NCT03558789 (TORCAD) is a clinical trial of bovine lactoferrin in Metallic Taste, sponsored by Centre Hospitalier de Valence.

Who is sponsoring NCT03558789?

NCT03558789 is sponsored by Centre Hospitalier de Valence.

What drugs are being tested in NCT03558789?

Interventions in NCT03558789: bovine lactoferrin.

What condition does NCT03558789 study?

NCT03558789 studies Metallic Taste.

Is NCT03558789 still recruiting?

NCT03558789 is currently completed. Last updated 8 September 2025.

Last reviewed 2025-09-08 · How we verify

NCT03558789: TORCAD

Name: Drug Landscape Pharmaceutical Database
Creator: Drug Landscape
Published: 2026-01-01
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Metallic Taste Before, During and After Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer

Completed Last updated 8 September 2025

What this trial tests

trial testing bovine lactoferrin in Metallic Taste in 100 participants. Completed in 1 December 2023.

Timeline

26 April 2018

Primary endpoint
1 December 2022

1 December 2023

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Centre Hospitalier de Valence
Status	Completed
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	100
Start date	26 April 2018
Primary completion	1 December 2022
Estimated completion	1 December 2023
Sites	1 location across France

Drugs / interventions tested

bovine lactoferrin — full drug profile →

Conditions studied

Metallic Taste — all drugs for Metallic Taste →

Sponsor

Centre Hospitalier de Valence

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Metallic Taste. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Metallic taste in head and neck cancer is widely under-estimated in the literature. Its causes are multiple and poorly defined. Though it has a strong impact on the nutritional status. The main objective of the TORCAD project is to test the hypothesis that intraoral lipoperoxidation is associated to metallic taste onset before, during and after treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC). The secondary goals are to evaluate the involvement of others physiopathological factors in metallic taste: (i) additional chemical modification in the saliva; (ii) release of inhibition of the facial nerve on the glossopharyngeal nerve; presence of an intraoral electric current; food pleasantness and acceptability; quality of life.

Publications & conference data

2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

The nutritional impact of metallic taste in head and neck cancer patients: explorations and clinical implications.
Buiret G, Brignot H, Septier C, Thomas-Danguin T, et al · · 2024 · cited 1× · PMID 39256281 · DOI 10.1007/s00520-024-08854-z
The Nutritional Impact of Metallic Taste in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: Explorations and Clinical Implications
Buiret G, Brignot H, Septier C, Thomas-Danguin T, et al · · 2024 · DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4462168/v1

Verify or expand the search:

Other trials of bovine lactoferrin

Trials testing the same drug.

NCT06015828 — Effect of Enteral Bovine Lactoferrin in Preterm Infants · NA · completed

Other Centre Hospitalier de Valence trials

Trials by the same sponsor.

NCT06184880 — Effect of Physical Activity Program on Sedentary of Patients With Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancer · NA · recruiting
NCT05618392 — Pain Assessment Following Placement of a Percutaneous Radiologic Gastrostomy and Predictive Factors · recruiting
NCT05227157 — GOUTMETALSAIN: Comparison of the Perception of Metallic Taste According to Lingual Locations in Healthy Volunteers · completed
NCT05150470 — Evaluation of the Dental Movements Caused by Oral Appliance in Sleep Apnea Syndrome · NA · completed
NCT05056766 — How Does the Clinical and Paraclinical Efficacy of an Oral Appliance Evolved According to Propulsion: Control With Each · completed

Verify against primary sources

ClinicalTrials.gov — authoritative US registry record
WHO ICTRP — international registry index
EU Clinical Trials Register
Sponsor press releases (Google)

Data sources for this page

Trial protocol + status: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03558789 (US National Library of Medicine, public domain)
Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by Centre Hospitalier de Valence
Last refreshed: 8 September 2025

Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT03558789.

Primary sources · FDA · ClinicalTrials.gov · EMA · SEC EDGAR · ChEMBL · Wikidata · full sourcing