Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05912231

Ultrahypofractionation and Normal Tissue Toxicity

This research is being done to see if proton beam radiation therapy (PBT) results in fewer changes to a participant's heart measured with MRI-imaging than conventional or "photon" radiation therapy (XRT) for participants with non-metastatic left sided breast cancer.

The names of the two study groups in this research study are:

* Proton Radiation Therapy (PBT) * Conventional or "Photon" Radiation Therapy (XRT)

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Female Breast Cancer Stage II Breast Cancer Stage III Breast Diseases Breast Neoplasms Myocardial Fibrosis Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

About this study

This is a randomized phase II trial comparing participants with stage II-III breast cancer treated with accelerated Proton Beam Radiation Therapy (PBT) versus accelerated conventional photon radiation therapy (XRT) inclusive of the regional lymph nodes.

Participants will be randomized into one of two study groups: proton beam radiation therapy versus photon radiation therapy. Randomization means that participants are put into a group by chance.

Study procedures includes screening for eligibility, study treatment visits, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), blood tests, and questionnaires.

The National Cancer Institute, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Claflin Grant are supporting this research by providing funding for the research study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • ≥18 years of age
  • Non-metastatic Breast Cancer patients who are scheduled to receive conventional left-sided or bilateral breast/chest wall RT inclusive of treatment to the internal mammary lymph nodes (IMNs)
  • Prior chemotherapy is permitted
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
  • No contraindication to MRI
  • Patients with right-sided breast cancer or patients with left-sided patients not requiring treatment to the IMNs, but where cardiac anatomy is determined to be unfavorable by the study PI, will be considered eligible.

Exclusion criteria

  • Person who is pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Patients receiving any other investigational agent will not be excluded from study eligibility, unless the patient is already enrolled in an interventional study evaluating cardiac toxicity. No cytotoxic therapy or radiotherapy may be used during radiation therapy.
  • Contra-indication to gadolinium contrast (e.g., chronic kidney disease)
  • Contra-indication to radiotherapy (e.g., scleroderma, p53 mutation)

Treatment and study plan

Accelerated Proton Beam Radiation Therapy (PBT)

Radiation

per protocol

Accelerated Photon Radiation Therapy (XRT)

Radiation

per protocol

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Myocardial Fibrosis from Baseline in Proton Beam Radiation Therapy (PBT)

    Time frame: Up to 7 months (pre-treatment period to 6 month follow up)

    The primary outcome is to determine whether participants who receive accelerated PBT show no increase in myocardial fibrosis on Cardiac MRI (CMR) compared to an estimated 4% increase in extracellular matrix volume fraction (ECV) in participants who receive accelerated XRT. CMR will be performed using a 3T system (Skyra, Siemens). The T1 phase on MRI will be used to measure ECV.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) on CMR from Baseline

    Time frame: Up to 7 months (pre-treatment period to 6 month follow up)

    GLS will be measured using feature tracking from the Steady-state free precession (SSFP) MRI cine images (Medis Suite, Leiden).

  2. Stability of Cardiac Biomarkers from Baseline

    Time frame: Up to 7 months (pre-treatment period to 6 month follow up)

    Cardiac Biomarkers will be measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA).

  3. Body Image Evaluation

    Time frame: Up to 13 months (pre-treatment period to 12 month follow up)

    Assessed by photographic imaging of the breast, chest wall and reconstructed breast, the Breast Q: Mastectomy Module (Postoperative) 2.0, the Breast Q: Reconstruction Module (Postoperative) 2.0, and the Breast-Q: Breast Conserving Therapy Module (Postoperative) 2.0 questionnaires which are rigorous patient-report outcome measures. Modules grade Quality of Life (QOL) and Satisfaction Domains related to post-operative care and experiences. All BREAST-Q scales are transformed into scores that range from 0-100. T. A higher score means greater satisfaction or better QOL (depending on the scale).

  4. Change in Shoulder Function from Baseline

    Time frame: Up to 13 months (pre-treatment period to 12 month follow up)

    Assessed by the Thoracic Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma, Triage, and Tracking (TFAST), the Penn Shoulder Scale (PSS), and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Shoulder Function Scale. TFAST is an objective and highly reproducible functional assessment tool of the arm and shoulder. The PSS is a patient-reported outcome tool which provides a shoulder-specific metric and distinguishes between finer levels of functioning. Scores range from 0 to 100 with a score of 100 indicating low pain, high satisfaction, and high function. DASH is a 30-item, validated, patient-reported scale that captures upper extremity functionality and mobility and maintains high construct validity and responsiveness in the breast cancer population. Questions are graded on a Likert scale with scores ranging from "1" Strongly Disagree to "5" Strongly Agree, where a cumulative score of 0 is graded no disability and 100 is most severe disability.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

Proton Versus Photon Ultrahypofractionated Radiation Therapy and Its Impact on Normal Tissue

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 22, 2023
Registry last updated
Nov 13, 2025

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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.