Radiation Therapy in Preventing Brain Metastases in Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer

June 26, 2026 updated by: Virginia Commonwealth University

A Randomized, Phase III Dose Response Study of Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation (PCI) for Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. It is not yet known which regimen of radiation therapy may be more effective in preventing brain metastases.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy in preventing brain metastases in patients who have small cell lung cancer that has been diagnosed within the past year.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the efficacy of low dose versus high dose prophylactic cranial irradiation in preventing brain metastases in patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung. II. Determine the neuropsychiatric status of these patients before and after treatment.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, multicenter study. The right or left hemisphere of each patient's brain are randomized to one of two treatment arms. All patients receive whole brain radiotherapy 5 days a week over 2.5 weeks for a total of 12 fractions. Arm I: Patients receive radiotherapy to the left cerebral hemisphere daily for 6 days immediately following completion of whole brain radiotherapy. Arm II: Patients receive radiotherapy to the right cerebral hemisphere daily for 6 days immediately following completion of whole brain radiotherapy. Patients with extensive disease may also receive thoracic radiotherapy, if not administered previously. Patients are followed at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, and then every 6 months thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 16-40 patients will be accrued for this study within 1-4 years.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Phase 3

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

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298-0037
        • Massey 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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed small cell carcinoma of the lung diagnosed within the past year Limited stage Must have completed prior chemotherapy with thoracic irradiation Extensive stage Must have completed prior chemotherapy with or without thoracic irradiation No more than 24 Gy of prior prophylactic cranial irradiation to the whole brain No brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: Not specified Performance status: Karnofsky 50-100% Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: Not specified Renal: Not specified Other: No other prior malignancy within the past 3 years except the following: Adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer Carcinoma in situ of the cervix Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: See Disease Characteristics Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: See Disease Characteristics Surgery: Not specified

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
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Virginia Commonwealth University

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Brian Kavanagh, MD, Massey Cancer Center

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

May 1, 2000

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2000

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2000

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 4, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 21, 2004

First Posted (Estimated)

May 24, 2004

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 26, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CDR0000068152
  • P30CA016059 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • MCV-MCC-9912-2A
  • NCI-V00-1613

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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