Thigh bone break fix: two surgeries face off in cancer patients
NCT ID NCT02164019
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study compares two common surgeries for people whose thigh bone has been weakened by cancer spread. One surgery replaces the hip joint, the other uses a rod inside the bone. Researchers want to see which one leads to better function, quality of life, and pain control after surgery. 73 patients with cancer in the upper thigh bone are taking part.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- long-stem cemented hemiarthroplasty (LSCH) or intramedullary nailing (IMN)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors choose the better surgery for patients with cancer-weakened thigh bones, improving their function and quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 73 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Both surgeries have risks like infection or implant failure.
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
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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
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73 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2014
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Surgeon's estimated survival ≥ 1 month * Patients presenting for orthopaedic evaluation with a painful impending pathologic femur fracture or displaced pathologic femur fracture in the intertrochanteric, pertrochanteric, or subtrochanteric region of the proximal femur. The anatomic region of interest is defined by a line drawn from the base of the femoral neck to 5 cm below the base of the lesser trochanter or 2 diaphyseal shaft widths, whichever is greater. * Patients with an impending fracture who have had bevacizumab are eligible provided there will be a 3-week window between their last infusion and surgery. * Diagnosis of widespread visceral and/or osseous metastatic disease based on clinical and radiographic evidence. (Patients may continue on study if surgery shows a non-malignant process.) * All cancer diagnoses, except lymphoma, will be eligible Exclusion Criteria: * Estimated survival \<1 month * A large soft tissue mass or other disease involving an area outside of the defined pertrochanteric anatomic region described above. (Patients excluded based on intraoperative findings will be replaced on the study.) * Prior surgical treatment of the area (i.e., revision cases). A biopsy does not constitute prior surgical treatment. * Radiographic evidence of an intramedullary occlusion by blastic metastases that would necessitate an alternative method of treatment, such as a plate/screw construct. * Diagnosis of lymphoma * Age \< 18 years * Patients with advanced hip arthritis on radiographic imaging * Previous randomization for a contralateral procedure as part of 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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Duke University
Durham, North Carolina, 27708, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 1275 York Avenue
New York, New York, 10065, United States
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Montefiore Medical Center
The Bronx, New York, 10467, United States
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SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, New York, 13210, United States
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Spectrum Health Medical Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49503, United States
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University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, New York, United States