: Prospective Observational Study to Validate Circulating HPVDNA and Prognostic Genomic Biomarkers in HPV-associated OPSCC

The primary goal of this study is to examine whether recurrence of HPV-associated OPSCC can be predicted by two factors: 1) mutations in genes called TRAF3 and CYLD, and 2) measurements of circulating HPV DNA in blood plasma. The study will also investigate whether HPV integration is associated with TRAF3 and CYLD mutations, and whether recurrence prediction improves when looking at HPV integration along with TRAF3 and CYLD mutations.

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.

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.
220

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.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Wendell Yarbrough, MD
  • Phone Number: 919-843-7091
  • Email: dell@med.unc.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Active, not recruiting
        • Mayo Clinic
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
        • Recruiting
        • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Wendell Yarbrough, MD
        • Contact:
    • South Carolina
      • North Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29406

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

Patients with HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who will receive definitive cancer treatment.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • ≥ 18 years of age
  • T0-T2 N2a-N3 M0 or T3-T4 N0-N3 M0 (AJCC 7th edition)
  • Biopsy proven squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx or unknown primary
  • No prior therapy
  • No evidence of distant metastatic disease
  • p16 positive = diffuse ≥ 70% tumor cell expression, with at least moderate (2/3+) staining intensity
  • Planned for receipt of definitive cancer treatment
  • ECOG Performance Status 0-1
  • Patients must be deemed able to comply with the treatment plan and follow-up schedule.
  • Patients must provide study specific informed consent prior to study entry

Exclusion Criteria: All subjects meeting any of the exclusion criteria at baseline will be excluded from study participation:

  • Prior history of radiation therapy to the head and neck
  • Prior history of head and neck cancer.
  • Inadequate pre-treatment tissue sample for tumor genomic analyses

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

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.
HPV+ OPSCC Patients
Patients with p16+ squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (or unknown primary) who will receive definitive cancer treatment.

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
Recurrence of OPSCC
Time Frame: From date of therapy completion until biopsy-proven recurrence, assessed up to 5 years
Patients will undergo post-treatment CT scans per institutional standard of care to detect cancer recurrence. Status of recurrence of OPSCC will be confirmed based on biopsy.
From date of therapy completion until biopsy-proven recurrence, assessed up to 5 years
Progression-free survival
Time Frame: From beginning or end of treatment until date of CT-detected recurrence or date of death, assessed up to 5 years
Time-to-recurrence will be defined as time lapsed from end (or start) of treatment to first date recurrence (biopsy proven occur later) is detected by CT scans, or death. Otherwise, time-to-recurrence is censored at end of study date.
From beginning or end of treatment until date of CT-detected recurrence or date of death, assessed up to 5 years
Positive Predictive Value
Time Frame: Baseline to up to 5 years
Positive Predictive Value (PPV) is defined as probability that patients with two consecutive positive cHPVDNA (i.e., detectable cHPVDNA) really develop OPSCC recurrence during the study period.
Baseline to up to 5 years
Negative Predictive Value
Time Frame: Baseline to up to 5 years
Negative Predictive Value (NPV) is defined as probability that patients without two consecutive positive cHPVDNA do not develop OPSCC recurrence during the study period.
Baseline to up to 5 years
Quality of Life questionnaire
Time Frame: Baseline until recurrence or up to 5 years
At specified timepoints before, during, and after treatment, patients will complete a questionnaire comprised of questions from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ H&N35, which is for head and neck cancer patients, and EORTC QLQ C30, which is a general cancer assessment.
Baseline until recurrence or up to 5 years

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.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Mayo Clinic
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

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: Wendell Yarbrough, MD, UNC Chapel Hill

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.
November 19, 2020

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.
November 1, 2033

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.
November 1, 2033

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).
August 14, 2020

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.
September 24, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

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.
September 25, 2020

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.
April 28, 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.
April 27, 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.
April 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.
  • LCCC 2044
  • 1U01DE029754-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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