Short Course Radiation Therapy in Palliative Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer

SHort Course Accelerated RadiatiON Therapy (SHARON) in Palliative Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer: an Interventional, Randomized, Multicentric Study

Aim of the study is to assess efficacy of a short course radiation treatment in patients with symptomatic head and neck (H&N) malignant lesions

Standard treatment for H&N lesions (3000 cGy in 10 daily fractions of 300 cGy each) is compared with experimental treatment (2000 cGy in 4 fractions of 500 cGy twice a day) to demonstrate non-inferiority of this scheme

Inclusion Criteria:

• symptomatic H&N malignant lesions (primary solid tumors or metastases from solid tumor)
• age>18 years
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status 0-3
• no changes in supportive care in the week before radiotherapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnancy
• previous irradiation of the same region