Hypofractionated Boost Before Chemoradiation for Patients With Stage II-III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Unsuitable for Surgery

A Phase II Trial Combining Hypofractionated Radiation Boost With Conventionally-Fractionated Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Not Suitable for Surgery

This phase II trial studies how well giving a hypofractionated boost to the primary tumor before standard chemotherapy and radiation therapy works in treating patients with stage II or III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Advances in radiation oncology have allowed better radiation targeting which may be able to send x-rays directly to the tumor and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and etoposide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving more precise and targeted radiation before standard chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells and prevent the cancer from coming back in the location in which it started.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stage IIIA Non-small Cell Lung Cancer; Stage IIIB Non-small Cell Lung Cancer; Recurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer; Stage IIA Non-small Cell Lung Cancer; Stage IIB Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: laboratory biomarker analysis; Drug: etoposide; Drug: cisplatin; Radiation: 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy; Radiation: hypofractionated radiation therapy

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To estimate the primary tumor control rate at 12 months.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To further establish safety and tolerability of this regimen. II. To estimate the rates of regional, distant control as well as progression-free survival and overall survival.

III. To evaluate the objective response rate (ORR) to this regimen. IV. To evaluate the response of tumors to stereotactic (high-dose) radiation using magnetic resonance tumor perfusion imaging modalities (magnetic resonance [MR]-dynamic contrast-enhanced [DCE]/perfusion weighted imaging [PWI], MR-diffusion, blood oxygenation level dependent [BOLD] sequences).

OUTLINE:

Patients will receive a hypofractionated boost to the primary tumor over 2 fractions (at least 40 hours apart) during week 1. Beginning week 2, patients receive cisplatin intravenously (IV) on days 8, 15, 36, and 43; and etoposide IV over 60 minutes on days 8-12 and 36-40. If carboplatin and paclitaxel is administered concurrently with radiotherapy, 2 cycles of carboplatin (AUC=6 mg/min/mL IV on day 1, 22) and paclitaxel (200 mg/m2 IV on day 1, 22) consolidation chemotherapy are required, to be administered starting 4-6 weeks after concurrent chemoradiation has ended. Each cycle is 21 days long. If cisplatin and etoposide is administered concurrently with radiotherapy, consolidation chemotherapy is not allowed. Patients also undergo standard conformal radiation therapy once daily (QD) 5 days a week for a total of 30 fractions. Treatment continues for 6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months for 3 years.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 21
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• All prior treatment-related toxicities must be Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) (version 4.0) =< grade 1 (except alopecia) at the time of enrollment
• Adequate baseline organ function obtained within 30 days of study registration
• Absolute neutrophil count >= 1.5 x 10^9/L
• Hemoglobin >= 9 g/dL
• Platelets >= 100 x 10^9/L
• Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =< 2.5 x ULN
• Creatinine =< 1.5 ULN AND
• Calculated creatinine >= 50 mL/min (calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula) or
• 24-hour urine creatinine clearance >= 50 mL/min
• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), histologically and/or cytologically proven
• Clinical American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (7th edition) IIA-IIIB NSCLC (T1-4N1-3M0)
• Patients must be considered unresectable or medically-inoperable
• Patients must have primary tumor =< 6 cm as defined by CT largest axial dimension
• Within 60 days of registration: patients must have fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)-CT scan (or CT chest/abdomen/pelvis with IV contrast), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain with IV contrast (or CT scan of the brain with contrast); a non-contrast MRI scans of the chest/abdomen/pelvis or brain are permitted for workup if patient has allergy to CT contrast or renal insufficiency
• Within 30 days of registration: patients must have vital signs, history/physical examination, laboratory studies (complete blood count panel [CBCP] with differential, chemistries including liver function tests, creatinine clearance [CrCl] assessment, pregnancy test if needed within 14 days of registration)
• If a pleural effusion is present and visible on both CT scan AND chest x-ray, the investigator should exclude malignant disease by pleurocentesis to confirm cytologically-negative pleural fluid; if fluid is exudative or cytologically positive for tumor cells, patient is excluded
• Patients with effusions that are minimal (i.e. not visible on chest x-ray) and that are too small to safely tap are eligible.
• Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks in the opinion of investigator
• Patient has an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1 within 30 days of registration
• Patients must have measurable primary tumor (undetectable NSCLC primary tumor is ineligible)
• Patients must be a minimum of 3 weeks from thoracotomy (if performed) and well-healed before starting treatment
• Ability to provide written informed consent obtained prior to participation in the study and any related procedures being performed
• Women of child-bearing potential (WOCBP) must have a negative pregnancy test within 14 days of registration; urine human gonadotropin (HCG) is an acceptable pregnancy assessment
• Nursing women may participate only if nursing is discontinued
• Women/men of reproductive potential must be counseled on contraception/abstinence while receiving the study treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with contralateral hilar involvement (greater than 1.5 cm on short axis or positive on PET scan, or biopsy-proven)
• Documented or pathologically-proven metastatic disease
• Presence of nodules considered neoplastic in the same lobe or other ipsilateral lobe as the primary tumor (stage T3-4), unless the nodule can be encompassed in the stereotactic boost (gross tumor volume [GTV]boost) without exceeding a total GTVboost size of 6 cm as defined by CT largest axial dimension
• Presence of nodules considered neoplastic in contralateral lobes (M1a)
• Patients with history of pneumonectomy
• Prior cytotoxic chemotherapy or molecularly-targeted agents (e.g. erlotinib, crizotinib), unless > 2 years prior
• Any concurrent malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancer, non-invasive bladder cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix; patients with a previous malignancy without evidence of disease for >= 3 years will be allowed to enter the trial
• History of active connective tissue disease (scleroderma) or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
• History of previous radiation therapy which would result in overlapping radiation fields
• Uncontrolled neuropathy grade 2 or greater, regardless of cause
• Subjects who are breast-feeding and plan to continue breast-feeding during therapy, or have a positive pregnancy test will be excluded from the study; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
• Medical contraindication to MR imaging (e.g. pacemakers, metallic implants, aneurysm clips, known contrast allergy to Gadolinium contrast, pregnancy, nursing mothers, weight greater than 350 pounds) [first 10 patients]

• Any serious and/or unstable pre-existing medical disorder (aside from malignancy exception above), psychiatric disorder, or other conditions that could interfere with subject's safety, obtaining informed consent or compliance to the study procedures, in the opinion of the Investigator; this could include severe, active co-morbidities such as:

  • Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within the last months
  • Transmural myocardial infarction within the last 6 months
  • Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) based upon the current CDC definition; note, however, that HIV testing is not required for entry to protocol. The need to exclude patients with AIDS from this protocol is necessary because the treatments involved may be significantly immunosuppressive
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness requiring hospitalization or precluding study therapy within 30 days of registration
  • Hepatic insufficiency resulting in jaundice and/or coagulation defects

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• 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: Treatment (hypofractionated radiation boost, chemoradiation); Patients undergo hypofractionated radiation boost over 2 fractions (at least 40 hours apart) during week 1. Beginning week 2, patients receive cisplatin IV on days 8, 15, 36, and 43; and etoposide IV over 60 minutes on days 8-12 and 36-40. Patients also undergo standard 3-D conformal radiation therapy QD 5 days a week for a total of 30 fractions. Treatment continues for 6 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Other: laboratory biomarker analysis; Correlative studies; Drug: etoposide; Given IV; Other Names: EPEG; VP-16; VP-16-213; Drug: cisplatin; Given IV; Other Names: CDDP; DDP; CACP; CPDD; Radiation: 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy; Undergo 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy; Other Names: 3D-CRT; 3D conformal radiation therapy; Radiation: hypofractionated radiation therapy; Radiation boost in week 1 (days 1-5); Other Names: SBRT

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Primary Tumor Control Rate, as Measured From the Time of Treatment Completion Until the First Documented Date of Local Failure	Primary tumor control rate at 12 months, as well its 95% confidence interval, will be reported for all eligible subjects received treatment.	At 12 months following chemo/radiation therapy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Adverse Events	Number of all adverse events with special attention to grade 3-5 esophagitis, pneumonitis, and cardiac adverse events as defined by the National Cancer Institution Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events CTCAE version 5.0	Up to 30 days after completion of treatment, up to 5 years
Tolerability Measured by the Number of Patients Who Discontinue Treatment	The number of patients who discontinue treatment will be summarized.	Up to 5 years
Regional Control	Regional control rate at 24 months will be reported for all eligible patients who received treatment.	Up to 24 months
Distant Control	Distant control rate at 24 months will be reported for all eligible patients who received treatment	Up to 24 months
Disease-free Survival (DFS)	Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis will be used to estimate DFS.	From date of treatment initiation to progression, assessed up to 24 months
Overall Survival (OS)	K-M analysis will be used to estimate OS.	Up to 24 months
Objective Response Rate as Measured by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Criteria	Objective response rate will be reported for all eligible patients who receive treatment.	At 3 months and 6 months
Changes in Tumor Perfusion Measured by MR-DCE/PWI Amp and Kep	Changes in perfusion will be tested by comparing mean values pre- and post-hypofractionated boost radiation using a paired t-test. The following pharmacokinetic parameters will be used (parameters were derived using the modified Brix's model): Amp, Kep.	Baseline to the end of week 1
Changes in Tumor Perfusion Measured by MR-DCE/PWI Kpe and Kel	Changes in perfusion will be tested by comparing mean values pre- and post-hypofractionated boost radiation using a paired t-test. The following pharmacokinetic parameters will be used (parameters were derived using the modified Brix's model): Kpe, Kel.	Baseline to the end of week 1
Changes in Diffusion Measured by MR-diffusion	Changes in diffusion will be tested by comparing mean values of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC [× 10-3 mm2/s]) pre- and post-hypofractionated boost radiation using a paired t-test.	Baseline to the end of week 1
Changes in Hypoxia Measured by BOLD Sequences	Changes in hypoxia will be tested by comparing mean values pre- and post-hypofractionated boost radiation using a paired t-test.	Baseline to the end of week 1

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Eric Miller, MD, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• The Jamesline

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 8, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 15, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): April 15, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 7, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 7, 2014
• First Posted (Estimated): October 13, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 12, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 24, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Chemoradiation; Lung Cancer; Non-small cell
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Bronchial Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Antineoplastic Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Enzyme Inhibitors; Topoisomerase Inhibitors; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Topoisomerase II Inhibitors; Etoposide; Etoposide phosphate
• Other Study ID Numbers: OSU-14091; NCI-2014-01663 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

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: Yes