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Evaluating Residual Circulating Tumor DNA Levels After Surgery for Directing Adjuvant Treatment in Patients with HPV-Mediated Oropharynx Cancer, SAVAL Trial

Trial Status: active

This phase I/II trial tests if a new blood test called a circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) test, can decrease the number of patients that require radiation after surgery for human papillomavirus (HPV)-mediated oropharynx cancer. This blood test is often elevated in people when they are diagnosed with head and neck cancer. There are studies that show that cancer most often returns when this blood test is positive after treatment. For those not in the study, radiation is typically given for high risk and medium risk surgery findings. The hope is that radiation and its potential side effects can be limited to only patients that need the treatment. This study will test if radiation can be skipped when the tumor DNA test is negative after surgery.