Brain mets trial: can fewer radiation sessions be just as good?

NCT ID NCT05378633

First seen Mar 18, 2026 · Last updated Jun 22, 2026 · Updated 16 times

Summary

This study compares two radiation therapies for people with 4 to 15 brain metastases from advanced cancer. One group gets stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a precise, short treatment in 1-2 sessions; the other gets whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) over 10 sessions. The goal is to see if SRS offers similar survival and better quality of life with fewer side effects. The trial will enroll 190 participants.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • University Hospital of Heidelberg, Radiation Oncology

    RECRUITING

    Heidelberg, 69120, Germany

    Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

    Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

Radiation therapy (stereotactic radiosurgery or whole-brain radiotherapy)

What this could lead to

If SRS works as well as WBRT but with fewer side effects, it could become the preferred treatment for patients with multiple brain metastases, offering better quality of life.

What could go wrong

This is a relatively small, early-phase trial (190 participants) comparing two established treatments, so it may not change standard practice. SRS might not control brain metastases as effectively as WBRT, and both treatments carry risks like radiation-induced brain lesions.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

brain cancer lung neoplasm Neoplasm Metastasis non-small cell lung carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.