Using Fiducial Markers to Aid in Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment

Trans-Rectal Placement of Prostatic Fiducial Markers Under MR-Guidance in Patients Receiving External Beam Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: A Pilot Study

To effectively treat prostate cancer, doctors need an accurate view (via X-rays) of the prostate gland during radiation therapy. To help improve this view, doctors may insert gold markers called fiducials into the prostate by placing hollow gold needles through the rectum and moving a fiducial through each needle. The purpose of the study is to determine whether an MRI scan can help doctors improve their placement of these needles.

Fifteen men will participate in this study. Patients will take the antibiotic levofloxacin for two days prior to the placement of the fiducials, then will have a small enema and another dose of the antibiotic on the morning of the procedure. After being anesthetized, patients will have an antenna-like tube placed into the rectum and have MRI images taken of the area. The doctor will then use these scans to place four fiducials into the prostate. The procedure will require approximately 45 minutes. Patients will be allowed to go home the same day of the procedure, which will be followed by a seven-week course of standard radiation therapy.

Prior to their participation in this study, patients will undergo the following evaluations: a physical exam, blood work, urine tests, and, if appropriate, an MRI or bone scan.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cancer; Prostate Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Fiducial marker placement

Detailed Description

Effective image-guided prostate therapies require excellent visualization of the prostate and surrounding anatomy, such that cancerous tissue can be treated while avoiding nearby neural and vascular structures. As such, Magnetic Resonance Imaging is well suited for image-guidance because of its excellent soft tissue contrast, multiplanar capabilities, and the potential to yield spectral/biological tumor mapping. Despite the potential for MRI-guided prostate therapies, there are currently no techniques that allow for precise trans-rectal intraprostatic needle placement in patients.

In this pilot study we seek to validate the accuracy and tolerability of a new system and technique that allows for accurate placement of needles within the prostate based upon MR images. The method is very similar to transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy of the prostate, except that it is applicable within a closed high-field MRI scanner. Four gold fiducial markers will be placed within the prostate under needle guidance in a series of patients with localized prostate cancer before external beam radiotherapy. Fifteen patients will be enrolled onto this study with sample size determined to obtain reasonably precise estimates of mean placement accuracy. The accrual period is expected to be less than a year.

While placement of the fiducial markers has no direct therapeutic benefit for the patient, intraprostatic radiopaque fiducial markers (placed under ultrasound) have shown value in assessing daily setup errors and off-line organ motion during external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Therefore, a secondary objective is to gain experience using these intraprostatic fiducial markers for daily assessment and adjustment of external radiation beam targeting. These markers can also be utilized to aid in CT-MRI fusion and results in better target delineation for treatment planning. In this way, prostate cancer patients who are receiving external-beam radiation therapy may benefit from participation.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 15
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
      • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 88 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:
• Pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland.
• Age greater than or equal to 18 years.
• ECOG performance status of 0 or 1.
• Informed consent: All patients must sign a document of informed consent indicating their understanding of the investigational nature and risks of the study before any protocol related studies are performed (this does not include routine laboratory tests or imaging studies required to establish eligibility).

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Patients with contraindication to transrectal needle placement:

• Bleeding disorder;
• PT/PTT greater than 1.5.times the upper limit of normal;
• Platelets less than 50K;
• Artificial heart valve.

Patients with contraindications to MRI:

• Patients weighing greater than 136 kg (weight limit for scanner table);
• Patients with pacemakers, cerebral aneurysm clips, shrapnel injury, or implanted electronic devices.
• Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
• Patients with distant metastatic disease.
• Patients with a prior history of pelvic or prostate radiotherapy.
• Cognitively impaired patients who cannot give informed consent.
• Other medical conditions deemed by the PI or associates to make the patient ineligible for protocol investigations, procedures, and high-dose external beam radiotherapy.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1; Placement of fidicual markers under MRI guidance for localization of radiaiton treatment	Procedure: Fiducial marker placement; Placement of fidicual markers under MRI guidance for localization of radiaiton treatment

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
To test the hypothesis that MRI guidance allows for accurate fiducial marker placement within the prostate	1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months
To determine the toxicity of MR-Guided fiducial marker placement	1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
To gain preliminary experience using intraprostatic fiducial markers for daily set-up assessment and adjustment of external radiation beam targeting.	completion of study
To gain preliminary experience using intraprostatic fiducial markers for image fusion.	completion of study
To measure the magnitude of marker migration during the course of radiotherapy.	completion of study
To gather data on radiation therapy effects on prostate cancer patients treated at the NCI ROB.	completion of study
To gather data on the feasibility, tolerability, and effectiveness of local anesthetic injection along the neurovascular bundle under MRI guidance.	completion of study

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Yu KK, Hricak H. Imaging prostate cancer. Radiol Clin North Am. 2000 Jan;38(1):59-85, viii. doi: 10.1016/s0033-8389(05)70150-0.
• Knopp MV, Weiss E, Sinn HP, Mattern J, Junkermann H, Radeleff J, Magener A, Brix G, Delorme S, Zuna I, van Kaick G. Pathophysiologic basis of contrast enhancement in breast tumors. J Magn Reson Imaging. 1999 Sep;10(3):260-6. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1522-2586(199909)10:33.0.co;2-7.
• Kurhanewicz J, Vigneron DB, Hricak H, Narayan P, Carroll P, Nelson SJ. Three-dimensional H-1 MR spectroscopic imaging of the in situ human prostate with high (0.24-0.7-cm3) spatial resolution. Radiology. 1996 Mar;198(3):795-805. doi: 10.1148/radiology.198.3.8628874.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 23, 2003
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2004
• Study Completion (Actual): April 19, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 23, 2003
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 23, 2003
• First Posted (Estimate): May 26, 2003

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 23, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2018
• Last Verified: April 19, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: MRI; Prostate Cancer; Radiation; Fiducial Marker
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Urogenital Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Genital Neoplasms, Male; Prostatic Diseases; Prostatic Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 030190; 03-C-0190