Could a 5-Day radiation blast ease suffering in kids with incurable brain cancer?
NCT ID NCT07147179
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot trial is testing a shorter, 5-day course of radiation for children and young adults (up to age 21) with incurable central nervous system cancers. The main goal is to see if this approach is safe and does not cause severe side effects. Researchers will also track quality of life. Only 15 participants will be enrolled, making this an early safety study.
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 (short course, 20 Gray in 5 fractions)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a quicker, less burdensome radiation option for children with incurable brain or spinal cancers, potentially improving their quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (15 participants) with no control group, so results may not apply broadly. The main risk is that the shorter radiation course could cause serious 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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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Mar 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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Up to 21 years
- 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: * Male or female, aged 21 years or below * Lansky performance status \>= 40 * Has a diagnosis of an incurable malignancy that: * Originates outside the brain but is metastatic to 1 or more sites within the brain, or originates and recurs within the brain. For this diagnosis to be confirmed, there must be multidisciplinary review of up to date imaging at a pediatric tumor board with unanimous consensus of intracranial relapse or metastasis. If the consensus is not unanimous, short-interval repeat imaging with subsequent unanimous consensus would be required in order for this eligibility criteria to be met * Has at least 1 targetable intracranial lesion as seen on imaging * Has a multidisciplinary consensus recommendation for palliative intent radiation * Consents to the study or has caregiver who is able to provide signed and dated informed consent. For subjects under the age of 18, a signed and dated assent form as able. * Patients who had prior radiation in planned treatment area are also eligible to enter the trial * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study Exclusion Criteria: * Radiotherapy for curative intent * Serious uncontrolled systemic or psychiatric disorders that would interfere with participation in the protocol * Being planned for proton radiation
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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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University of Pennsylvania
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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