Can less radiation be just as effective for tough thyroid cancers?

NCT ID NCT07777536

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase 2 trial compares two radiation strategies for people with poorly differentiated or anaplastic thyroid cancer—rare and aggressive forms. One approach treats only the high-risk areas (selective coverage), while the other treats a larger region (comprehensive coverage). The goal is to see if the more focused treatment can control the cancer just as well, with potentially fewer side effects. The study includes adults who are candidates for radiation therapy, either after surgery or for inoperable disease.

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 (selective coverage vs comprehensive coverage)
What this could lead to
If selective radiation works as well as broader radiation, patients could get shorter, more targeted treatment with fewer side effects.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase study. Selective radiation might miss microscopic disease, leading to higher recurrence rates. Results may not apply to all patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

About 72 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Aug 2026

Expected to finish

Jul 2032

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years old * Pathologically confirmed as ATC, thyroid cancer containing ATC components, PDTC (in accordance with Turin criteria), or other thyroid cancers with poorly differentiated components, and the MDT considers the biological behavior similar to PDTC. * Evaluated by the MDT and proposed to receive external beam radiotherapy, including postoperative R0/R1, R2 gross residual, inoperable local lesion, and local recurrence. * ECOG performance status 0-2 * expected survival ≥ 3 months * major organ functions can meet the requirements for radiotherapy and the proposed systemic treatment. * The subject voluntarily participates in the study and signs a written informed consent form, willing to follow up according to the protocol and fill in the quality of life scale. Exclusion Criteria: * Has received radiotherapy to the head and neck or upper mediastinum region in the past, and the target area of this study overlaps significantly with it, and the normal tissue limit cannot be met. * Has severe uncontrolled infections, active bleeding, unaddressed airway crises, severe dysfunction of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys or other diseases that cannot be safely treated with radiotherapy. * Pregnant or lactating women; women of childbearing age who do not agree to take effective contraceptive measures. * Has other active malignant tumors within 5 years or simultaneously (excluding cured localized tumors such as skin basal cell carcinoma, skin squamous cell carcinoma, superficial bladder cancer, prostate carcinoma in situ, cervical carcinoma in situ, breast carcinoma in situ, etc.) * Cannot complete radiotherapy fixation, simulation positioning or follow-up imaging assessment. * Other situations that the researcher deems unsuitable for participation in this study.

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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.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Fudan Universtiy Shanghai Cancer Center

    RECRUITING

    Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China

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