Comparing an Investigational Scan (F-18 NaF PET/CT) to Standard of Care Imaging (F-18 FDG PET/CT) for Evaluating Vascular Complications in Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

October 20, 2025 updated by: Amol Takalkar, Emory University

Assessment of Radiation-Induced Vascular Complications in Patients With Head and Neck Cancers With PET/CT Imaging

This early phase I trial compares sodium fluoride F-18 (F-18 NaF) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to the standard of care imaging scan (and fludeoxyglucose F-18 [F-18 FDG] PET/CT) for assessing the effects radiation therapy has on the blood vessels in the neck in patients with head and neck cancers. For people with cancers in the head and neck, doctors often use radiation to target both the tumor and nearby glands. Radiation therapy to this region can affect the blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain. F-18 NaF and F-18 FDG are contrast agents that can be used together with PET/CT imaging to visualize areas inside the body. A PET scan is a procedure in which a small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein, and a scanner is used to make detailed, computerized pictures of areas inside the body where the glucose is taken up. A CT scan is a procedure that uses a computer linked to an x-ray machine to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. The pictures are taken from different angles and are used to create 3-dimensional views of tissues and organs. Combining a PET scan with a CT scan can help make the image easier to interpret. PET/CT scans are hybrid scanners that combine both modalities into a single scan during the same examination. Imaging with F-18 NaF PET/CT may be as effective or more effective than the standard F-18 FDG PET/CT for assessing the effects radiation therapy has on blood vessels in the neck in patients with head and neck cancers.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the role of FDG- and NaF-PET in assessing radiation-induced vascular complications by comparing baseline and follow-up scans in patients with head and neck cancer.

II. To assess the presence and extent of radiation-induced vascular inflammation following proton versus (vs) photon radiation therapy (RT) in patients with head and neck cancer.

III. To determine the correlation between inflammation and actual radiation dose received to the vasculature to assess the effects of dose response.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the effect of radiation-induced vascular inflammation (possibly atherosclerosis) on global brain function as measured by FDG-PET.

OUTLINE: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive F-18 NaF intravenously (IV) and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each standard of care (SOC) F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMRT.

ARM II: Patients receive F-18 NaF IV and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each SOC F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMPT.

After completion of study intervention, patients are followed up within one to five business days.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Phase

  • Early 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 Locations

  • United States
    • Georgia
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30308
        • Recruiting
        • Emory University Hospital Midtown
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Amol M. Takalkar, MD, MS, MBA, FACNM

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males and females 18 years of age and older
  • Diagnosis of clinical stage III-IVb (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] 8th edition) squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (human papillomavirus [HPV]-negative), larynx, or hypopharynx, or clinical stage I-III (AJCC 8th edition) HPV-associated squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx receiving curative-intent, organ preservation (non-surgical)
  • Treatment with concurrent chemoradiotherapy per institutional standard of care at the discretion of Medical Oncology. RT is delivered per institutional standard of care at the discretion of Radiation Oncology
  • Patients must give protocol-specific consent on an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved consent form prior to completion of protocol-specific testing/procedures

  • Women are eligible to participate in the study if they meet one of the following criteria:

    • Females of childbearing potential (FCBP) must have a negative pregnancy test at baseline and follow-up visit. Women of childbearing potential must undergo pregnancy testing during each study visit and agree to use at least one of the following methods of contraception throughout the study duration:

      • Oral contraceptives, transdermal contraceptives, injectable or implantable methods, intrauterine devices, and/or vaginal ring
      • Women who are postmenopausal (for at least one year), sterile, or hysterectomized;
      • Women who have undergone tubal ligation will be required to undergo pregnancy testing during each study visit

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Adults who are unable to consent
  • Pregnant women
  • Prisoners
  • Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier (i.e., have residual toxicities > grade 1)
  • Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents or an investigational device within 21 days before administration of the F-18 NaF for the pre-RT PET/CT imaging
  • Patients planned to receive any immunotherapy agent during their radiotherapy or in the interval between radiotherapy and post-RT PET/CT imaging
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to F-18 NaF or other agents used in the study
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Significant cardiovascular disease (eg, myocardial infarction, arterial thromboembolism, cerebrovascular thromboembolism) within 3 months prior to study entry; angina requiring therapy; symptomatic peripheral vascular disease; New York Heart Association class 3 or 4 congestive heart failure; or uncontrolled grade >= 3 hypertension (diastolic blood pressure >= 100 mmHg or systolic blood pressure >= 160 mmHg) despite antihypertensive therapy

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: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm I (F-18 NaF PET/CT)
Patients receive F-18 NaF IV and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each SOC F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC IMRT and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMRT.
Radiation: Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy
Undergo IMRT
Other Names:
  • IMRT
  • Intensity Modulated RT
  • Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy
  • Radiation, Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy
  • Intensity modulated radiation therapy (procedure)
Procedure: Computed Tomography
Undergo PET/CT
Other Names:
  • CT
  • CAT
  • CAT Scan
  • Computed Axial Tomography
  • Computerized Axial Tomography
  • Computerized Tomography
  • CT Scan
  • tomography
  • Computerized axial tomography (procedure)
  • Computerized Tomography (CT) scan
Procedure: Positron Emission Tomography
Undergo PET/CT
Other Names:
  • Medical Imaging, Positron Emission Tomography
  • PET
  • PET Scan
  • Positron Emission Tomography Scan
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • PT
  • Positron emission tomography (procedure)
Other: Fludeoxyglucose F-18
Given F-18 FDG
Other Names:
  • 18FDG
  • FDG
  • fludeoxyglucose F 18
  • Fludeoxyglucose (18F)
  • Fludeoxyglucose F18
  • Fluorine-18 2-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-Glucose
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Drug: Sodium Fluoride F-18
Given IV
Other Names:
  • 18 F-NaF
  • F-18 NaF
  • Fluorine F 18 Sodium Fluoride
  • NaF F18
  • Sodium Fluoride F18
Experimental: Arm II (F-18 NaF PET/CT)
Patients receive F-18 NaF IV and undergo PET/CT within 28 days of each SOC F-18 FDG PET/CT on study, once prior to initiation of SOC IMPT and once 12 weeks after completion of SOC IMPT.
Procedure: Computed Tomography
Undergo PET/CT
Other Names:
  • CT
  • CAT
  • CAT Scan
  • Computed Axial Tomography
  • Computerized Axial Tomography
  • Computerized Tomography
  • CT Scan
  • tomography
  • Computerized axial tomography (procedure)
  • Computerized Tomography (CT) scan
Procedure: Positron Emission Tomography
Undergo PET/CT
Other Names:
  • Medical Imaging, Positron Emission Tomography
  • PET
  • PET Scan
  • Positron Emission Tomography Scan
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • PT
  • Positron emission tomography (procedure)
Procedure: Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy
Undergo IMPT
Other Names:
  • IMPT
Other: Fludeoxyglucose F-18
Given F-18 FDG
Other Names:
  • 18FDG
  • FDG
  • fludeoxyglucose F 18
  • Fludeoxyglucose (18F)
  • Fludeoxyglucose F18
  • Fluorine-18 2-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-Glucose
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Drug: Sodium Fluoride F-18
Given IV
Other Names:
  • 18 F-NaF
  • F-18 NaF
  • Fluorine F 18 Sodium Fluoride
  • NaF F18
  • Sodium Fluoride F18

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Radiation-induced vascular complications
Time Frame: Prior to and after undergoing radiation therapy, up to 6 months
Will compare the presence and extent of radiation therapy (RT)-induced vascular complications between the two treatment modalities. The average standardized uptake volume (SUV) max and mean of fludeoxyglucose F-18 (FDG)- and sodium fluoride F-18 (NaF)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scans pre- and post RT will be computed. Will assess the change in average SUVmax and SUVmean of FDG- and NaF-PET/CT scans pre- and post-RT. Will also assess the difference in average SUV mean between proton and photon RT. Will assess the difference in change in SUV mean between intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and intensity-modulated photon therapy (IMPT) using a two-sample independent t-test or the Wilcoxon rank sum test for each SUVmean/max. A multivariable linear regression model with a backward elimination approach will be used to test the effect of clinicopathological variables on the change in SUVmax.
Prior to and after undergoing radiation therapy, up to 6 months
Radiation-induced vascular inflammation following IMRT or IMPT
Time Frame: Baseline up to 6 months
Will evaluate the presence and extent of radiation-induced vascular inflammation following IMRT versus IMPT. Will determine the correlation between the actual radiation dose and radiation-induced vascular inflammation, measured by the average SUVmax/mean, and will be done using Pearson's correlation or Spearman's correlation analysis, as appropriate.
Baseline up to 6 months
Percentage volumetric dose
Time Frame: Baseline up to 6 months
The percentage volumetric dose will be recorded to determine the correlation between the actual radiation dose and the radiation-induced vascular inflammation, measured by the average SUVmax/mean, and will be done using Pearson's correlation or Spearman's correlation analysis, as appropriate.
Baseline up to 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total brain FDG uptake
Time Frame: Baseline up to 6 months
Will assess the association of total brain FDG uptake between the two scanning methods (FDG and NaF PET/CT). The total brain FDG uptake pre- and post-RT will be measured. Will assess the association between the average SUVmax/mean difference of FDG- and NaF-PET/CT scans and the total brain FDG uptake. Will be performed using Pearson's correlation or Spearman's correlation analysis, as appropriate.
Baseline up to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Emory University

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Amol M Takalkar, MD, MS, MBA, FACNM, Emory University

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)

December 3, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 1, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 1, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

April 7, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

October 22, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 20, 2025

Last Verified

October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STUDY00008261 (Other Identifier: Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute)
  • P30CA138292 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NCI-2025-00404 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))
  • H-N Ca Patients (Other Identifier: Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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