One-and-Done radiation before lumpectomy? new trial tests feasibility
NCT ID NCT04234386
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing a single, focused dose of radiation delivered by the GammaPod machine before lumpectomy surgery for early-stage breast cancer. The goal is to find a safe and effective dose that minimizes side effects and improves cosmetic outcomes. About 50 women with invasive ductal carcinoma will participate, receiving radiation at one of four dose levels before their tumor is removed.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- GammaPod radiation
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a shorter, more comfortable radiation treatment before surgery for early-stage breast cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase dose-finding study with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. Risks include infection or poor wound healing.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
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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45 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- 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: * Patients must sign consent for study participation. * Patients must be female with a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma. Lobular histologies will not be included, because of difficulty in defining the extent of disease with imaging. * Patients must be deemed appropriate candidates for breast-conserving therapy (i.e., not pregnant, never had RT to the treated breast, breast size would allow adequate cosmesis after volume loss from partial mastectomy). * Tumor must not involve the overlying skin or underlying chest wall, based on imaging evaluation and/or clinical exam. * Greatest tumor dimension is \<3 cm based on US. MR imaging measurements can be included only if performed BEFORE the biopsy (postbiopsy measurements can be larger as a result of hematoma formation or increased edema). * Tumor must be unifocal. * Patients must be \> 45 years old. * The tumor must be visible on a CT scan. * Patients must undergo MR imaging for work-up to aid in tumor delineation and to rule out additional foci of disease. If additional foci of disease are found to be present, then these must be biopsied with negative results to proceed with treatment. * The tumor must be clinically and radiographically N0 (node negative). If a suspicious node is visualized, it must be biopsied with negative results. * Patients must be estrogen-receptor positive. * Patients must be HER2neu negative. * Patients must weigh \<150 kg (330 lb), which is the limit of the imaging loader. * Patients must be \<6'6" in height, again because of instrumentation limitations. * Patients must be able to lie prone for treatment. * Patients must have no lymphovascular invasion on biopsy. * Patients may be taking hormonal therapy prior to initiation of treatment. This will be documented. Exclusion Criteria: * Multicentric disease. * Prior RT to the involved breast. * Inability to fit into the immobilization breast cup because of breast size or other anatomic reasons. * Inability to obtain an adequate seal when using the immobilization breast cup. * Male sex. * Breast implants. * Patient cannot comfortably lie in the prone position (i.e., physical disability). * Patients who are planned to be treated surgically with a mastectomy. * Tumor \<5 mm from the skin surface or chest wall on clinical exam and/or radiographic imaging. * Tumor size \>3 cm. * Patients with psychiatric or addictive disorders that would preclude obtaining informed consent or study completion. * Patients who are pregnant or lactating (because of potential RT exposure to the fetus and unknown effects of RT in lactating women). * Patient unable to undergo MR imaging (e.g., because of known contrast reaction or concerns about contrast and existing health status). * Lymphovascular invasion on original biopsy. * Tumor histologies other than invasive ductal carcinoma (including invasive lobular carcinoma). * ER-negative tumors. * HER2neu-positive tumors. * Pure ductal carcinoma in situ (no invasive component). * Weight \>330 lb * Prior ipsilateral breast cancer. * Diffuse calcifications on mammogram (BIRADS 3, 4, 5).
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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
4 sites. 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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Baltimore Washington Medical Center
RECRUITINGGlen Burnie, Maryland, 21061, United States
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Central Maryland Oncology Center
RECRUITINGColumbia, Maryland, 21044, United States
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UMMC
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States
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Upper Chesapeake Health
RECRUITINGBel Air, Maryland, 21014, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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