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Pinpoint radiation may spare the brain in lung cancer that spreads

NCT ID NCT03391362

Disease control Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether using highly focused radiation on each individual brain tumor, instead of radiating the whole brain, can control cancer spread while protecting memory and thinking. It enrolls people with small cell lung cancer who have 1 to 10 brain metastases. Researchers will track survival, quality of life, and brain function over time.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
stereotactic radiation (focused, pinpoint radiation that targets each individual tumor but not the surrounding brain)
What this could lead to
If successful, this approach could become a standard treatment option that controls brain metastases while avoiding the memory and thinking problems often caused by whole-brain radiation.
What could go wrong
This is a single-arm, phase II trial with no comparison group, so results may not prove superiority over whole-brain radiation. Some patients may still experience neurologic decline or new metastases.

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

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

100 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Feb 2018

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

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: * Participants must have a biopsy-proven tumor consistent with small cell lung cancer and intracranial lesions radiographically consistent with or pathologically proven to be brain metastases. Patients who have undergone prior systemic therapy are eligible. Patients who have undergone resection of one or more brain metastases but who have not yet started adjuvant radiotherapy are eligible for the study. * 1-10 definitive intracranial lesions must be present on MRI of the brain. * Age \>=18 years at diagnosis of brain metastases. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who have undergone prior radiation for brain metastases. * Participants who have received prophylactic cranial radiation for prevention of brain metastases * Participants who cannot receive gadolinium * Participants with stage IV-V chronic kidney disease or end stage renal disease * Participants with widespread, definitive leptomeningeal disease * Participants with a maximum tumor diameter exceeding 5 cm (if not resected) * Participants with \>6 definitive lesions consistent with brain metastases * Participants with inadequate mental capacity to complete quality of life questionnaires

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

brain cancer lung neoplasm metastatic malignant neoplasm in the brain small cell lung carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Brain metastases Small cell lung cancer

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

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