Advanced Techniques for Single-fraction Palliative Radiotherapy Versus ASPIRE-single (ASPIRE single)

Advanced Techniques for Single-fraction Palliative Radiotherapy Versus Standard Single Fraction Radiation

One third of patients treated in the radiation oncology departments are treated with palliative intent. These patients can be unwell due to their advanced disease and suffering from pain and other symptoms related to metastases. Radiation therapy (RT) has an important role in the symptomatic relief and improvement in the quality of life (QoL) for these patients.The aim of the study is to determine if escalated single fraction palliative radiotherapy using intensity-modulated techniques results in a prolonged duration of benefit for patients otherwise suitable for standard single fraction radiotherapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated; Palliative Radiotherapy
• Intervention / Treatment: Radiation: Radiation Therapy

Detailed Description

Radiation therapy (RT) has an important role in the symptomatic relief and improvement in the quality of life (QoL) for palliative patients who can be unwell due to their advanced disease and who suffer from pain and other symptoms related to metastases.

A single fraction of 8Gy is considered a standard treatment. In an assessment of health related quality of life (HRQoL) after palliative RT for painful bone metastases, the overall radiotherapy response at 1 week was 45% and by week 2 was 62%. Patients had a significant decrease in pain, insomnia and constipation by 1 month post treatment and an improvement in emotional functioning. When RT is used to control a bleeding tumour, up to 90% of patients will experience haemostasis.

There is however concern that 8 Gy in 1 fraction will not provide a durable response, with up to 20% of patients requiring retreatment to the same site, compared with 8% who receive multiple fraction treatment. Single fraction palliative radiation therapy (SFRT) is therefore an under utilised treatment regimen.

To implement the higher doses with a single fraction, more advanced radiation techniques are required, and there is still equipoise regarding the benefits. With advances in linear accelerator design and software, it is now possible to treat patients with advanced radiation techniques and low resources. Standard clinical pathways including computer optimised planning, remote (virtual) QA of plan delivery and the use of diagnostic imaging for planning are all feasible (under currently in clinical use at Northern Sydney Cancer Centre).

The results from this study will be used to design / proceed to a Randomised Phase III study, if appropriate.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Dylan J Chin; Phone Number: 31337 +612 9463 1337; Email: dylan.chin@health.nsw.gov.au
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Carolyn Kwong, RN; Phone Number: 31339 +612 9463 1339; Email: Carolyn.Kwong@health.nsw.gov.au

Study Locations

• Australia
  • New South Wales
    • Saint Leonards, New South Wales, Australia, 2065
      • Recruiting
      • Royal North Shore Hospital
      • Contact: Carol Kwong, RN; Phone Number: 31339 +61294631339; Email: carolyn.kwong@health.nsw.gov.au
      • Contact: Heidi Tsang, RN; Phone Number: 31340 +61294631340; Email: heidi.tsang@health.nsw.gov.au
      • Principal Investigator: Thomas Eade, MBBS

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Metastatic cancer
• Recommended for 8Gy/1# palliative radiation
• Patients with spinal cord compression are eligible for enrolment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unwilling or unable to give informed consent
• Patients who are recommended multi fraction palliative radiation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Standard Arm; 8 Gy / 1 Fraction	Radiation: Radiation Therapy; Cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours
Experimental: Single Fraction Dose Escalation; 8Gy Planning Target Volume / 12Gy Clinical Target Volume +/- 14Gy Gross Tumour Volume / 1 fraction	Radiation: Radiation Therapy; Cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Substantial benefit from palliative radiotherapy	to determine the percentage of patients who achieved a substantial benefit from palliative radiotherapy and have not redeveloped symptoms by 9 months post treatment.	9 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Treatment Wait Time	The time from the date of the initial consultation and radiation therapy consent to the start date of radiation therapy	1 week
Radiation Department Time	The time in the radiation oncology department for radiation therapy, from arrival time in the department until the patient is ready for collection at the end of treatment	1 day
Radiotherapy Treatment Time	The time that the patient is in the Radiation therapy treatment room, from time of entry to time of exit	1 day
Completion Rates of ePRO's in a Palliative Care Cohort	The rate at which baseline and post treatment questionnaires are completed by both patients and primary carers	2 years
Comparing Patient and Carer Assessments	Comparing the answers given by patients and carers to determine whether carers can accurately answer on behalf of patients	2 years
Radiation Doses to Organs at Risk	The radiation doses delivered to the surrounding organs at risk will be reviewed during and after treatment completion to ensure that they meet predefined OAR constraints Patient and carer reported toxicity from treatment	2 years
Patient Reported Outcomes	Electronic questionnaires delivered to the patient pre-treatment and post treatment at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months. Scores will be calculated in accordance with established scoring methods	24 months
Carer Reported Outcomes	Electronic questionnaires delivered to the patient's primary carer pre-treatment and post treatment at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months. Scores will be calculated in accordance with established scoring methods	24 months
Efficacy of treatment	this will be determined by re-treatment rates of irradiated sites, symptom control and recurrence	2 years
Overall Survival	This will be defined as the time to death measured from the day of randomisation.	2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Royal North Shore Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Thomas Eade, Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wu JS, Wong R, Johnston M, Bezjak A, Whelan T; Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guidelines Initiative Supportive Care Group. Meta-analysis of dose-fractionation radiotherapy trials for the palliation of painful bone metastases. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2003 Mar 1;55(3):594-605. doi: 10.1016/s0360-3016(02)04147-0.
• Maranzano E, Bellavita R, Rossi R, De Angelis V, Frattegiani A, Bagnoli R, Mignogna M, Beneventi S, Lupattelli M, Ponticelli P, Biti GP, Latini P. Short-course versus split-course radiotherapy in metastatic spinal cord compression: results of a phase III, randomized, multicenter trial. J Clin Oncol. 2005 May 20;23(15):3358-65. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2005.08.193. Epub 2005 Feb 28.
• Rich SE, Chow R, Raman S, Liang Zeng K, Lutz S, Lam H, Silva MF, Chow E. Update of the systematic review of palliative radiation therapy fractionation for bone metastases. Radiother Oncol. 2018 Mar;126(3):547-557. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2018.01.003. Epub 2018 Feb 1. Erratum In: Radiother Oncol. 2019 Jun;135:201.
• Caissie A, Zeng L, Nguyen J, Zhang L, Jon F, Dennis K, Holden L, Culleton S, Koo K, Tsao M, Barnes E, Danjoux C, Sahgal A, Simmons C, Chow E. Assessment of health-related quality of life with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C15-PAL after palliative radiotherapy of bone metastases. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2012 Mar;24(2):125-33. doi: 10.1016/j.clon.2011.08.008. Epub 2011 Sep 13.
• Sapienza LG, Ning MS, Jhingran A, Lin LL, Leao CR, da Silva BB, Pellizzon ACA, Gomes MJL, Baiocchi G. Short-course palliative radiation therapy leads to excellent bleeding control: A single centre retrospective study. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 2018 Nov 22;14:40-46. doi: 10.1016/j.ctro.2018.11.007. eCollection 2019 Jan.
• Wu SY, Singer L, Boreta L, Garcia MA, Fogh SE, Braunstein SE. Palliative radiotherapy near the end of life. BMC Palliat Care. 2019 Mar 23;18(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12904-019-0415-8.
• Schuler T, Back M, Hruby G, Carroll S, Jayamanne D, Kneebone A, Stevens M, Lamoury G, Morgia M, Wong S, Grimberg K, Roderick S, Booth J, Eade T. Introducing Computed Tomography Simulation-Free and Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes-Monitored Palliative Radiation Therapy into Routine Care: Clinical Outcomes and Implementation Experience. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020 Dec 3;6(2):100632. doi: 10.1016/j.adro.2020.100632. eCollection 2021 Mar-Apr.
• Nguyen QN, Chun SG, Chow E, Komaki R, Liao Z, Zacharia R, Szeto BK, Welsh JW, Hahn SM, Fuller CD, Moon BS, Bird JE, Satcher R, Lin PP, Jeter M, O'Reilly MS, Lewis VO. Single-Fraction Stereotactic vs Conventional Multifraction Radiotherapy for Pain Relief in Patients With Predominantly Nonspine Bone Metastases: A Randomized Phase 2 Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2019 Jun 1;5(6):872-878. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.0192. Erratum In: JAMA Oncol. 2021 Oct 1;7(10):1581.
• Ryu S, Deshmukh S, Timmerman RD, Movsas B, Gerszten PC, Yin FF, et al. Radiosurgery Compared To External Beam Radiotherapy for Localized Spine Metastasis: Phase III Results of NRG Oncology/RTOG 0631. International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. 2019;105(1):S2-S3.
• Ong WL, Foroudi F, Milne RL, Millar JL. Variation in the Use of Single- Versus Multifraction Palliative Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases in Australia. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2020 Jan 1;106(1):61-66. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2019.08.061. Epub 2019 Sep 7.
• Roos DE, Turner SL, O'Brien PC, Smith JG, Spry NA, Burmeister BH, Hoskin PJ, Ball DL; Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group, TROG 96.05. Randomized trial of 8 Gy in 1 versus 20 Gy in 5 fractions of radiotherapy for neuropathic pain due to bone metastases (Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group, TROG 96.05). Radiother Oncol. 2005 Apr;75(1):54-63. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2004.09.017. Epub 2004 Oct 28.
• Maranzano E, Trippa F, Casale M, Costantini S, Lupattelli M, Bellavita R, Marafioti L, Pergolizzi S, Santacaterina A, Mignogna M, Silvano G, Fusco V. 8Gy single-dose radiotherapy is effective in metastatic spinal cord compression: results of a phase III randomized multicentre Italian trial. Radiother Oncol. 2009 Nov;93(2):174-9. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2009.05.012. Epub 2009 Jun 10.
• Lee KA, Dunne M, Small C, Kelly PJ, McArdle O, O'Sullivan J, Hacking D, Pomeroy M, Armstrong J, Moriarty M, Clayton-Lea A, Parker I, Collins CD, Thirion P. (ICORG 05-03): prospective randomized non-inferiority phase III trial comparing two radiation schedules in malignant spinal cord compression (not proceeding with surgical decompression); the quality of life analysis. Acta Oncol. 2018 Jul;57(7):965-972. doi: 10.1080/0284186X.2018.1433320. Epub 2018 Feb 8.
• Job M, Holt T, Bernard A. Reducing radiotherapy waiting times for palliative patients: The role of the Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist. J Med Radiat Sci. 2017 Dec;64(4):274-280. doi: 10.1002/jmrs.243. Epub 2017 Aug 29.
• Thavarajah N, Wong K, Zhang L, Bedard G, Wong E, Tsao M, Danjoux C, Barnes E, Sahgal A, Dennis K, Holden L, Lauzon N, Chow E. Continued success in providing timely palliative radiation therapy at the Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program: a review of 2008-2012. Curr Oncol. 2013 Jun;20(3):e206-11. doi: 10.3747/co.20.1342.
• Wong S, Roderick S, Atyeo JW, Grimberg K, Porter B, Booth J, et al. Improving the Palliative Patient Journey in Radiation Oncology. International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. 2019;105(1):S49.
• Sandler KA, Mitchell SA, Basch E, Raldow AC, Steinberg ML, Sharif J, Cook RR, Kupelian PA, McCloskey SA. Content Validity of Anatomic Site-Specific Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) Item Sets for Assessment of Acute Symptomatic Toxicities in Radiation Oncology. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2018 Sep 1;102(1):44-52. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2018.04.048. Epub 2018 Jun 5.
• Brunelli C, Zecca E, Martini C, Campa T, Fagnoni E, Bagnasco M, Lanata L, Caraceni A. Comparison of numerical and verbal rating scales to measure pain exacerbations in patients with chronic cancer pain. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2010 Apr 22;8:42. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-8-42.

Helpful Links

• Varian. Varian Adaptive Therapy Ethos.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 29, 2021
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 24, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): December 8, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 16, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2023
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: ASPIRE-single

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The results of this trial will be published in a peer reviewed journal. Target journals for publication of this trial include, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No