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StereoTactic Ablative RadioTherapy of Cardiac Arrhythmias

StereoTactic Ablative RadioTherapy of Cardiac Arrhythmias (START-CA): a Phase II Trial of Non-Invasive Treatment of Medically Refractory Patients

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04843683
Acronym
START-CA
Enrollment
60
Registered
2021-04-13
Start date
2021-12-14
Completion date
2027-12-01
Last updated
2026-03-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cardiac Arrhythmia

Brief summary

This is a prospective, single-center, phase II trial that will be monitoring the safety and efficacy of using stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SBRT) to treat patients with a medical condition affecting heart rate and rhythm (refractory arrhythmias) within the University Health Network (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Toronto General Hospital). The primary objective will be to prospectively monitor patient cardiac outcomes following SBRT.

Interventions

RADIATIONStereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SBRT) is a type of radiation treatment that delivers precise, high dose radiation to targeted areas. In this study, a single treatment of SBRT will be delivered to the abnormal area of a participant's heart that is causing dangerous heart rate and rhythm changes (arrhythmia).

Sponsors

University Health Network, Toronto
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with heart rate and rhythm condition (arrhythmia) who have failed standard of care treatment with medication OR at least one prior invasive catheter ablation procedure. * Patients deemed medically fit to receive stereotactic ablative radiotherapy as determined by their Radiation Oncologist.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients who have previously received high dose radiotherapy to the target area and cannot safely receive further treatment OR are unable to receive radiotherapy due to other contraindications.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from Baseline in ICD therapies.Baseline to 18 months follow-up.Patient cardiac outcomes will be evaluated by changes from baseline in ICD (Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator) therapies (ICD shock frequency) following radiotherapy at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months of follow-up.
Change from Baseline in the number or dose of antiarrhythmic medications.Baseline to 18 months follow-up.Patient cardiac outcomes will be evaluated by changes from baseline in the number or dose of antiarrhythmic medications following radiotherapy at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months of follow-up.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Measure patient quality-of-life during the study.Baseline to 18 months follow-up.Patient-Reported Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) will be assessed at each 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 month follow-up, using the following assessment questionnaires: 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).
Measure patient subjective distress following treatment.Baseline to 6 months follow-upPatient subjective distress following treatment will be measured at baseline, and 1 month and 6-months follow-up, using the Impact of Events Scale (IES-R). A higher score indicates a worse outcome. IES-R Scoring: 24 or more = Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a clinical concern. 33 and above = This represents the best cutoff for a probable diagnosis of PTSD. 37 or more = This is high enough to suppress immune system's functioning.
Overall mortality record.6 to 18 months follow-up.Safety will be evaluated by recording overall mortality at 6 month intervals post-treatment.
Number of patients with acute and long-term toxicity as assessed by CTCAE v5.0.1 month to 18 months follow-up.Acute (less than or equal to 90 days) and long-term (greater than 90 days) toxicity will be evaluated by using prospective follow-up and grading according to the latest version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0.
Rates of hospital admissions.Baseline to 18 months follow-up.Safety will be evaluated by recording rates of hospital admission during the study.

Countries

Canada

Contacts

CONTACTBenjamin Lok, MD
benjamin.lok@rmp.uhn.ca416-946-2919

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 6, 2026