Full Title
Pragmatic Phase III Randomized Trial of Proton vs. Photon Therapy for Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RADCOMP) Consortium TrialPurpose
Standard radiation therapy for breast cancer is photon therapy, which uses x-rays to kill cancer cells. However, the heart and lungs can often be exposed to unwanted radiation. Proton therapy uses protons to target and kill cancer cells and the treatment beams do not travel as far as x-rays, so the risk of exposure to the heart is reduced.
In this study, researchers are comparing the effectiveness of proton and photon radiotherapy in patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer and determining if there are differences in the long-term effects of these treatments on heart health. Patients in this study will be randomly assigned to receive proton or photon radiotherapy and will be followed for up to ten years.
Who Can Join
To be eligible for this study, patients must meet several criteria, including but not limited to the following:
- Patients must have stage I, II, or III, or locally recurrent nonmetastatic breast cancer and be planning to have radiotherapy to the lymph nodes.
- Patients may not have previously received radiation to the same breast being treated in this study.
- Patients must be able to walk and do routine activities for more than half of their normal waking hours.
- This study is for patients age 21 and older.
Contact
For more information about this study and to ask about eligibility, please contact Dr. Lior Braunstein at 201-775-7446.