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NCT Number: NCT04693377

Cryoablation Combined With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Painful Bone Metastases, the CROME Trial

This trial compares cryoablation combined with stereotactic body radiation therapy to stereotactic body radiation therapy alone to see how well they work in treating patients with pain from cancer that has spread to the bones (bone metastases). Bone is a common site of metastasis in advanced cancer, and bone metastases often result in debilitating cancer-related pain. The current standard of care to treat painful bone metastases is radiation therapy alone. However, many patients do not get adequate pain relief from radiation therapy alone. Another type of therapy that may be used to provide pain relief from bone metastases is cryoablation. Cryoablation is a procedure in which special needles are inserted into the tumor site. These needles grow ice balls at their tips to freeze and kill cancer cells. The goal of this trial is to compare how well cryoablation in combination with radiation therapy works to radiation therapy alone when given to cancer patients to provide pain relief from bone metastases.

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Key information

Conditions

Castration-Resistant Prostate Carcinoma Adenocarcinoma Carcinoma Carcinoma, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Transitional Cell Colonic Diseases Colorectal Neoplasms Digestive System Diseases Digestive System Neoplasms Endocrine Gland Neoplasms Endocrine System Diseases Female Urogenital Diseases Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications Gastrointestinal Diseases Gastrointestinal Neoplasms Genital Diseases Genital Diseases, Male Genital Neoplasms, Male Head and Neck Neoplasms Intestinal Diseases Intestinal Neoplasms Kidney Diseases Kidney Neoplasms Male Urogenital Diseases Melanoma Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma Metastatic Malignant Neoplasm in the Bone Metastatic Malignant Solid Neoplasm Metastatic Melanoma Metastatic Prostate Carcinoma Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastatic Sarcoma Metastatic Thyroid Gland Carcinoma Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma Neoplasm Metastasis Neoplasms Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms, Connective and Soft Tissue Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue Neoplastic Processes Neuroectodermal Tumors Neuroendocrine Tumors Nevi and Melanomas Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Prostatic Diseases Prostatic Neoplasms Rectal Diseases Sarcoma Skin Diseases Skin Neoplasms Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases Stage IV Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8 Stage IV Prostate Cancer AJCC v8 Stage IV Renal Cell Cancer AJCC v8 Stage IVA Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8 Stage IVA Prostate Cancer AJCC v8 Stage IVB Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8 Stage IVB Prostate Cancer AJCC v8 Stage IVC Colorectal Cancer AJCC v8 Thyroid Diseases Thyroid Neoplasms Urogenital Diseases Urogenital Neoplasms Urologic Diseases Urologic Neoplasms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

M D Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Rahul A. Sheth, MD

CONTACT

713-745-0652

Rahul A. Sheth, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the efficacy of cryoablation in combination with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) or SBRT only for the treatment of painful bone metastases.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess for narcotics utilization by daily morphine equivalent dose. II. To assess duration of pain response reported by International Pain Response Criteria.

III. To assess for local tumor control. IV. To assess for changes in patient quality of life with Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) score.

V. To assess for adverse event rates. VI. To assess incidence and severity of adverse events/toxicity. VII. To assess technical success for cryoablation.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:

I. To investigate the local microenvironmental changes following SBRT and cryoablation combined with SBRT to bone metastases.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM A: Patients undergo stereotactic body radiation therapy for 1 fraction.

ARM B: Patients undergo cryoablation. Within 10 days after cryoablation, patients undergo stereotactic body radiation therapy for 1 fraction.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient must have a primary diagnosis of malignancy and radiographic evidence of bone metastases. Eligible tumor histologies include the following malignancies with low alpha/beta ratios: renal cell carcinoma, urothelial carcinomas, castration-resistant prostate cancer, sarcoma, thyroid carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, and melanoma
  • A target lesion the meets the following criteria:
  • The target lesion must be amenable to both cryoablation and SBRT, as determined by the study principal investigators (PIs)
  • The target lesion must be =< 7cm
  • The pain due to the target lesion must be at least 4/10 based on the BPI pain scale
  • Pain from the metastatic site must correlate with an identifiable tumor on computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or ultrasound (US) imaging
  • Life expectancy >= 3 months
  • Platelet count > 50,000/mm^3 within 6 weeks of screening
  • International normalized ratio (INR) < 1.5 within 6 weeks of screening
  • If taking antiplatelet or anticoagulation medication, it must be able to be discontinued 48 hours prior to the procedure or at the discretion of the PI (e.g., aspirin, ibuprofen, low molecular weight heparin [LMWH] preparations)
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =< 1 (Karnofsky >= 70%) within 6 weeks of screening
  • Evidence of post-menopausal status or negative urinary or serum pregnancy test for female pre-menopausal patients. Women will be considered post-menopausal if they have been amenorrheic for 12 months without an alternative medical cause. The following age-specific requirements apply: Women < 50 years of age would be considered post-menopausal if they have been amenorrheic for 12 months or more following cessation of exogenous hormonal treatments and if they have luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in the post-menopausal range for the institution or underwent surgical sterilization. Women >= 50 years of age would be considered post-menopausal if they have been amenorrheic for 12 months or more following cessation of all exogenous hormonal treatments, had radiation-induced menopause with last menses > 1 year ago, had chemotherapy-induced menopause with last menses > 1 year ago, or underwent surgical sterilization
  • All lines of prior systemic therapy are permissible. Standard concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy are permissible
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion criteria

  • Prior locoregional therapy to target lesion, including ablation of any modality, embolization, radiation, or surgery
  • Patient may not be receiving any other investigational agents. Standard concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy will be allowed
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, interstitial lung disease, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Pregnant or nursing women; women of childbearing potential unless using effective contraception as determined by the investigator
  • Target lesions that involve the spinal column or calvarium
  • Absolute neutrophil count < 1000 mm^3 within 6 weeks of screening
  • Active infection
  • Presence of confirmed pathologic fracture at the target lesion not amenable to percutaneous stabilization
  • Lesions that involve a weight-bearing long bone of the lower extremity with the tumor causing > 50% loss of cortical bone. Lesions involving the hands and feet

Treatment and study plan

Cryosurgery

Procedure

Undergo cryoablation

Other names: Ablation, Cryo, Cryoablation, cryosurgical ablation

Quality-of-Life Assessment

Other

Ancillary studies

Other names: Quality of Life Assessment

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Radiation

Undergo stereotactic body radiation therapy

Other names: SABR, SBRT, Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation Therapy

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain response

    Time frame: At 12 weeks post-treatment

    Defined as complete or partial response as reported by the International Pain Response Criteria at the site of the treated bone metastasis based on the BPI pain score and daily morphine equivalent (MEDD). Will be summarized separately for each treatment arm with associated 95% exact confidence intervals.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Daily morphine equivalent (MEDD)

    Time frame: Baseline, assessed up to 24 weeks post-treatment

  2. Duration of response

    Time frame: Up to 24 weeks post-treatment

    Will be assessed by performing area under the curve (AUC) analysis of Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) pain scores.

  3. Local control

    Time frame: Up to 24 weeks post-treatment

    Will be determined by imaging evidence of residual viable tumor. Standard of care cross-sectional imaging and bone scintigraphy will be performed at 3 month intervals.

  4. Rate and severity of adverse and serious related adverse events

    Time frame: Within 30 days of the last study treatment

    Point estimates and two-sided 95% confidence intervals will be generated for procedural related adverse events.

  5. Technical success for cryoablation

    Time frame: Up to 24 weeks post-treatment

    Will be determined by identifying on intra-procedural imaging when the leading edge of the ice successfully extends beyond the tumor margin by at least 5 mm.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Rahul A. Sheth, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

713-745-0652

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Cryoablation Combined With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Painful Bone Metastases

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 5, 2021
Registry last updated
Apr 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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