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NCT Number: NCT07254962

CApecitabine Prior to TUmor Resection in Ent Oncology (CAPTURE)

head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a type of cancer that affects areas such as the mouth, throat, and voice box. Despite medical progress, little has changed in the care for patients with HPV-negative cancer. The standard care involves surgery followed by radiation or chemotherapy if needed. However, delays in starting treatment - especially beyond six weeks - are linked to worse outcomes. Many patients also experience cancer returning within two years, often making it harder to treat. This study aims to improve outcomes by giving patients a short course of capecitabine, a chemotherapy pill, before surgery. Capecitabine is easier to tolerate than traditional intravenous chemotherapy and has shown promising results in shrinking tumors. Researchers believe that starting this oral treatment early could reduce delays, shrink tumors, make surgery less complex, and improve survival. The clinical trial will randomly assign patients with newly diagnosed stage III or IVa HPV-negative head and neck cancer to receive either standard care or capecitabine before surgery. Surgery will be performed within six weeks of diagnosis, followed by additional therapy as needed. The study will measure how well the tumor responds under the microscope after surgery, how much it shrinks on scans, the safety of the treatment, and cancer-free survival at two years. It will also explore biological markers linked to treatment response.

If successful, this approach could offer a simpler, faster, and more effective way to treat head and neck cancer, leading to earlier treatment, less invasive surgery, and improved patient outcomes. The study plans to include about 62 patients to evaluate the benefits of this new treatment strategy

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Key information

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • • Previously untreated, histologically confirmed non-HPV related HNSCC and radiologically or histologically confirmed stage I or IVA (AJCC 8th edition).
  • No evidence of distant metastatic disease.
  • Able to undergo protocol therapy, including necessary imaging and surgery.
  • If female: may participate if not actively pregnancy nor breastfeeding.
  • If male: must agree to refrain from donating sperm and must either be abstinent or agree to use contraception.
  • Performance status (ECOG) of 0, 1 or 2.

Exclusion criteria

  • History of immunodeficiency, HBV, HCV, HIV. No HBV, HCV or HIV testing is required unless mandated by local health authority.
  • Active infection requiring systemic therapy.
  • Previous allogenic tissue/solid organ transplant.
  • Known severe hypersensitivity (≥ Grade 3) to capecitabine, its active substance and/or any of its excipients.
  • History or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the participant's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the participant to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator.
  • Known DYPD mutation.
  • Known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperating with the requirements of the trial.
  • Received prior systemic anticancer therapy including investigational agents for the current malignancy prior to allocation.
  • Currently participating in or has participated in a trial of an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment.
  • Known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment within the past (5 years), excluding basal cell carcinoma or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatment and study plan

Capecitabine

Drug

Patients will receive fixed-dose capecitabine prior to surgery

Standard of Care (SOC)

Other

Standard of care (no intervention until surgery)

Primary outcomes

  1. Pathologic response

    Time frame: From initiation of capecitabine to surgery

    modified Ryan criteria: score based on the following: no viable cancer, rare groups of cancer cells, residual cancer with tumor regression, no evident tumor regression

Secondary outcomes

  1. Treatment toxicity (grade 3 or greater)

    Time frame: Within first 60 days of treatment initiation

    CTCAE version 5 grade 3 or greater

Other outcomes

  1. Disease-Free Survival

    Time frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 60 months

    Disease-Free Survival: length of time after definitive therapy during which free from cancer.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Marco Mascarella, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, MD, MSc, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

514-934-1934

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sir Mortimer B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • Lady Davis Institute
  • McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Registry information

Acronym: CAPTURE

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2031
First posted
Nov 28, 2025
Registry last updated
Nov 28, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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