CROSSFIRE Trial: Comparing the Efficacy of Irreversible Electroporation With Radiotherapy (CROSSFIRE)

December 18, 2022 updated by: Dr. M.R. Meijerink

CROSSFIRE Trial: Crossatlantic Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Outcome in Survival After Systemic Plus Focal Therapy for Inoperable Pancreatic Carcinoma: Radiotherapy Versus Irreversible Electroporation

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a promising new ablation technique to fight pancreatic cancer. The primary aim of the CROSSFIRE trial is to compare the efficacy (in terms of overall survival) of FOLFIRINOX and IRE (experimental arm) to the efficacy of FOLFIRINOX and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) (control arm) in patients with locally advanced, non-resectable, non-metastasized, pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Secondary outcomes are progression free survival, safety/toxicity, immunomodulation, tumor marker Cancer Antigen (CA) 19.9, quality of life (QoL), and total direct and indirect costs for each treatment arm (cost-effectiveness analysis).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers; 94% of pancreatic cancer patients will die within five years of diagnosis, 74% within the first year of diagnosis; only 6% will survive for more than five years. Surgical resection is the only curative option. However, about 40% present with non-metastatic locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma (LAPC; AJCC stage III). These patients are not eligible for surgical resection because the tumor involves major blood vessels such as the superior mesenteric artery, celiac axis, common hepatic artery and/or portal vein. These patients are currently treated with palliative chemotherapy as first line therapy. Focal therapy using external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) may further improve survival, but outcome remains poor. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a form of EBRT that has important advantages over conventional radiotherapy such as a more precise and greater biological dose delivery and hence less toxicity and presumably better outcome.

For patients diagnosed with LAPC, a combination of chemotherapy plus local tumor destruction using irreversible electroporation (IRE), a novel tumor ablation technique, has recently shown great promise. IRE is based on permeabilization of the cell membrane through electrical pulses leading to apoptosis. Theoretically, IRE only affects viable tumor tissue, leaving surrounding vital structures relatively intact. It is therefore considered to cause less morbidity than thermal ablative strategies.

The CROSSFIRE-trial is a prospective, randomized controlled phase-II/III trial.The primary aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of chemotherapy and IRE (experimental arm) to the efficacy of chemotherapy and radiation (control arm) in patients with locally advanced, non-resectable, non-metastasized, pancreatic cancer.

In total, 138 patients with histologically proven locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma (AJCC stage III), aged ≥ 18 years will be included. Patients with a specific cardiac history (arrhythmias, pacemaker), pre-existent ECG-abnormalities and/or non-retrievable metallic self-expanding biliary stents are excluded from participation. Patients will be randomly allocated to receive either chemotherapy and radiation (control arm) or chemotherapy and IRE (experimental arm).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
74

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
    • Non-US/Non-Canadian
      • Amsterdam, Non-US/Non-Canadian, Netherlands
        • Bart Geboers

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 96 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Radiologic confirmation of LAPC by at least ceCT of chest and abdomen (with the upper abdomen scanned according to a dedicated 3mm slice multiphase pancreatic tumor protocol);
  • Maximum tumor diameter ≤ 5 cm;
  • Histological or cytological confirmation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma;
  • Age > 18 years;
  • ASA-classification 0 - 3; World Health Organisation scale (WHO) performance status 0 - 1 ;
  • Adequate bile drainage in case of biliary obstruction;
  • Written informed consent;

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma as discussed by our multidisciplinary hepatobiliary team;
  • The presence of suspect lymph nodes
  • Stage IV pancreatic carcinoma;
  • Trans-mucosal tumor invasion into surrounding duodenum or stomach;
  • History of epilepsy;

  • History of cardiac disease:

    • Congestive heart failure >NYHA class 2;
    • Active Coronary Artery Disease (defined as myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to screening);
    • Ventricular cardiac arrhythmias requiring anti-arrhythmic therapy or pacemaker (beta blockers for antihypertensive regimen are permitted; atrial fibrillation is not contra-indicated);
  • Uncontrolled hypertension. Blood pressure must be ≤160/95 mmHg at the time of screening on a stable antihypertensive regimen;
  • Compromised liver function (e.g. signs of portal hypertension, INR > 1,5 without use of anticoagulants, ascites);
  • Uncontrolled infections (> grade 2 NCI-CTC version 3.0);
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding subjects. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test performed within 7 days of the start of treatment;
  • Immunotherapy prior to the procedure;
  • Radiotherapy prior to study enrollment;
  • Previous surgical therapy for pancreatic cancer;
  • Second primary malignancy, except adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer, in situ carcinoma of the cervis uteri or other malignancies treated at least 5 years previously without signs of recurrence;
  • Allergic to contrast agent.
  • Any implanted stimulation device;
  • Any condition that is unstable or that could jeopardize the safety of the subject and their compliance in the study;
  • Non-removable Self Expanding Metal biliary Stent (SEMS), which cannot be removed during surgery.

  • Contra-indications for MRI since no safety data for 0.35 Tesla MRI scanners are available on electronic devices such as pacemakers or implanted defibrillators, deep brain stimulators, cochlear implants, this constitutes an absolute contraindication for this study, even for devices that have been considered safe for MRI scans with higher field strengths.

    • Patients who have a metallic foreign body in their eye, or who have an aneurysm clip in their brain, cannot have an MRI scan since the magnetic field may dislodge the metal
    • Patients with severe claustrophobia may not be able to tolerate an MRI scan
    • Patients with a hip prosthesis will not be eligible for the MRI scan

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: IRE group
FOLFIRINOX + IRE For patients diagnosed with LAPC, a combination of chemotherapy plus local tumor destruction using irreversible electroporation (IRE), a novel tumor ablation technique, has recently shown great promise. IRE is based on permeabilization of the cell membrane through electrical pulses leading to apoptosis. Theoretically, IRE only affects viable tumor tissue, leaving surrounding vital structures relatively intact. It is therefore considered to cause less morbidity than thermal ablative strategies.
Procedure: Irreversible electroporation (IRE)
IRE is based on permeabilization of the cell membrane through electrical pulses leading to apoptosis. Theoretically, IRE only affects viable tumor tissue, leaving surrounding vital structures relatively intact. It is therefore considered to cause less morbidity than thermal ablative strategies.
Other Names:
  • NanoKnife
Active Comparator: SABR group
FOLFIRINOX + SABR Focal therapy using external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) may further improve survival, but outcome remains poor. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a form of EBRT that has important advantages over conventional radiotherapy such as a more precise and greater biological dose delivery and hence less toxicity and presumably better outcome.
Procedure: Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR)
Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a form of external beam radiation that has important advantages over conventional radiotherapy such as a more precise and greater biological dose delivery and hence less toxicity and presumably better outcome.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Overall survival
Time Frame: From date of randomization until the date of date of death from any cause, assessed up to 100 months
From date of randomization until the date of date of death from any cause, assessed up to 100 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Progression free survival
Time Frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
Untreatable progression-free survival (uPFS)
Time Frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v4.0
Time Frame: Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability] within 90 days after the procedure (IRE/SABR)
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability] within 90 days after the procedure (IRE/SABR)
Pain assessment
Time Frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months by using the a scale
Pain assessment by using a scale.
From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months by using the a scale
Cost-effectiveness analysis
Time Frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
Direct and indirect total cost of care for both treatment arms (cost-effectiveness analysis);
From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
Change in immune status and reactivity after the procedure (IRE/SABR) by assessing the level of immune cells pre- and post-IRE
Time Frame: Up to 3 months post-procedure
Measurement of circulating immune cells pre- and post-IRE
Up to 3 months post-procedure
Tumor marker CA 19.9
Time Frame: From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
From date of randomization until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months
Quality of life of patients treated with IRE/SABR
Time Frame: From date of randomization until the date of date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months by using questionnaires
Assessing quality of life by using questionnaires.
From date of randomization until the date of date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 months by using questionnaires

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Dr. M.R. Meijerink

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 30, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 17, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 1, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 6, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 20, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 18, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NL55158.029.15

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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