Active Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are scientific studies in which new treatments are tested in patients to determine if they are effective and safe.

The Department of Radiation Oncology's clinical trials offer access to promising new therapies. Browse our clinical trials below, and click on the trial name for more information.

Breast

• A Phase I Study of Niraparib Administered Concurrently with Postoperative RT in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients
  
  • Goal: Research Niraparib as a possible treatment for triple negative breast cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Alice Ho, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03945721
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1160 to make an appointment with Dr. Ho to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Pragmatic Randomized Trial of Proton vs. Photon Therapy for Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RADCOMP) Consortium Trial
  
  • Goal: Review patients treated with locally advanced breast cancer randomized to either proton or photon therapy and followed for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, health-related quality of life, and cancer control outcomes.
  • Principal Investigator: Shannon MacDonald, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT02603341
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston), Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1836 to make an appointment with Dr. MacDonald to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Pre-op Pembro + Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer (P-RAD)
  
  • Goal: Study a combination of neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT), immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) and chemotherapy for lymph node-positive, triple negative (TN) or hormone receptor positive/HER2-negative breast cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Alice Ho, MD (MGH Site PI)
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT04443348
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1160 to make an appointment with Dr. Ho to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Study of Radiation Fractionation on Patient Outcomes After Breast REConstruction (FABREC) for Invasive Breast Carcinoma
  
  • Goal: The of this randomized trial of hypofractionation radiation therapy versus conventional radiation therapy in women who have undergone mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction, is to assess cosmetic and reconstruction outcomes, lymphedema, cancer status, side effects, and oncologic outcomes.
  • Principal Investigator: Alice Ho, MD (MGH Site PI)
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03422003
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston), Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1160 to make an appointment with Dr. Ho to see if you meet the study criteria.
• TAILOR RT: A Randomized Trial of Regional Radiotherapy in Biomarker Low Risk Node Positive Breast Cancer
  
  • Goal: Compare the effects on low-risk breast cancer receiving usual care that includes regional radiation therapy, with receiving no regional radiation therapy.
  • Principal Investigator: Alice Ho, MD (MGH Site PI)
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03488693
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1160 to make an appointment with Dr. Ho to see if you meet the study criteria.
• The Differential Impact of Proton Beam Irradiation Versus Conventional Radiation on Organs-at-risk in Stage II-III Breast Cancer Patients
  
  • Goal: Serve as a correlative study for patients enrolled on the RadCOMP trial (NCT02603341), a randomized phase III study of stage II and III breast cancer patients treated with either conventional photon radiation or proton beam radiation.
  • Principal Investigator: Rachel Jimenez, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03270072
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 643-0591 to make an appointment with Dr. Jimenez to see if you meet the study criteria

Central Nervous System Program

• A Phase II Randomized Trial of Proton vs. Photon Therapy (IMRT) for Cognitive Preservation in Patients with IDH Mutant, Low to Intermediate Grade Gliomas
  
  • Goal: To compare if proton beam radiation therapy is more effective than photon-based beam intensity-modulated radiation therapy in treating patients with glioma.
  • Principal Investigator: Helen Shih, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03180502
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1298 to make an appointment with Dr. Shih to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Dose-Escalated Photon IMRT or Proton Beam Radiation Therapy Versus Standard-Dose Radiation Therapy and Temozolomide in Treating Patients with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma
  
  • Goal: To study whether dose-escalated photon IMRT or proton beam radiation therapy is more effective than standard-dose radiation therapy with temozolomide in treating glioblastoma.
  • Principal Investigator: Helen Shih, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT02179086
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1298 to make an appointment with Dr. Shih to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Local Control, Quality of Life and Toxicities in Adults with Benign or Indolent Brain Tumors Undergoing Proton Radiation Therapy
  
  • Goal: To see how well the tumor is responding to Proton Radiation up to 5 years after the participant receives it and how this type of radiation affects the quality of life as well as any type of side effect the participant may have after the radiation is administered.
  • Principal Investigator: Helen Shih, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03286335
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1298 to make an appointment with Dr. Shih to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Phase I Trial of Increased Dose Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) for High-Grade Meningiomas
  
  • Goal: Find out if using increased-dose intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for treatment of Meningiomas will be more effective than the current treatment.
  • Principal Investigator: Helen Shih, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT02693990
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1298 to make an appointment with Dr. Shih to see if you meet the study criteria.

Gastrointestinal Program

• Durvalumab (MEDI4736) and Tremelimumab and Radiation Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Biliary Tract Cancer
  
  • Goal: Study a combination of drugs with Radiation Therapy as a possible treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma or Biliary Tract Cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03482102
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Electron Beam Intraoperative Radiation Therapy Following Chemoradiation in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer with Vascular Involvement (PACER)
  
  • Goal: Research how well IORT during surgery works in treating pancreatic cancer after 3-6 months of chemotherapy and external radiation therapy.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03716531
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Losartan and Nivolumab in Combination with FOLFIRINOX and SBRT in Localized Pancreatic Cancer
  
  • Goal: Study a combination of interventions as a possible treatment for pancreatic tumor.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore S. Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03563248
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston), Newton-Wellesley Hospital
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• NAPOX + Chemoradiation + Paclitaxel & Carboplatin in Esophagogastric Cancer (opening soon)
  
  • Goal: Evaluate how Liposomal Irinotecan in combination with the standard of care interventions FOLFOX, carboplatin paclitaxel, and radiation therapy affect gastroesophageal junction or esophagogastric cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT04656041
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston), Newton-Wellesley Hospital
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• NBTXR3+Anti-PD-1+RT in Advanced Cancers (opening soon)
  
  • Goal: Evaluate the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of NBTXR3 activated by radiotherapy in combination with an anti-PD-1 therapy in three cohorts of patients. (NOTE: MGH IS ONLY PARTICIPATING IN THE LIVER COHORT)
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore S. Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03589339
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Niraparib, Dostarlimab and Radiation Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer
  
  • Goal: Research study is to see how the combination of dostarlimab, niraparib, and radiation therapy works in controlling metastatic pancreatic cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT04409002
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Nivolumab and Ipilimumab and Radiation Therapy in MSS and MSI High Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancer
  
  • Goal: Study a combination of drugs with radiation therapy as a possible treatment for Colorectal Cancer and Pancreatic Cancers.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03104439
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Metastatic, Microsatellite Stable Pancreatic Cancer
  
  • Goal: Study the effects of the combination of ipilimumab, nivolumab, and radiation therapy in people with microsatellite stable pancreatic cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT04361162
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Nivolumab+Ipilimumab+RT in MSS mCRC
  
  • Goal: Study the effects of the combination of ipilimumab, nivolumab, and radiation therapy in people with metastatic microsatellite stable colorectal cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT04575922
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Radiation Therapy with Protons or Photons in Treating Patients with Liver Cancer
  
  • Goal: Study how well radiation therapy with protons works compared with photons in treating patients with liver cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03186898
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Specimens and Clinical Data Collection in Oncology patients
  
  • Goal: Establish a centralized and uniform process for the collection of clinical and patient-self reported information, biologic sample collection and storage, and comprehensive databasing to allow for a searchable clinical and biologic sample repository obtained from oncology patients undergoing or being evaluated for radiation therapy.
  • Principal Investigator: Jennifer Wo, MD
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Wo to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Study of TAS-102 Plus Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of the Liver in Patients with Hepatic Metastases from Colorectal Cancer
  
  • Goal: Study a drug in combination with radiation therapy as a possible treatment for hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Theodore S. Hong, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03223779
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6050 to make an appointment with Dr. Hong to see if you meet the study criteria.

Genitourinary Program

• A Prospective Comparative Study of Outcomes with Proton and Photon Radiation in Prostate Cancer (COMPPARE)
  
  • Goal: Conduct a controlled comparison of patient-centric between parallel cohorts of men with prostate cancer treated simultaneously by proton therapy and IMRT.
  • Principal Investigator: Jason Efstathiou, MD, DPhil
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03561220
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5866 to make an appointment with Dr. Efstathiou to see if you meet the study criteria.
• PARTIQoL: Proton Therapy vs. IMRT Randomized for Low or Intermediate risk Prostate Cancer (PARTIQoL)
  
  • Goal: Evaluate two different radiation techniques (proton radiotherapy or photon radiotherapy) for the treatment of Low or Intermediate risk Prostate Cancers.
  • Principal Investigator: Jason Efstathiou, MD, DPhil
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT01617161
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston), Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5866 to make an appointment with Dr. Efstathiou to see if you meet the study criteria.
• PARTIQoL (Prostate Advanced Radiation Technologies Investigating Quality of Life) Phase III Randomized Clinical Trial of Proton Therapy vs IMRT for Low or Low-Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer and Registry: A Companion to PARTIQoL Clinical Trial
  
  • Goal: PARTIQoL Trial aims to compare proton to photon radiation therapy for low or low-intermediate risk prostate cancer. The overall goal of the Registry is to assess the representativeness and generalizability of the randomized clinical trial findings to a broader spectrum of eligible patients.
  • Principal Investigator: Jason Efstathiou, MD, DPhil
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: N/A
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston), Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5866 to make an appointment with Dr. Efstathiou to see if you meet the study criteria.

Head and Neck Program

• Individualized Treatment in Treating Patients with Stage II-IVB Nasopharyngeal Cancer Based on EBV DNA
  
  • Goal: Study whether giving cisplatin and fluorouracil is more effective than gemcitabine hydrochloride and paclitaxel after radiation therapy in treating patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Annie Chan, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT02135042
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5184 to make an appointment with Dr. Chan to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Randomized Trial of IMPT Versus IMRT for the Treatment of Oropharyngeal Cancer of the Head and Neck
  
  • Goal: Compare the side effects of 2 radiation treatments of intensity modulated photon therapy (IMRT) and intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for head and neck cancers.
  • Principal Investigator: Paul Busse, MD, PhD (MGH Site PI)
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT01893307
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-7941 to make an appointment with Dr. Busse to see if you meet the study criteria.

Pediatric Radiation Oncology

• LET Optimized IMPT in Treating Pediatric Patients with Ependymoma
  
  • Goal: Study the side effects of linear energy transfer (LET) optimized image modulated proton therapy (IMPT) in treating pediatric patients with ependymoma.
  • Principal Investigator: Shannon MacDonald, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03750513
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1836 to make an appointment with Dr. MacDonald to see if your child meets the study criteria.
• Phase II Study of Proton Radiation Therapy for Neuroblastoma
  
  • Goal: Evaluate the acute and late toxicities during and after proton radiation for patients with high-risk Neuroblastoma requiring radiation therapy.
  • Principal Investigator: Shannon MacDonald, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT02112617
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1836 to make an appointment with Dr. MacDonald to see if your child meets the study criteria.
• PPCR: Registry for Pediatric Patients Treated with Radiation Therapy
  
  • Goal: of this PPCR Registry is to utilize data to describe the population of pediatric patients being treated by proton radiation and report the patterns of care in this population.
  • Principal Investigator: Torunn Yock, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT01696721
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1836 to make an appointment with Dr. Yock to see if your child meets the study criteria.
• Proton Craniospinal Irradiation with Bone Sparing to Decrease Growth Decrement from Radiation
  
  • Goal: Study proton radiation as a possible treatment for brain tumor that requires radiation.
  • Principal Investigator: Shannon MacDonald, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03281889
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1836 to make an appointment with Dr. MacDonald to see if your child meets the study criteria.
• Proton RT for the Treatment of Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma
  
  • Goal: To see if using proton beam radiation therapy instead of photon beam radiation therapy can reduce side effects from radiation treatment for Rhabdomyosarcoma.
  • Principal Investigator: Torunn Yock, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT00592592
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 724-1836 to make an appointment with Dr. Yock to see if your child meets the study criteria.

Sarcoma Program

• Proton or Photon Radiation Therapy for Retroperitoneal Sarcomas
  
  • Goal: To determine the effectiveness of radiation therapy with protons or photons that can be delivered safely in patients with Retroperitoneal Sarcomas.
  • Principal Investigator: Thomas F. DeLaney, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT01659203
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-6876 to make an appointment with Dr. DeLaney to see if you meet the study criteria.

Thoracic Program

• A Phase II Trial of Integrating Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy with Selective Targeted Therapy in Stage IV Oncogene-driven Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
  
  • Goal: Study Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) as a possible treatment for stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • Principal Investigator: Henning Willers, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT02314364
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5184 to make an appointment with Dr. Willers to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Comparing Proton Therapy to Photon Radiation Therapy for Esophageal Cancer
  
  • Goal: See how well proton beam radiation therapy compared with intensity modulated photon radiotherapy works in treating patients with stage I-IVA esophageal cancer.
  • Principal Investigator: Katie (Florence) Keane, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03801876
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5184 to make an appointment with Dr. Keane to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Efficacy and Safety Study of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) With or Without Pembrolizumab in Adults with Medically Inoperable Stage I or IIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers
  
  • Goal: Assess the efficacy and safety of SBRT plus pembrolizumab in the treatment of adult participants with medically inoperable Stage I or IIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • Principal Investigator: Katie (Florence) Keane, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT03924869
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston)
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5184 to make an appointment with Dr. Keane to see if you meet the study criteria.
• Photon vs. Proton Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
  
  • Goal: Compare the image guided motion-managed photon with proton radiotherapy with concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer patients.
  • Principal Investigator: Henning Willers, MD
  • Clinical Trials.gov Number: NCT01993810
  • MGH Location(s) Available: Main Campus (Boston), Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center
  • How to Enroll: Please call (617) 726-5184 to make an appointment with Dr. Willers to see if you meet the study criteria.