Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42057029›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2026

De-escalation of adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy for patients with HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: study protocol for a phase I trial to reduce late toxicity (DELPHI).

Annett Linge, Fabian Lohaus, Steffen Appold, Esther G C Troost, Amir Abdollahi, Susann Kowal, Daniel Büttner, Steffen Löck, Michael Baumann, Mechthild Krause

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03396718 (De-escalation of Adjuvant Radio), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03396718 narecruitingnot on this map

De-escalation of Adjuvant Radio (Chemo) Therapy for HPV-positive Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas: A Phase I Study to Reduce Late Toxicity

TypeinterventionalSponsorTechnische Universität DresdenRan2018 to 2032Enrolled304ConditionsHead-and-neck Squamous Cell CarcinomaArmsDe-escalation radio(chemo)therapy - Level 1, De-escalation radio(chemo)therapy - Level 2, Standard radio(chemotherapy)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Annett LingeDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany. annett.linge@uniklinikum-dresden.de.
Fabian LohausDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
Steffen AppoldDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
Esther G C TroostDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
Amir AbdollahiClinical Cooperation Unit Translational Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Core-Center Heidelberg, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Susann KowalDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
Daniel BüttnerDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
Steffen LöckDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
Michael BaumannOncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.
Mechthild KrauseDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are receiving adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy as standard of care, according to national guidelines. However, patients with human papilloma virus (HPV) driven oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), are shown to have superior locoregional control (LRC) rates, suggesting that they are likely being overtreated. To date it is unknown, if and to which extent adjuvant radiotherapy can be safely reduced. METHODS AND

designThe interventional multicentric DELPHI trial is investigating step-wise radiation dose reduction in patients with both p16-overexpressing and HPV16 DNA positive OPSCC. Depending on international clinical and histopathological risk factors, patients are being enrolled in the high-risk or intermediate-risk arm. Patients of the high-risk arm are receiving standard simultaneous chemotherapy with cisplatin. Patients with smoking history of at least 30 packyears are being treated in the observational arm. Primary endpoint of the DELPHI trial is LRC after 24 months. Secondary endpoints are acute and late toxicity, quality of life during and up to 24 months after the end of therapy as well as LRC and overall survival after 60 months. DISCUSSION: Primary aim of the DELPHI trial is to show that radiation dose reduction is safe and therefore feasible in patients with HPV-positive OPSCC. Secondary objective is to show that radiation-dose reduction leads to less late toxicity compared with standard treatment and thus improves quality of life.

trial registrationThe DELPHI trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT03396718.

Indexed as

Chemoradiotherapy, AdjuvantHead and Neck NeoplasmsPapillomavirus InfectionsSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckCisplatinClinical Trials, Phase I as TopicFemaleHuman papillomavirus 16HumansMaleMulticenter Studies as TopicQuality of LifeCisplatinDose de-escalationHNSCCHPVOropharyngeal carcinomaPhase I clinical trialRadiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID42057029
PMCPMC13130450

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.