Could a simple steroid enema heal radiation damage in the gut?
NCT ID NCT06410443
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a steroid (dexamethasone) given as an enema can help heal intestinal damage caused by radiation therapy in cancer patients. The trial will enroll 60 adults with moderate to severe acute radiation-induced rectosigmoid injury. Participants will receive either the steroid enema plus standard care, or standard care alone, for one week. The goal is to see if the steroid reduces symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bleeding, and improves healing seen on endoscopy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Dexamethasone (a steroid) given as a retention enema
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-invasive way to treat painful intestinal damage caused by radiation therapy, helping patients recover faster.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Steroids can have side effects, and previous studies on this approach have had mixed results.
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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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Grade II-III acute radiation-induced rectosigmoid injury 2. Signed informed consents 3. Age ≥18 years 4. Rstimated survival time \>1 year Exclusion Criteria: 1. Absolute contraindications to glucocorticoids 2. A history of glucocorticoids treatment within 3 months 3. Inflammatory bowel disease or infectious intestinal disease 4. Recurrence of malignant tumor 5. Colorectal cancer or metastasis 6. Severe heart or lung diseases 7. Recent history of surgery or trauma 8. Poorly controlled hyperglycemia and hypertension 9. Active tuberculosis 10. Ssevere gastrointestinal ulcers 11. Glaucoma 12. Sychiatric diseases 13. Pregnant or lactating
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command (formerly called General Hospital of Shenyang Military Area)
RECRUITINGShenyang, Liaoning, 110840, China
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