High-dose Prophylactic Gabapentin (HOPE) vs. Placebo to Prevent Opioid Use for Oral Mucositis Pain During Concurrent Chemoradiation for Head and Neck Cancer
High-Dose Prophylactic Gabapentin (HOPE) to Prevent Opioid Use for Oral Mucositis Pain During Head and Neck Chemoradiotherapy: A Phase III Clinical Trial
Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
228 participants
Jun 5, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
This phase III trial tests if gabapentin can prevent the need for opiate pain medication for mouth sores (oral mucositis) in patients undergoing treatment with chemotherapy and radiation for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region. Oral mucositis is a common side effect of radiation treatment and can cause severe pain, dysphagia, and weight loss resulting in feeding tube placement, worse health-related quality of life, treatment interruptions, unplanned hospitalizations, and significant financial burden. Mucositis pain is often treated with opioid pain medications which do provide pain relief but have many known side effects not limited to mental clouding, constipation, fatigue, endocrinopathy, neurotoxicity, sleep-disordered breathing, and most distressingly persistent opioid use. Gabapentin may help relieve pain from oral mucositis caused by radiation while also reducing the need for opiate pain medications for patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria25
- Histologic documentation of disease: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region.
- \* Stage: I-IV
- No prior treatment for head and neck cancer
- Planned treatment with cisplatin-based chemoradiation therapy (weekly or once every 3 weeks \[q 3 week\])
- Able to swallow capsules whole
- No known hypersensitivity to gabapentin or its ingredients
- No patients on dialysis or with transplanted organs
- No prior surgery or radiation for head and neck cancer and/or are being treated for recurrent head and neck cancer. Patients with a history of surgery and radioactive iodine for the treatment of thyroid cancer are eligible. Concurrent cancer therapy for other cancers is not allowed
- No planned surgery or chemotherapy or immunotherapy following 7 weeks of standard chemoradiation treatment
- No known brain metastases
- No nonprescribed use of any opioids (including heroin) within 6 months prior to registration
- No prescribed medications for chronic and/or long-term pain and/or neuropathy, including patients under treatment of a pain specialist or substance abuse programs. Acute post-biopsy medications are allowed if the patient has discontinued them 3 days prior to study registration
- No current treatment with mefloquine
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤ 2
- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Not pregnant and not nursing, because this study involves both radiation and chemotherapy. In addition, the genotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects on the developing fetus and newborn are unknown. Therefore, for women of childbearing potential, a negative pregnancy test done \< 7 days prior to registration is required. Women must agree to using contraception for the duration of receiving study drugs and for 6 months after completing chemoradiation
- Not taking medications for a psychotic psychiatric illness
- No existing diagnosis of sleep apnea
- No acute narrow-angle glaucoma
- No uncontrolled concurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
- No investigational agent within 30 days prior to registration
- No enrollment on other studies of systemic pain control agents
- Language: In order to complete the mandatory patient-completed measures, participants must be able to speak and read English or Spanish
- Patients with impaired decision making are not eligible for study
Exclusion Criteria1
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Interventions
Given PO
Given PO
Receive standard of care chemotherapy
Undergo standard of care radiation
Receive standard of care pain medication
Undergo blood sample collection
Ancillary studies
Locations(154)
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NCT06992427