Volunteers sought: People with HPV-positive tonsil and tongue cancers

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is seeking volunteers for a clinical trial for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) positive tonsil or tongue (oropharynx) cancer whose disease has not spread outside of the neck. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and must have never, or almost never, smoked. (For medical professionals: Less than a 10 pack-year smoking history or less than a 10-year history of tobacco product use.)

This trial will combine minimally invasive surgical techniques with a less intense radiation therapy and chemotherapy course. The traditional course of treatment after surgery is six weeks of daily radiation therapy and possibly high-dose chemotherapy. This study will treat patients with two weeks of low-dose chemotherapy and twice-daily radiation. The purpose of the study is to find out if reducing treatment time and dosage can control the cancer while decreasing short-term and long-term side effects associated with treatment.