Can radiation zap keloids without the knife?
NCT ID NCT04722263
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This pilot study is testing whether radiation therapy can safely treat keloids (raised scars) when surgery isn't an option or has been refused. Fifteen adults with keloids will receive radiation over several sessions. Researchers will track side effects and measure if the keloids stop growing or shrink.
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 (radiotherapy)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-surgical option to control keloid growth and reduce scar size.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 15 people, so results may not apply widely. Radiation also carries risks like skin irritation or long-term side effects.
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 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2020
- Expected to finish
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Apr 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.
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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: * Clinically diagnosed keloid * Surgical excision of keloid is either contraindicated or patient has declined treatment with surgical excision (Note: patients with keloids that recurred after previous resection are eligible, as long as the current keloid is either unresectable or patient has declined resection) * Age ≥ 18 * Study specific informed consent provided Exclusion Criteria: * Prior RT to the area of interest that would result in overlap of radiation therapy fields * Females of child bearing age without a negative serum pregnancy test prior to initiation of RT or unwilling to use contraception prior to and during the radiation course * Keloids in areas where radiation therapy introduces unacceptable high risk of toxicity as determined by the treating radiation oncologist * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness (e.g. symptomatic congestive heart failure, uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric situation) that would limit compliance with study requirements as judged by the treatment physicians
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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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Montefiore Medical Center
RECRUITINGThe Bronx, New York, 10467, United States
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