Carbon Ion Radiotherapy in Frail Patients With Pancreatic Cancer

November 30, 2025 updated by: Yonsei University

Carbon Ion Radiotherapy in Frail Patients With Pancreatic Cancer: A Prospective Phase II Study

"This prospective, single-arm phase II study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of carbon ion radiotherapy in frail patients with histologically confirmed, non-metastatic pancreatic cancer who are not eligible for surgery or systemic chemotherapy. Frail status is defined as a Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score ≥4 or the presence of significant medical comorbidities limiting aggressive treatment.

Carbon ion radiotherapy, known for its superior dose distribution and high linear energy transfer, may offer improved tumor control with acceptable toxicity in this vulnerable population. This study will assess overall survival, progression-free survival, local control, toxicity, and quality of life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
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

"This prospective, single-arm phase II study evaluates the efficacy and safety of carbon ion radiotherapy in frail patients with non-metastatic pancreatic cancer who are not eligible for surgery or systemic chemotherapy due to a Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score ≥4 or significant medical comorbidities. carbon ion radiotherapy provides superior dose distribution and higher biological effectiveness compared with conventional X-ray radiotherapy, offering a potentially effective treatment option for this clinically vulnerable population.

Participants will undergo baseline evaluations including imaging (CT/MRI/PET-CT), laboratory tests, tumor markers, frailty assessment, and quality-of-life questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 and FACT-Hep). Carbon ion radiotherapy will be delivered using 4D-CT-based planning, with either 55.2 Gy (RBE) in 12 fractions or 40-48 Gy (RBE) in 4 fractions. Target volumes include the primary tumor and high-risk peripancreatic regions, while organs-at-risk such as the stomach, duodenum, bowel, liver, kidneys, and spinal cord follow strict dose constraints. Weekly on-treatment assessments will monitor acute toxicity using CTCAE v5.0, and adaptive planning will be performed if needed.

Post-treatment follow-up will occur at 1-3 months and every 3-6 months thereafter for up to 2 years, including imaging, toxicity evaluation, tumor marker assessment, and repeated QOL surveys.

The primary endpoint is overall survival. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, local control, treatment-related toxicity, quality of life, and tumor marker changes. Survival analyses will use Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods, and quality-of-life and toxicity outcomes will be summarized descriptively.

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 (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.
33

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 Locations

  • South Korea
      • Seoul, South Korea
        • Recruiting
        • Yonsei University Health System, Severance Hospital
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Histologically confirmed pancreatic cancer without distant metastasis.

Not eligible for surgery or systemic chemotherapy, defined as:

Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score ≥ 4, or Significant medical comorbidities precluding standard treatment. Patients who decline surgery and chemotherapy after adequate counseling. Age ≥ 19 years. Able to provide written informed consent. Eligible and willing to receive carbon ion radiotherapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age < 19 years. Presence of distant metastasis at baseline imaging (CT/MRI/PET-CT). Active or uncontrolled infection that may interfere with treatment. Active bleeding or bleeding tendency requiring immediate medical intervention. Pregnant or breastfeeding women. Any condition that, in the investigator's judgment, makes participation unsafe or inappropriate (e.g., severe organ dysfunction preventing radiotherapy).

Inability to comply with study procedures or follow-up schedule.

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: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group 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: Carbon Ion Radiotherapy
Participants receive carbon ion radiotherapy delivered either as 55.2 Gy in 12 fractions over 3 weeks or 40-48 Gy in 4 fractions over 1 week. Treatment planning includes 4D-CT-based simulation, defined target volumes (GTV/CTV), and organ-at-risk dose constraints. Radiotherapy is administered with daily or alternate-day fractionation depending on the selected regimen.
Other: Carbon Ion Radiotherapy
Carbon ion radiotherapy is delivered with two possible regimens: 55.2 Gy in 12 fractions over 3 weeks or 40-48 Gy in 4 fractions over 1 week. Treatment planning is performed using contrast-enhanced CT and 4D-CT to assess respiratory motion. Target volumes include the gross tumor volume and high-risk peripancreatic regions, while organs at risk (stomach, duodenum, bowel, liver, kidneys, spinal cord) follow strict dose constraints. Treatments are delivered once daily for the 12-fraction regimen or on alternate days for the 4-fraction regimen. Adaptive planning may be applied if weekly evaluation CT identifies anatomic changes. Acute and late toxicities are monitored throughout treatment using CTCAE v5.0.

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
Overall survival in frail patients with pancreatic cancer receiving carbon ion radiotherapy
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from the start of treatment
Overall survival will be assessed from the date of treatment initiation to death from any cause. The study will determine whether carbon ion radiotherapy provides a clinically meaningful improvement in survival compared with historical outcomes in frail patients with pancreatic cancer who previously received only supportive care or conventional X-ray radiotherapy.
Up to 2 years from the start of treatment

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: Up to 2 years from the start of treatment
Progression-free survival will be measured from the start of carbon ion radiotherapy to radiologic tumor progression or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.
Up to 2 years from the start of treatment
Local control rate
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from the start of treatment
Local control will be assessed through serial CT, MRI, or PET-CT imaging to determine the absence of local tumor progression within the irradiated region.
Up to 2 years from the start of treatment
Quality of Life: EORTC QLQ-C30 Score
Time Frame: Baseline, end of radiotherapy, and every 3-6 months up to 2 years
Quality of life will be assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. The score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate a higher response level (or better functioning/worse symptom, depending on the scale).
Baseline, end of radiotherapy, and every 3-6 months up to 2 years
Treatment-related toxicity
Time Frame: During radiotherapy and every 3-6 months up to 2 years
Acute and late toxicities will be recorded and graded according to CTCAE version 5.0 to evaluate the safety profile of carbon ion radiotherapy in frail pancreatic cancer patients.
During radiotherapy and every 3-6 months up to 2 years
Tumor marker changes (CA 19-9, CEA)
Time Frame: Baseline and every follow-up visit up to 2 years
Changes in tumor markers (CA 19-9 and CEA) will be monitored to assess treatment response trends following carbon ion radiotherapy.
Baseline and every follow-up visit up to 2 years
Quality of Life: FACT-Hep Score
Time Frame: Baseline, end of radiotherapy, and every 3-6 months up to 2 years
Secondary Outcome - Quality of life will be assessed using the FACT-Hep questionnaire. Higher scores indicate better quality of life.
Baseline, end of radiotherapy, and every 3-6 months up to 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.
Yonsei University

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.
September 23, 2025

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.
July 1, 2027

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.
July 1, 2029

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).
November 17, 2025

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.
November 30, 2025

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.
December 2, 2025

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 2, 2025

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.
November 30, 2025

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.
November 1, 2025

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.
  • 4-2025-0681

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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