The Differential Impact of Proton Beam Irradiation Versus Conventional Radiation on Organs-at-risk in Stage II-III Breast Cancer Patients

March 30, 2026 updated by: Rachel Beth Jimenez, Massachusetts General Hospital
The objective of the study is to serve as a correlative study for patients enrolled on the RadCOMP trial (NCT02603341), a randomized phase III study of stage II and III breast cancer patients treated with either conventional photon radiation or proton beam radiation

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.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
100

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
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts General Hospital

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

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients enrolled at Massachusetts General Hospital on the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Trial 3510 (Pragmatic Phase III Randomized Trial of Proton vs Photon Therapy for Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving Comprehensive Nodal Radiation: A Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RADCOMP) Consortium Trial). (NCT02603341).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Eligible for and scheduled to receive radiation therapy on Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Trial 3510 (Pragmatic Phase III Randomized Trial of Proton vs Photon Therapy for Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving Comprehensive Nodal Radiation: A Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RADCOMP) Consortium Trial). (NCT02603341)
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a study-specific written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

  • There are no exclusion criteria.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Photon Therapy
The patients being treated on the Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RADCOMP) Consortium Trial (NCT02603341) at Massachusetts General Hospital that were randomized to receive photon therapy.
Proton Therapy
The patients being treated on the Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RADCOMP) Consortium Trial (NCT02603341) at Massachusetts General Hospital that were randomized to receive proton therapy

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
Change in Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS)
Time Frame: Baseline, 6 Months
Comparison of the change in GLS between conventional radiation and proton beam radiation groups. Participants who decrease their GLS by at least 2% 6-8 months following radiation therapy will be considered to demonstrate a significant decrement in GLS.
Baseline, 6 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
Change in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) Using Echocardiography
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Comparison of the change in LVEF between conventional radiation and proton beam radiation groups. Reduced cardiac function is defined as an ejection fraction <50%.
Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Radiation-induced Lung Parenchymal Changes Using CT Imaging
Time Frame: Baseline, 3,6,12, months post treatment
Radiation-induced lung parenchymal changes will be assess with non-contrast enhanced computerized tomography (CT) scans and incidence will be estimated in each radiation group by the cumulative incidence function and compared using Gray's test. Among patients who do not have any changes detected, death and disease progression will be considered as competing risks.
Baseline, 3,6,12, months post treatment
Incidence of Thyroid Dysfunction
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Incidence of thyroid insufficiency will be estimated in each radiation group by the cumulative incidence function and compared using Gray's test. In the absence of thyroid dysfunction, death and disease progression will be considered as competing risks.
Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Incidence of Ipsilateral Arm Lymphedema
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Incidence of ipsilateral arm lymphedema will be estimated in each radiation group by the cumulative incidence function and compared using Gray's test.
Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Severity of Ipsilateral Arm Lymphedema
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Serial arm measurements may be analyzed using mixed effects model to compare the severity of ipsilateral arm lymphedema over time between the radiation groups.
Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Ipsilateral Breast/Chest Wall Cosmesis
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment
Breast cosmesis will be assessed with characteristics graded on a four-point scale. Assessments will be performed by a trained nurse/nurse practitioner using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Cosmetic Rating System for Breast Cancer. Incidence of adverse cosmesis (2=fair or 3=poor score) will be estimated in each radiation group by the cumulative incidence function and compared using Gray's test. Among patients without adverse breast cosmesis, death and disease progression will be considered as competing risks.
Baseline, end of treatment (approximately 10 weeks), then 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months post treatment

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.
Massachusetts General Hospital

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: Rachel Jimenez, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

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.
October 26, 2017

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.
December 31, 2024

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.
December 31, 2026

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).
June 13, 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.
August 31, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

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.
September 1, 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 31, 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 30, 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

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.
  • 17-031

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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