New combo radiation therapy aims to spare elderly rectal cancer patients from surgery
NCT ID NCT06729645
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a combination of two types of radiation therapy for elderly or frail patients with rectal cancer who cannot or will not have surgery. The goal is to shrink or control the tumor while maintaining quality of life. Researchers will follow 80 participants for up to two years to see how well the treatment works and how it affects daily living.
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 (external beam radiotherapy and endorectal high-dose-rate brachytherapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could offer a non-surgical treatment option that controls rectal cancer and preserves quality of life for elderly or frail patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial with only 80 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The treatment may not achieve lasting tumor control, and side effects from radiation are possible.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Frankfurt Universitätsklinikum
Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, 60590, Germany
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Klinik für Strahlentherapie, Cyberknife und Radioonkologie Universität zu Köln
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, 50937, Germany
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Klinikverbund Allgäu
Kempten, BaBaden-Württembergs, 87439, Germany
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Leipzig, Universitätsklinikum
Leipzig, Saxony, 04103, Germany
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can precision protons spare rectal cancer patients from harsh side effects?