Proton Radiation Therapy for Gliomas

December 4, 2025 updated by: Helen A. Shih, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Phase II Study of Proton Radiation Therapy for Low Grade and Favorable Grade 3 Gliomas

In this research study the investigators are looking at a type of radiation called proton radiation. Proton radiation has been shown to deliver virtually no radiation beyond the area of the tumor, sparing surrounding normal tissue from exposure. This may reduce side effects that patients would normally experience with conventional radiation therapy.

In this research study the investigators are looking to determine if proton radiation with a reduced field size will be as effective in controlling tumor growth as photon therapy, while reducing the treatment-related side effects observed in patients with brain tumors.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Proton radiation will be delivered daily for approximately 6 weeks. Subjects will be assessed weekly for side effects. Each visit will take about 15 minutes.

Subjects will have follow-up visits at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, and 84 months after their last proton radiation treatment. They will receive a physical exam, MRI, have blood tests (about 4 teaspoons) and answer questionnaires regarding medical history, quality of life, and emotional well-being. Subjects will also receive a neurocognitive exam annually.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

63

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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
    • 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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Histologically confirmed low-grade gliomas OR Grade III anaplastic glioma with either or both IDH1 mutation or 1p/19q codeletion
  • Subject must be indicated for radiation therapy
  • Life expectancy greater than 5 years
  • Willing to participate in rigorous neurocognitive evaluations at baseline and serially following treatment
  • Able to speak and comprehend English
  • Recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks before entering study
  • Able to undergo MRI scans

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior cranial radiation therapy
  • Chemotherapy within 4 weeks prior to entering study
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Known brain metastases
  • Baseline neurocognitive or emotional disorders
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness
  • History of a different malignancy unless disease-free for at least 5 years
  • HIV positive on antiretroviral therapy

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: Proton radiation therapy
Single arm study delivering fractionated proton therapy over 6 week (54-59.4 Gy(RBE))
Radiation: Proton radiation
Total dose of 54-59.4 Gy(RBE) at 1.8 Gy(RBE) per daily fraction delivered 5 days per week on weekdays for 6-6.5 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Efficacy
Time Frame: 7 years
To assess progression free survival of this treatment program.
7 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Safety and Tolerability
Time Frame: 7 years
To assess the number of participants with late effects from radiation therapy
7 years
Overall survival
Time Frame: 7 years
To assess overall survival of this treatment program.
7 years

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Helen A Shih, 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

May 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 17, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 19, 2011

First Posted (Estimated)

May 23, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

December 10, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 4, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 10-439

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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