Phase I Study of Feasibility of Single Session Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SSRS) in the Primary Management in Patients With Inoperable, Previously Unirradiated Metastatic Epidural Spinal Cord Compression (MESCC)

April 13, 2026 updated by: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
The goal of this clinical study is to learn the feasibility of using a single session of radiation, known as spine stereotactic radiosurgery (SSRS), to treat metastatic epidural spinal cord compression.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Spinal cord compression is often treated with surgery followed by radiation in small doses everyday for a number of days. When a patient cannot or will not have surgery, radiation is given daily. With increased accuracy and precision, higher doses of radiation can be given in a single session. Giving a higher dose in a single session may increase the chance that the tumor will stop growing into the spinal canal and will prevent spinal cord injury. This study will also help to identify the tolerance of the spinal cord to radiation in a single session.

Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery:

You will lie in the mold that was made for you for 45-120 minutes while you receive your radiation treatment.

Follow-up Visits:

You will have follow-up visits at Months 3 (+/-2 weeks ), 6 (+/-4 weeks), 9 (+/-4 weeks), 12 (+/-8 weeks), 18 (+/-8 weeks), and 24 (+/-8 weeks) and then every 6 months after that. At each follow-up visit:

  • Your medical history will be recorded, including any use of steroids.
  • You will have a neurological exam.
  • You will complete the 3 questionnaires about health, symptoms you may be having, and about pain.
  • You will have an MRI of the spine (except for Month 1).

If you are unable to return for follow-up clinic visits, you will be called and asked about your medical history, and you will complete the 3 questionnaires about your health, symptoms you may be having, and about pain. This call should take about 20 minutes.

Length of Study:

Your treatment will last 1 day. You will continue having follow-up visits or phone calls for as long as possible.

This is an investigational study. SSRS is FDA approved. The use of SSRS to treat metastatic epidural spinal cord compression is investigational.

Up to 36 patients will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

43

Phase

  • Phase 1

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
    • 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

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Greater than or equal to 18 years old
  2. Radiographically documented metastatic epidural compression on spine Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 4 weeks of registration, defined radiographically, ranging from minimal canal compromise and thecal indentation to actual displacement of the spinal cord.
  3. Maximum of 3 contiguous vertebral levels involved with metastasis in the spine to be irradiated in a single session
  4. Signed Informed consent
  5. Diagnosis of cancer (not one of the more radiosensitive histologies, see exclusion criteria) including but not limited to non-small cell lung cancer, breast, prostate, renal cell, melanoma, gastrointestinal, sarcoma, thyroid, head and neck primary, and unknown primary tumors
  6. Motor Strength >/= 4 out of 5 in extremity or extremities affected by the level of the spinal cord compression
  7. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) >/= 40
  8. Patients deemed to be inoperable by patient refusal, by neurosurgical evaluation, or for any reason

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patient with radiosensitive histologies (lymphoma, multiple myeloma, small cell carcinoma, germ cell tumors) as conventional radiation is likely to be effective
  2. Prior irradiation of the spine site and level to be treated
  3. Inability to tolerate lying flat on treatment table for greater than 30 minutes.
  4. Patients unable to undergo MRI of the spine
  5. Patients who are pregnant
  6. Patients who have cord compression from bone components or configuration

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SSRS)
Target dose of 18 or 24 Gy to spine in single session of radiation treatment.
Procedure: Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SSRS)
Target dose of 18 or 24 Gy to spine in single session of radiation treatment.
Other Names:
  • Radiation therapy
  • Radiotherapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Occurrences of Paralysis caused by Radiation Myelitis (RM)
Time Frame: Up to 12 months following radiation
Incidence of patients who are ambulatory at baseline, 3 months and 6 months will be tabulated. Cases of patients who develop spinal cord myelopathy determined to be radiation related graded according to NCI CTC v4.0 scale.
Up to 12 months following radiation

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Investigators

  • 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)

December 3, 2010

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 3, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 3, 2010

First Posted (Estimated)

December 7, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 13, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2010-0655
  • NCI-2011-00269 (Registry Identifier: NCI CTRP)

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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