Abscopal Effect From Low-dose Radiotherapy in Metastatic Cancer Combined With Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

Abscopal Effect From the Addition of Low-dose Radiotherapy in Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy: a Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Study

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has been known to enhance the abscopal effect by up to 40% when delivered with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Recently, preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate that metastatic lesions treated with non-cytotoxic low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) significantly were reduced in the condition where SBRT and ICIs were administered together. Given that ICIs are highly expensive and some tumors are beyond the indications of ICIs, novel approaches are required to boost the abscopal effect in the absence of ICIs. Therefore, the investigators design a multicenter, randomized clinical trial that investigates the efficacy and safety of LDRT combined with SBRT in metastatic cancer patients. The primary endpoint is a lesion-specific response of LDRT lesions (i.e., abscopal effect) evaluated three months after radiotherapy.

Subjects will be randomly allocated into two groups (1:1) with the stratification by planning target volume and previous use of ICIs: control group (SBRT in three fractions) or experimental group (SBRT + LDRT in three factions). Unless patients agree with randomization, subjects will participate in a prospective cohort study.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Neoplasms; Secondary Malignant Neoplasm
• Intervention / Treatment: Radiation: SBRT + LDRT; Radiation: SBRT alone

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 186
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jae Sik Kim, MD; Phone Number: +82-2-709-3254; Email: icarusky@schmc.ac.kr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Randomization study: Patients who can provide their written informed consent
• Cohort study: Patients who do not consent to randomization and who are able to consent to a prospective cohort study and provide written informed consent
• Age ≥19 years
• Patients with histologically confirmed primary solid (irrespective of the status of the primary tumor)
• Patients with ECOG performance status 0-2
• Patients planning stereotactic body radiotherapy for extracranial metastases
• Based on RECIST v1.1, patients with at least one extracranial measurable lesion other than SBRT lesions
• Patients with one or more measurable lesions, which are not suitable for SBRT or palliative radiotherapy and can be considered for LDRT (bone metastasis is not indicated for LDRT)
• Patients with hematologic function suitable for radiotherapy (absolute neutrophil count ≥1,500/mm^3, hemoglobin ≥9 g/dL, platelet count ≥100,000/mm^3)
• Patients with a life expectancy of 6 months or more according to the researcher's judgment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients participating in other clinical studies that may affect the efficacy/safety of this clinical study
• Patients with brain metastasis
• Patients planning SBRT for all measurable lesions due to oligometastasis
• Patients with a history of radiotherapy for extracranial metastases within 3 months of the enrollment
• Patients unable to cooperate with stereotactic body radiotherapy
• Patients who are pregnant or planning to
• Patients with advanced or multiple malignancies requiring aggressive treatment (excluding skin cancers other than melanoma or intraepithelial cancer)
• Patients who have received systemic steroid therapy or immunosuppressive therapy within 2 weeks of enrollment - Patients with an (e.g. allergic disease, radiation pneumonitis, etc.) active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment within the past 2 years, evidence of clinically severe autoimmune disease, or syndrome requiring systemic steroid or immunosuppressive therapy (Patients who need intermittent use of bronchodilators, inhaled steroids, or topical steroid injections, hypothyroid patients on stable hormone replacement therapy, type 1 diabetes patients, or patients recovering from childhood asthma/atopic dermatitis are permitted)
• Patients with active infection requiring systemic treatment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: SBRT+LDRT; In the experimental group, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) are administered concurrently. SBRT is administered three times, at intervals of 1-2 days, with LDRT. LDRT is planned to irradiate EQD2 6 Gy considering the scattered dose caused by SBRT.	Radiation: SBRT + LDRT; SBRT is performed according to the protocol of each institution. However, the total fraction of SBRT is fixed to 3, and the treatment interval is maintained for 1-2 days. The scattered dose should not exceed EQD2 (α/β=10) 2 Gy for non-irradiated lesions. LDRT is planned to irradiate EQD2 (α/β=10) 6 Gy to lesions, considering the scattered dose caused by SBRT. If there are non-irradiated lesions, they are defined as internal control, and the total dose is limited to 0.5 Gy or less. CTV allows up to 5 mm margin for GTV, and 3-10mm for PTV margin from CTV. It is planned that the iso-dose line corresponding to the prescribed dose contains at least 90% of PTV and 95% of GTV.
Active Comparator: SBRT alone; In the control group, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) alone is performed. SBRT is administered three times, at intervals of 1-2 days. The scattered dose should not exceed EQD2 2Gy to the non-irradiated lesion.	Radiation: SBRT alone; SBRT is performed according to the protocol of each institution. However, the total fraction of SBRT is fixed to 3, and the treatment interval is maintained for 1-2 days. The scattered dose should not exceed EQD2 (α/β=10) 2 Gy for non-irradiated lesions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Abscopal effect rate of low-dose radiotherapy lesions	3 months after completion of radiotherapy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Abscopal effect rate of low-dose radiotherapy lesions	1, 6, and 12 months after completion of radiotherapy
Overall response rate	1, 3, 6, and 12 months after completion of radiotherapy

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Progression-free survival rate	12 months after completion of radiotherapy
Overall survival rate	12 months after completion of radiotherapy
Adverse event	up to 12 months after completion of radiotherapy

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Soonchunhyang University Hospital
• Collaborators: SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center
• Investigators: Study Chair: Ah Ram Chang, MD, PhD, Soonchunhayng Universtiy Seoul Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 27, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 12, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): October 13, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 15, 2024
• Last Verified: April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Neoplasm Metastasis
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Neoplastic Processes; Neoplasms; Neoplasm Metastasis
• Other Study ID Numbers: SCHUH 2022-07-004-001

Drug and device information, study documents

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