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NCT07524894Not yet recruitingPhase 2

Staph Nasal Decolonization to Improve Function and Feeding

Staph Nasal Decolonization to Improve Function and Feeding: A Randomized Clinical Trial (SNIFF)

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 1 May 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Radiation therapy is a type of treatment that involves using radiation beams targeted at a cancer to destroy the cancer cells or slow their growth. This type of treatment has helped many cancer patients for decades and is intended to kill cancer cells directly. Patients with head and neck cancer are commonly treated with radiation, sometimes after surgery and sometimes the radiation is delivered with chemotherapy at the same time. Radiation treatments have side effects, and the treating oncologist works with each patient to determine the best treatment and manage the side effects. It has been shown that one of these side effects of radiation is irritation or "sunburn" of the lining of the mouth and throat (radiation mucositis), which can cause difficult or painful swallowing, and pain/discomfort in the mouth/throat. These side effects can lead to dehydration, and weight loss, and sometimes can lead to hospital admissions and treatment delays. This is usually treated by the prescription of pain relievers, dietician support and, if necessary, nutrition via a tube (G-tube). Because of these symptoms involving the mouth and throat, researchers are looking to study the effect of a common ointment antibiotic used to reduce an infection known as Staphylococcus Aureus. The infection is commonly located in the front of the nose, and during treatment this infection can travel from the nose to the throat and worsen the radiation mucositis and the pain it causes. The study will measure if a course of ointment antibiotic in the nose (twice per day, 5 days on, 5 days off, repeated) can reduce your pain during treatment by reducing severe mucositis related to Staphylococcal infection. This study compares the effects of the study treatment with a "placebo," which looks the same but does not contain any active medicine. Neither you nor your doctor will know which one you are receiving until the study ends. The antibiotic used in the study arm is being used "off-label" for intranasal application (it is normally used to treat skin infections). Possible side effects include local skin irritation or allergic reactions, and in rare cases, a severe allergic response (anaphylaxis).

Status (registry)
Not yet recruiting
Phase (registry)
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
126 (estimated)
First submitted
6 Apr 2026
Start date
Jun 2026
Primary completion date
Jan 2028
Lead sponsor
David Palma
NCT number
NCT07524894

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional · Phase 2
  • Planned participants: 126
  • From Jun 2026 to the primary completion date, Jan 2028
  • 1 site in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Other illness

  • Mupirocin allergy
  • Skin or salivary gland malignancy
  • Early stage glottic cancers (T1-2N0)

Who the study is looking for

  • Histologically confirmed mucosal squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, planned to receive a dose equivalent to 60 Gy in 30 fractions or higher, with or without concurrent systemic treatment. This can include hypofractionated regimens of 55 Gy in 20 fractions. Primary sites considered: oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx (excluding T1-T2N0 glottic cancers), hypopharynx. The radiotherapy treatment planned can be definitive or adjuvant.
  • Age ≥18 years.
  • ECOG performance status 0-2
  • Informed consent provided.

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
London Health Sciences Centre
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LondonCanadaUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.