Clinical Trial Intelligence

Which EU Sites Lead Head and Neck Cancer Phase I–III Trials?

17 June 2026

Across 78 unique CTIS head and neck cancer / HNSCC trials authorized from 2024–2026, the European site network is concentrated in a small set of oncology hubs. Institut Gustave Roussy leads with 30 trial participations, followed by Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron with 28. France is the largest country market with 379/1,447 site slots (26.2%) and 3,542/10,345 planned participants (34.2%).

Trials included
78
unique phase I–III CTIS HNSCC trials
Site slots
1,447
country-level site allocations
Participants
10,345
planned country-level participants
Top site
30
Institut Gustave Roussy participations
Top country
379
France site slots
Top modality
46/78
trials include monoclonal antibodies

Top EU HNSCC trial sites are concentrated in France and Spain

The top 10 sites account for repeated participation across 78 unique trials. Institut Gustave Roussy appears in 30/78 trials (38.5%), while Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron appears in 28/78 trials (35.9%).

Top 10 sites by share of trials in which the site appears
Institut Gustave Roussy
30 · 38.5%
France
Hospital Universitari Vall D Hebron
28 · 35.9%
Spain
Centre Leon Berard
19 · 24.4%
France
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori
18 · 23.1%
Italy
Hospital Universitario 12 De Octubre
18 · 23.1%
Spain
Institut Catala D'oncologia
18 · 23.1%
Spain
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire De Bordeaux
15 · 19.2%
France
Centre Hospitalier Regional De Marseille
14 · 17.9%
France
Humanitas Mirasole S.p.A.
14 · 17.9%
Italy
Hospital Universitario Fundacion Jimenez Diaz
14 · 17.9%
Spain
Measure: unique trial participations per normalized site name; denominator = 78 trials.
Ranked table
Site Country Trials Share
1. Institut Gustave Roussy France 30 38.5%
2. Hospital Universitari Vall D Hebron Spain 28 35.9%
3. Centre Leon Berard France 19 24.4%
4. Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori Italy 18 23.1%
5. Hospital Universitario 12 De Octubre Spain 18 23.1%
6. Institut Catala D'oncologia Spain 18 23.1%
7. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire De Bordeaux France 15 19.2%
8. Centre Hospitalier Regional De Marseille France 14 17.9%
9. Humanitas Mirasole S.p.A. Italy 14 17.9%
10. Hospital Universitario Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Spain 14 17.9%
Interpretation

For sponsor feasibility, the practical first screen is not country alone. A small number of high-repetition HNSCC hubs—especially Gustave Roussy and Vall d’Hebron—anchor access to both early-phase and pivotal oncology infrastructure.

France leads site volume and patient allocation

Country-level site allocation is led by France with 379/1,447 site slots (26.2%), followed by Spain with 295/1,447 (20.4%), Germany with 185/1,447 (12.8%), and Italy with 175/1,447 (12.1%).

Top countries by site slots
France
379 · 26.2%
country-level site slots
Spain
295 · 20.4%
country-level site slots
Germany
185 · 12.8%
country-level site slots
Italy
175 · 12.1%
country-level site slots
Belgium
88 · 6.1%
country-level site slots
Poland
76 · 5.3%
country-level site slots
Portugal
39 · 2.7%
country-level site slots
Netherlands
35 · 2.4%
country-level site slots
Denominator = 1,447 country-level site slots.
Top countries by participants
France
3,542 · 34.2%
planned country-level participants
Spain
1,679 · 16.2%
planned country-level participants
Germany
1,086 · 10.5%
planned country-level participants
Netherlands
761 · 7.4%
planned country-level participants
Italy
758 · 7.3%
planned country-level participants
Belgium
723 · 7.0%
planned country-level participants
Poland
358 · 3.5%
planned country-level participants
Denmark
209 · 2.0%
planned country-level participants
Denominator = 10,345 planned country-level participants.
Interpretation

France is the clearest anchor market because it combines the highest site count and the highest planned patient allocation. Spain is the second operational pillar, while Germany and Italy add broad site coverage but lower patient concentration than France.

Phase III drives the largest site and patient burden

Phase III accounts for 23/78 trials (29.5%), but 611/1,447 site slots (42.2%) and 5,047/10,345 planned participants (48.8%).

Phase I
15
19.2% of trials
133 site slots
1,386 participants
Phase I/II
19
24.4% of trials
470 site slots
2,228 participants
Phase II
21
26.9% of trials
233 site slots
1,684 participants
Phase III
23
29.5% of trials
611 site slots
5,047 participants
Site slots by phase label
Phase I
133 · 9.2%
15 trials · 1,386 participants
Phase I/II
470 · 32.5%
19 trials · 2,228 participants
Phase II
233 · 16.1%
21 trials · 1,684 participants
Phase III
611 · 42.2%
23 trials · 5,047 participants
Phase labels use the trial-stage field; phase-combination trials are counted once.
Interpretation

Early-phase HNSCC work is important for site selection, but the heavy operational footprint comes from pivotal and phase-bridging programs. This suggests that late-phase country feasibility should be pressure-tested separately from early-phase investigator access.

Recurrent/metastatic HNSCC consumes the most site capacity

Recurrent/metastatic HNSCC represents 18/78 trials (23.1%) but 661/1,447 site slots (45.7%), making it the largest operational segment.

Disease setting share of site slots
Recurrent/metastatic HNSCC
661 · 45.7%
18 trials · 3,012 participants
HNSCC / SCCHN
304 · 21.0%
18 trials · 2,935 participants
Multi-tumor basket including HNSCC
293 · 20.2%
23 trials · 2,175 participants
Locally advanced HNSCC
99 · 6.8%
5 trials · 518 participants
Oropharyngeal / HPV-defined SCC
43 · 3.0%
6 trials · 426 participants
Head and neck cancer, broad
39 · 2.7%
6 trials · 851 participants
Oral squamous cell carcinoma
8 · 0.6%
2 trials · 428 participants
Each trial is assigned to one primary HNSCC-related disease-setting category.
Interpretation

The site burden is not evenly distributed across head and neck cancer. Recurrent/metastatic programs require the widest operational network, while multi-tumor baskets include many trials but generate fewer site slots per trial.

Monoclonal antibodies dominate the HNSCC trial network

Monoclonal antibodies appear in 46/78 trials (59.0%), followed by small molecules in 33/78 (42.3%) and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in 9/78 (11.5%). Combination treatment is used in 49/78 trials (62.8%).

Trials by modality
Monoclonal antibody
46 · 59.0%
1,157 site-modality assignments
Small molecule
33 · 42.3%
637 site-modality assignments
ADC
9 · 11.5%
195 site-modality assignments
Radiopharmaceutical
4 · 5.1%
15 site-modality assignments
Bispecific antibody
3 · 3.8%
128 site-modality assignments
Cell therapy
3 · 3.8%
3 site-modality assignments
Vaccine
2 · 2.6%
20 site-modality assignments
Other
13 · 16.7%
354 site-modality assignments
Unspecified
8 · 10.3%
49 site-modality assignments
Trials can include more than one modality; percentages use 78 trials as denominator.
Most frequent active substances
Pembrolizumab 17/78
Cisplatin 12/78
Carboplatin 11/78
Cetuximab 11/78
Nivolumab 7/78
Interpretation

The HNSCC site network is still shaped primarily by immuno-oncology and chemo-immunotherapy infrastructure. ADCs are visible but remain a smaller segment, concentrated in early and phase-bridging development rather than dominating the overall site map.

Definitions used in this report

HNSCC means head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. A site participation means one site appearing in one unique trial. A country-level site slot is the site count allocated to a country within a trial. Trial-level modality counts allow one trial to contribute to multiple modalities when the protocol includes combination products.