A Novel Method for Treating Lung Met w/Combo of Electric Fields & Rad Therapy: A Single-Arm

A Novel Method for Treating Lung Metastases With the Combination of Electrical Fields and Radiation Therapy: A Single-Arm Pilot Study

This is a phase 0, pilot prospective study to determine the feasibility of combined irreversible electroporation (IRE) and radiation therapy in subjects with lung tumors with metastatic cancer of any histology. These are subjects who have advanced disease (stage IV) or previously treated disease that has become progressive, recurrent, or metastatic.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Metastatic Cancer; Lung Tumor
• Intervention / Treatment: Radiation: Radiation Therapy; Procedure: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 6
• Phase: Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Orange, California, United States, 92868
      • Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center University of California, Irvine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic cancer of any histology. There must be a lung tumor present, although the lung tumor does not specifically need to have been biopsied.
• Patients must have advanced disease (stage IV) or previously treated disease that has become progressive, recurrent, or metastatic.
• Patients may have received any number of prior systemic or local therapies. There will be no prespecified washout period prior to IRE. However, systemic therapy will be halted while receiving IRE and radiation, and can be restarted following completion of radiation therapy.
• Up to 3 lesions may be included for treatment. The selected lesion(s) should be amenable to ablation and irradiation and patients will be eligible for ablation and irradiation in the judgment of the treating radiologist and radiation oncologist. If more than one lesion is selected, they should be separated by at least 5 cm to minimize lung irradiation. The target lesion for treatment by IRE and radiation will be a tumor not previously treated by radiation. This target lesion must be measurable, defined as the ability to be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded for non-nodal lesions and short axis for nodal lesions) as >10 mm with spiral CT scan. The upper limit to the target lesion is 6 cm maximal diameter, but it also must be planned to be encompassed entirely by an IRE ablative zone. Any number of IRE probes will be allowed such that the entire tumor can be ablated.

• Must be age ≥ 18 years. Children are excluded from this study but will be eligible for future pediatric trials, if applicable.

  1. Both men and women and members of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this trial. Non-English speaking, deaf, hard of hearing and illiterate individuals are eligible for this trial.

• Performance status: ECOG performance status ≤2 (Karnofsky ≥50%).
• Life expectancy of ≥3 months.

• Adequate organ and marrow function as defined below. Labs should be performed within 14 days of treatment.

  1. Platelets ≥50,000/mcL
  2. Hemoglobin ≥8 g/dL
  3. Absolute neutrophil count ≥1,000/mcL
  4. INR <1.5
• Female patients of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy during screening. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required.

• The effects of ionizing radiation (i.e. radiation therapy) on the developing human fetus are known to have the potential for congenital abnormalities and fetal harm. Women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and until completion of radiation therapy. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant during this period, she should inform her treating physician immediately.

  1. A female of child-bearing potential is any woman (regardless of sexual orientation, having undergone a tubal ligation, or remaining celibate by choice) who meets the following criteria:

  1. Has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or
  2. Has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months).
• Patients must not have a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or have current pneumonitis.
• Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient's whose target lesion has been previously treated with radiation therapy.
• Patients who have not recovered from adverse events due to prior anti-cancer therapy administered.
• Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents 2 weeks prior to enrollment and until end of all therapeutic interventions.
• Patients with cardiac arrhythmias, pacemakers, or implanted defibrillator.
• Patients with epilepsy.
• Patients with uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
• Patients must not be pregnant due to the potential for congenital abnormalities and fetal harm caused by ionizing radiation.
• Patients with disease amenable to curative intent therapy.
• Patient has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment; exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

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: IRE ablation and radiation therapy; Patients will be treated with IRE ablation directed at the target lesion on day 1. Moderate-dose, single-fraction radiation therapy will be delivered to the target lesion on day 8 to day 15.	Radiation: Radiation Therapy; Moderate-dose radiation therapy to the target tumor(s) in 1 fraction.; Procedure: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation; IRE will be performed using the NanoKnife or Aliya System. CT or cone-beam CT will be used to direct electrode placement.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Feasibility, measured as the number of patients completing both IRE and the single fraction of radiation	Number of patients completing treatment of both IRE and the single fraction of radiation. Up to 6 replacements are allowed (total subjects 6-12)	Up to 3 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Overall survival	The duration of time from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Estimates at 6 and 12 months will be made.	Up to 3 years
Number of grade 3-5 adverse events	Severe toxicity will be measured by cumulative CTCAE v5.0 grade 3-5 events. Evaluation of Grade 3-5 toxicity will be made at 30 days	Up to 3 years
Local failure at the treated site	Local failure rate at the treated site will be determined using cumulative incidence rates with death as a competing event at 12 months after initiation of treatment	Up to 3 years
Duration of response	The duration of response is measured from the time of treatment initiation until local failure is objectively documented	Up to 3 years
Progression-free survival	Progression-free survival (PFS) is defined as the duration of time from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Estimates at 6 and 12 months will be made.	Up to 3 years
Number of grade 1-5 adverse events	Toxicity will be measured by cumulative CTCAE v5.0 grade 1-5 events. Evaluation of Grade 1-5 toxicity will be made at 30 days	Up to 3 years
Patient reported quality of life	Mean summary score of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L). Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) Scale is a 36-item self-reported instrument that measures multidimensional quality of life for lung cancer patients. Questions are scored on a 5-point Likert Scale. The FACT-L includes the FACT-G (general) assessment which is comprised of four subscales including Physical Well-Being (score = 0-28), Social/Family Well-Being (score= 0-28), Emotional Well Being (score = 0-24), and Functional Well-Being (score = 0-28), for a total score min/max = 0-108, plus, the Lung Cancer Subscale (nine lung cancer related items, score = 0-45). Total scores range from 0-136, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.	Up to 3 years
Forced vital capacity	Pulmonary function is assessed by the volume change (mL) in the value of forced vital capacity (FVC)	Up to 3 years
Forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1)	Pulmonary function is assessed by volume change (mL) in the value of forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1)	Up to 3 years
Diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO)	Pulmonary function is assessed by change in the value of diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) measured in mL/min/kPa	Up to 3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jeremy Harris, MD, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 3, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 29, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): October 27, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 20, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 22, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): September 26, 2022

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

• Keywords: irreversible electroporation; lung metastasis; Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy; Percutaneous ablation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Neoplastic Processes; Lung Neoplasms; Neoplasm Metastasis
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1723 (University of California, Irvine); UCI 21-222 (Other Identifier: CFCCC)

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
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes