Comparing Photon Therapy To Proton Therapy To Treat Patients With Lung Cancer

Running, not enrolling · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Stage II Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIA Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma AJCC v7, Stage IIB Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma AJCC v7, Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIIB Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer AJCC v7

In brief

This randomized phase III trial studies proton chemoradiotherapy to see how well it works compared to photon chemoradiotherapy in treating patients with stage II-IIIB non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor, such as photon or proton beam radiation therapy, may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, carboplatin, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether proton chemoradiotherapy is more effective than photon chemoradiotherapy in treating non-small cell lung cancer.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01993810

Run by

Radiation Therapy Oncology Group

People needed

330

Starts

2014-01-03

Expected to finish

2028-11-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-08

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Histologically or cytologically proven diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer
• Clinical American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) (AJCC, 7th ed.) II, IIIA or IIIB (with non-operable disease; non-operable disease will be determined by a multi-disciplinary treatment team within 60 days prior to registration; note: for patients who are clearly nonresectable, the case can be determined by the treating radiation oncologist and/or a medical oncologist or pulmonologist
• Patients who present with N2 or N3 disease and an undetectable NSCLC primary tumor are eligible
• Patients who refuse surgery are eligible
• Patients who develop local recurrence after surgery and rendered candidate for definitive concurrent chemoradiation are also eligible
• Patients who have received systemic treatment (up to 4 cycles of induction chemotherapy, or up to 6 months of targeted therapy) are eligible
• Appropriate stage for protocol entry, including no distant metastases, based upon the following minimum diagnostic workup:
• History/physical examination within 30 days prior to registration including resting heart rate;
• Fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scan for staging within 60 days prior to registration
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan with contrast of the brain (preferred) or CT scan of the brain with contrast within 60 days prior to registration;
• Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) >= 0.8 liter or >= 35% predicted with or without bronchodilator within 90 days prior to registration;
• Patients who meet the criterion above without oxygen (O2), but who need acute (started within 10 days prior to registration) supplemental oxygen due to tumor-caused obstruction/hypoxia are eligible, provided the amount of the O2 needed has been stable
• Zubrod performance status 0-1 within 30 days prior to registration
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500 cells/mm\^3 obtained within 30 days prior to registration
• Platelets >= 100,000 cells/mm\^3 obtained within 30 days prior to registration
• Hemoglobin >= 9.0 g/dl (note: the use of transfusion or other intervention to achieve hemoglobin [Hgb] >= 9.0 g/dl is acceptable), obtained within 30 days prior to registration
• Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) or serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) within 30 days prior to registration
• It is highly recommended but not required that SGOT or SGPT be =< 1.5 upper limit of normal
• Total bilirubin =< 1.5 within 30 days prior to registration
• It is highly recommended but not required that total bilirubin be =< 1.5 upper limit of normal
• Serum creatinine < 1.5 mg/dL or calculated creatinine clearance >= 50 mL/min within 30 days prior to registration estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula
• Peripheral neuropathy =< grade 1 at the time of registration
• Patients with non-malignant pleural effusion are eligible
• If a pleural effusion is present, the following criteria must be met to exclude malignant involvement:
• When pleural fluid is visible on both the CT scan and on a chest x-ray, a pleuracentesis is required to confirm that the pleural fluid is cytologically negative

You may not qualify if…

• Prior invasive malignancy unless disease free for a minimum of 3 years; however, skin cancer and in situ carcinomas of the breast, oral cavity, cervix, and other organs and are permissible
• Patients with prior history of either small cell lung cancer or NSCLC regardless of the treatment received, other than patients who have recurrent disease following resection
• Prior systemic chemotherapy for the study cancer, if more than 4 cycles of induction chemotherapy or more than 6 months of targeted therapy; note that prior chemotherapy for a different cancer is allowable
• Prior radiotherapy to the region of the study cancer that would result in overlap of radiation therapy fields
• Severe, active co-morbidity, defined as follows:
• Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within the last 6 months;
• Transmural myocardial infarction within the last 6 months;
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness other than the diagnosed lung cancer requiring hospitalization or precluding study therapy within 30 days before registration;
• Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) based upon current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition; note, however, that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing is not required for entry into this protocol
• Unintentional weight loss > 10% within 30 days prior to registration
• Pregnancy or women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active and not willing/able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception

Where it is running

• University of Florida Health Science Center - Jacksonville — Jacksonville, Florida, United States
• Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center Warrenville — Warrenville, Illinois, United States
• Maryland Proton Treatment Center — Baltimore, Maryland, United States
• University of Maryland/Greenebaum Cancer Center — Baltimore, Maryland, United States
• Upper Chesapeake Medical Center — Bel Air, Maryland, United States
• Central Maryland Radiation Oncology in Howard County — Columbia, Maryland, United States
• Tate Cancer Center — Glen Burnie, Maryland, United States
• Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center — Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center — Danvers, Massachusetts, United States
• Siteman Cancer Center at West County Hospital — Creve Coeur, Missouri, United States
• Washington University School of Medicine — St Louis, Missouri, United States
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge — Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States
• ProCure Proton Therapy Center-Somerset — Somerset, New Jersey, United States
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack — Commack, New York, United States
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester — Harrison, New York, United States
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — New York, New York, United States
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Rockville Centre — Rockville Centre, New York, United States
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Sleepy Hollow — Sleepy Hollow, New York, United States
• University of Cincinnati Medical Center — Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
• West Chester Hospital — West Chester, Ohio, United States
• University of Pennsylvania/Abramson Cancer Center — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
• Tennessee Cancer Specialists-Dowell Springs — Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
• M D Anderson Cancer Center — Houston, Texas, United States
• MD Anderson Regional Care Center-Katy — Houston, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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