MR Imaging Study Using the Northern Alberta Linac-MR (Northern LIGHTs - 1)

Northern Alberta Linac-MR Image-Guided Human Clinical Trials - 1

Cancers are often treated with external beam radiotherapy. Current radiotherapy treatments are performed using computed tomography (also known as CT) scans which may not always clearly identify the cancer. In some instances, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be able to better identify cancers. Therefore, efforts are currently underway to use the MRI scans to improve radiotherapy treatments or eventually even use radiotherapy equipment that only uses MRI scans to guide treatments. This new technology that will only use MRI scans to guide treatments is called the Linac-MR (linear accelerator with an MRI). The purpose of this pilot phase of the study is to test whether the Alberta linac-MR P3 system at the Cross Cancer Institute can acquire high quality MR images safely. It will allow the researchers to develop the best collection of MR images possible with this new machine, in order to allow them to visualize tumors for future patients that are treated on this machine.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: MR scan with the Alberta linac-MR P3 system

Detailed Description

This prospective, pilot phase, clinical trial is an imaging study to optimize the necessary MR sequences on the Alberta linac-MR P3 system to allow for MR-guided radiotherapy in adult patients with cancer that are treated with high dose external beam radiotherapy. Each participant will undergo a single MR imaging session (30 - 40 minutes) on the Alberta linac-MR P3 system. Towards the end of the study, patients will be approached to participate in an optional sub-study, where they will undergo a total of five MR imaging sessions (performed every two to five days) to allow for an assessment of inter-fraction motion.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 250
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nawaid Usmani, MD; Phone Number: 780-432-8518; Email: Nawaid.Usmani@ahs.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Alberta
    • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 1Z2
      • Recruiting
      • Cross Cancer Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults ≥ 18 years of age
• Patients deemed fit to undergo high dose external beam radiation therapy by their attending radiation oncologist

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with contraindications for MRI
• Patients who are unable to lie flat and still for the duration of the expected scan acquisition
• Patients who are unable to provide informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Device Feasibility
• 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: MR Imaging on the Alberta linac-MR P3 system; All participants will undergo a single MR imaging session (30-40 minutes) on the Alberta linac-MR P3 system.	Device: MR scan with the Alberta linac-MR P3 system; Single MR imaging session to develop and optimize the necessary MR sequences on the Alberta linac-MR P3 system to allow for MR-guided radiotherapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of high-quality MR image data sets acquired for each major tumour site (prostate, liver, lung, CNS, breast, gynecological, pancreas, and head and neck)	Clinical radiologists, medical physicists, and radiation oncologists will work together to develop MR sequences that can delineate tumour target volumes on the Alberta linac-MR P3 system. Over the course of the trial, the clinical radiologists will work with medical physicists to optimize these sequences to allow for the development of optimal MR images, with the goal to develop of series of protocols that can be utilized to provide clear MR image guidance for each tumour group.	Through study completion, approximately 7 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Quantify the patient experience on the Linac-MR	Participants will complete a questionnaire at the end of their first scan regarding their experience having imaging done on the Linac-MR. Participants taking part in the optional sub-study will complete the same questionnaire at the end of their last set of imaging.	After the first and last scan, up to 5 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: AHS Cancer Control Alberta
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nawaid Usmani, MD, Cross Cancer Institute, Alberta Health Services

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 23, 2021
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 9, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): April 24, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 14, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 9, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: IIT-0013

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: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No