Single Versus Multifraction Salvage Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Previously Irradiated Spinal Metastases

March 3, 2026 updated by: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Single Versus Multifraction Salvage Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Previously Irradiated Spinal Metastases: a Randomized Phase II Clinical Trial

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn whether delivering spine radiosurgery in a single large dose is better than delivering spine radiosurgery over 3 smaller doses.

Researchers also want to learn about the effects of a single dose on participant's symptoms, pain, and quality-of-life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

Study Groups:

Participant will be randomly assigned (as in the flip of a coin) to 1 of 2 study groups. This is done because no one knows if one study group is better, the same, or worse than the other group.

  • If participant is in Group 1, they will receive spine radiosurgery in a single large dose.
  • If participant is in Group 2, they will receive spine radiosurgery over 3 smaller doses, which is standard.

Length of Study Participation:

Participant may continue taking part in the study as the doctor thinks it is in their best interest. Participant will no longer be able to take part if the disease gets worse, if intolerable side effects occur, or if they are unable to follow study directions.

Participation on the study will be over after participant's last follow-up visit.

Radiosurgery:

Participant will have spine radiosurgery in either 1 or 3 treatments as described above.

Participant will sign a separate consent for the surgery that explains the procedure and the risks.

Study Visits:

After surgery, at Months 3,6,9,12,18, and 24 and then every 6 months after that:

  • Participant will have a physical exam, including a neurological exam (tests to check the functioning of their nerves, including tests of their strength and sensation.
  • Participant will complete the same questionnaires they completed at the beginning of the study.
  • Participant will have an MRI.

This is an investigational study. Delivering spine radiosurgery in a single large dose rather than over three smaller doses is considered investigational.

Up to 80 participants will be enrolled in this study. All will take part at MD Anderson.

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.
80

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.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. All patients must have histologic proof of solid tumor malignancy and radiographic evidence of spine metastasis
  2. Age >/=18 years
  3. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status </=2 (Karnofsky >/=60%)
  4. Life expectancy of greater than 6 months
  5. All patients must be able to lie supine
  6. All patients must have no more than 3 contiguous vertebral body levels treated at a single site, and no more than 3 discontiguous vertebral body levels treated
  7. All patients must have radiographic evidence of progression at a spinal site previously irradiated greater than 6 months prior to randomization. This includes indirect radiation exposure to spinal site.
  8. All patients must have received prior conventional external-beam radiation therapy (cEBRT) to the site of interest to no more than a critical neural tissue dose equivalent dose (EQD)2/2 of 42 Gy in a single session or 50 Gy cumulative over multiple sessions and cauda equina dose EQD2/2 of 50 Gy in a single session or 60 Gy cumulative over multiple session. EQD2/2 is calculated as follows: EQD2/2= biologically effective dose (BED)/(1+d/alpha beta)) where BED=nd(1+d/(alpha beta)) and n=number of fractions, d=dose per fraction and alpha beta ratio of 2.
  9. All patients must have a vertebral body site to be treated located from T1 to L5
  10. Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately.
  11. All patients must sign informed consent verifying that they are aware of the investigational nature of this study in keeping with the rules and policies of MD Anderson Cancer Center. The only acceptable consent is the one approved by MD Anderson IRB.
  12. Patients undergoing prior surgery or laser interstitial thermotherapy are allowed
  13. Both men and women of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this trial.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients unable to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine
  2. Prior radiation at the site of interest within 6 months
  3. Prior history of radiation at the site of interest resulting in a critical neural tissue dose of EQD2/2 of >42 Gy in a single session
  4. Patients unable to lie flat comfortably for 2 hours
  5. Pregnancy status will be obtained at time of consent as is routine for all radiation patients. Pregnant women are excluded from this study because radiation has the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects
  6. Patients with a histology of lymphoma and myeloma histologies

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: Prevention
  • 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: Spine Radiosurgery - 1 Dose
Participants receive spine radiosurgery in a single large dose.
Radiation: Spine Radiosurgery

Spine Radiosurgery - 1 Dose: For single fraction and multifraction arms, 0.01 cc of the cord allowed to receive 10 Gy and 14 Gy, respectively while 0.01 cc of the cauda equina allowed to receive 14 Gy and 18 Gy, respectively.

Spine Radiosurgery - 3 Doses (3 days): The dose for the multifraction arm is 27 Gy in 3 fractions (9 Gy per fraction).

Other Names:
  • Radiotherapy
  • XRT
Behavioral: Questionnaires

Participants complete 3 questionnaires about any pain they may be having, quality-of-life, and any other symptoms. It should take about 10 minutes to complete these questionnaires.

Questionnaires completed at Baseline and at Months 3,6,9,12,18, and 24 and then every 6 months after that during follow up.

Other Names:
  • Surveys
Active Comparator: Spine Radiosurgery - 3 Doses
Participants receive spine radiosurgery over 3 smaller doses.
Radiation: Spine Radiosurgery

Spine Radiosurgery - 1 Dose: For single fraction and multifraction arms, 0.01 cc of the cord allowed to receive 10 Gy and 14 Gy, respectively while 0.01 cc of the cauda equina allowed to receive 14 Gy and 18 Gy, respectively.

Spine Radiosurgery - 3 Doses (3 days): The dose for the multifraction arm is 27 Gy in 3 fractions (9 Gy per fraction).

Other Names:
  • Radiotherapy
  • XRT
Behavioral: Questionnaires

Participants complete 3 questionnaires about any pain they may be having, quality-of-life, and any other symptoms. It should take about 10 minutes to complete these questionnaires.

Questionnaires completed at Baseline and at Months 3,6,9,12,18, and 24 and then every 6 months after that during follow up.

Other Names:
  • Surveys

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time to Local Failure Relative to Multi-Fraction Radiosurgery in Patients with Previously Irradiated Spinal Metastases
Time Frame: 12 months
Local failure determined based on the surveillance MRI scan by study musculoskeletal radiologist.
12 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
Pain Relief Relative to Multi-Fraction Radiosurgery in Patients with Previously Irradiated Spinal Metastases
Time Frame: 2 years
Pain relief assessed by items on the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) that measure severity, location, and degree of relief due to therapy by use of narcotic and non-narcotic pain medications and steroids. Patients experiencing a decrease of 2 points in the worst pain score for 2 consecutive assessment visits considered to have "partial pain relief". Complete pain relief defined as an average pain score of 0 for 2 consecutive assessment visits.
2 years

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.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Amol J. Ghia, MD, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

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 (Actual)

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.
January 18, 2017

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
May 30, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
May 30, 2028

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).
January 19, 2017

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.
January 19, 2017

First Posted (Estimated)

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.
January 23, 2017

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.
March 5, 2026

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.
March 3, 2026

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.
March 1, 2026

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.
  • 2016-0728
  • NCI-2017-00606 (Other Identifier: NCI-CTRP Clinical Trials Registry)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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