GI Radiation Oncology Clinical Trials
Pancreatic Cancer
To determine if patients are eligible for a pancreatic cancer clinical trial, the disease must be properly staged with a specialized CT scan (triphasic CT or pancreas protocol CT). This usually requires a discussion with a multidisciplinary tumor board.
After that process, the disease is classified in one of the following stages:
- Resectable (Stage 1-2: surgery is technically possible right now)
- Borderline resectable (Stage 1-2: surgery is possible, but likely need more treatment to improve chances of success),
- Locally advanced (Stage 3: the tumor can’t be removed by surgery but has not yet spread)
- Metastatic (Stage 4, disease has spread beyond the pancreas)
The current pancreatic cancer clinical trials are listed below. Find more information on clinical trials at MD Anderson.
Borderline Resectable/Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
2019-1001: A Phase I Study of NBTXR3 activated by radiotherapy for locally advanced or borderline-resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
NBTXR3 is a nanoparticle containing hafnium oxide that is injected into the pancreatic tumor which could make it more sensitive to radiation therapy. The objective of this trial is to find the recommended phase 2 dose of NBTXR3 that can be given in combination with radiation therapy to patients with pancreatic cancer.
Anal Cancer
To determine if patients are eligible for anal cancer clinical trial, the disease must be properly staged with a specialized CT scan (triphasic CT or pancreas protocol CT). This usually requires a discussion with a multidisciplinary tumor board.
2020-0516 (EA2182): A Randomized Phase II Study of De-Intensified ChemoRadiation for Early-Stage Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (DECREASE)
This phase II trial studies how well lower-dose chemotherapy plus radiation (chemoradiation) therapy works in comparison to standard-dose chemoradiation in treating patients with early-stage anal cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as mitomycin, fluorouracil, and capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. This study may help doctors find out if lower-dose chemoradiation is as effective and has fewer side effects than standard-dose chemoradiation, which is the usual approach for treatment of this cancer type.
Liver Cancer
NRG-GI003: A Phase III Randomized Trial of Protons Versus Photons for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
This phase III trial studies how well radiation therapy with protons works compared with photons in treating patients with liver cancer. Radiation therapy, such as photon therapy, uses high energy x-rays to send the radiation inside the body to the tumor while proton therapy uses a beam of proton particles. Proton therapy can stop shortly after penetrating through the tumor and may cause less damage to the surrounding healthy organs and result in better survival in patients with liver cancer.