Preservation of Swallowing in Respected Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Examining Radiation Volume Effects (PRESERVE): A Randomized Trial

This study is testing whether reducing the area of the neck treated with radiation after surgery for mouth cancer can protect swallowing function while still being safe. Patients are randomly assigned to either standard radiation covering both sides of the neck or a reduced area covering only one side. **You may be eligible if...** - You have been diagnosed with mouth (oral cavity) squamous cell carcinoma that has been surgically removed - You had at least a selective neck dissection (removal of lymph nodes from the neck) on one side - Your pathology report shows features that require radiation after surgery (such as close or positive margins, nerve/vessel invasion, advanced tumor stage, or positive lymph nodes) - At least one side of the neck had no cancer found in lymph nodes, with at least 10 nodes recovered - You are in good enough health to receive radiation **You may NOT be eligible if...** - You have had head and neck cancer in the past 5 years - You have another active cancer - You previously had radiation to the head or neck - You have serious medical conditions that prevent radiation therapy Talk to your doctor to see if this trial is right for you.