(89Zr Panitumumab) With PET/CT for Diagnosing Metastases in Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

May 6, 2026 updated by: Eben Rosenthal

Study Evaluating 89Zr Panitumumab for Assessment of Indeterminate Metastatic Lesions on 18F-FDG-PET/CT in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The goal of this phase I clinical trial is to evaluate the usefulness of an imaging test (zirconium Zr89 panitumumab [89Zr panitumumab]) with positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing the spread of disease from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastasis) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Traditional PET/CT has a low positive predictive value for diagnosing metastatic disease in head and neck cancer. 89Zr panitumumab is an investigational imaging agent that contains radiolabeled anti-EGFR antibody which is overexpressed in head and neck cancer. The main question this study aims to answer is the sensitivity and specificity of 89Zr panitumumab for the detection of indeterminate metastatic lesions in head and neck cancer.

Participants will receive 89Zr panitumumab infusion and undergo 89Zr panitumumab PET/CT 1 to 5 days after infusion. Participants will otherwise receive standard of care evaluation and treatment for their indeterminate lesions.

Researchers will compare the 89Zr panitumumab to standard of care imaging modalities (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT, and/or PET/CT).

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

- Determine the sensitivity and specificity of zirconium Zr 89 panitumumab (89Zrpanitumumab) for the detection of indeterminate metastatic lesions in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

- Compare sensitivity and specificity of standard of care imaging modalities (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], CT and/or fludeoxyglucose F-18 [18F]-PET/CT) to 89Zr-panitumumab-PET/CT for detection of indeterminate metastatic lesions in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:

- Determine rate of intervention (e.g., biopsy or other invasive procedures) versus (vs) non-intervention (e.g., serial imaging, observation) by treatment team in subjects with indeterminate metastatic lesions on standard of care imaging.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive panitumumab intravenously (IV), 89Zr panitumumab IV, and undergo PET/CT on study.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Phase

  • Phase 1

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 Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Tennessee
      • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
        • Recruiting
        • Vanderbilt University/Ingram Cancer Center
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Michael Topf, MD
        • Contact:
          • Vanderbilt-Ingram Service for Timely Access
          • Phone Number: 800-811-8480
          • Email: cip@vumc.org

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

Ages Eligible for Study

19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age >= 19 years
  • Biopsy confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
  • Subjects diagnosed with any T stage, any subsite within the head and neck. Subjects with recurrent disease or a new primary will be allowed
  • Must have evidence of indeterminate metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) based on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/CT or Primary SCC with suspicious Lymph Nodes on CT prior to surgical removal
  • Hemoglobin >= 9gm/dL
  • White blood cell count > 3000/mm^3
  • Platelet count >= 100,000/mm^3
  • Serum creatinine =< 1.5 times upper reference range

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Myocardial infarction (MI); cerebrovascular accident (CVA); uncontrolled congestive heart failure (CHF); significant liver disease; or unstable angina within 6 months prior to enrollment
  • History of infusion reactions to other monoclonal antibody therapies
  • Pregnant (based on screening serum pregnancy test and day 0 urine pregnancy test administered before unlabeled panitumumab), or breastfeeding
  • Magnesium or potassium lower than the normal institutional values
  • Subjects receiving class IA (quinidine, procainamide) or class III (dofetilide, amiodarone, sotalol) antiarrhythmic agents
  • Subjects with a history or evidence of interstitial pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis
  • Severe renal disease or anuria
  • Known hypersensitivity to deferoxamine or any of its components

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

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Diagnostic (89Zr panitumumab PET/CT)
Patients receive panitumumab IV, 89Zr panitumumab IV, and undergo PET/CT on study
Biological: Panitumumab
Given IV
Procedure: Computed Tomography
Undergo PET/CT
Procedure: Positron Emission Tomography
Undergo PET/CT
Other: Electronic Health Record Review
Ancillary studies
Drug: Zirconium Zr 89 Panitumumab
Given IV

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sensitivity of zirconium Zr 89 panitumumab (89Zr-panitumumab
Time Frame: Up to 7 years
The total number of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma lesions accurately detected by 89Zr-panitumumab using positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging (test) will be compared with lesions identified as positive during the 36 +/- 6 month follow-up period (gold standard). Significance will be assessed at an alpha level of 0.05 and, to assess uncertainty, 95% confidence intervals will be provided for all estimates.
Up to 7 years
Specificity of 89Zr-panitumumab
Time Frame: Up to 7 years
The total number of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma lesions accurately detected by 89Zr-panitumumab using PET/CT imaging (test) will be compared with lesions identified as positive during the 36 +/- 6 month follow-up period (gold standard). Significance will be assessed at an alpha level of 0.05 and, to assess uncertainty, 95% confidence intervals will be provided for all estimates.
Up to 7 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sensitivity of 89Zr-panitumumab
Time Frame: Up to 7 years
The sensitivity of 89Zr-panitumumab will be compared to the sensitivity of standard of care imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT, and/or fludeoxyglucose F-18 (18F-FDG) PET/CT. Will use the matched pair Durkalski's test, accounting for the cluster-correlation within subjects, for the sensitivity comparisons.
Up to 7 years
Specificity of 89Zr-panitumumab
Time Frame: Up to 7 years
The specificity of 89Zr-panitumumab will be compared to the specificity of standard of care imaging modalities, including MRI, CT, and/or 18F-FDG PET/CT. Will use the matched pair Durkalski's test, accounting for the cluster-correlation within subjects, for the specificity comparisons.
Up to 7 years

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Eben Rosenthal

Collaborators

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Michael Topf, MD, Vanderbilt University/Ingram Cancer Center

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)

May 9, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 28, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 16, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 16, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

February 28, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 6, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • VICCHN2279
  • NCI-2023-01365 (Registry Identifier: NCI, Clinical Trials Reporting Program)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

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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