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BladdEr Full OR Empty for Pelvic Radiation Therapy

BladdEr Full OR Empty for Pelvic Radiation Therapy

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06651697
Acronym
BEFORE
Enrollment
300
Registered
2024-10-22
Start date
2024-11-19
Completion date
2029-12-01
Last updated
2026-02-17

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

Conditions

Pelvic Neoplasm

Keywords

malignancy of the pelvis, bladder, radiation therapy

Brief summary

The present study evaluates empty and full bladder protocols for radiation therapy of genitourinary (GU), gynecological (Gyn), and gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies of the pelvis.

Detailed description

Pelvic radiation therapy plays a key role in the treatment of common genitourinary (GU), gynecological (Gyn), and gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies of the pelvis. Prior to starting a course of radiation therapy, patients undergo a CT simulation that allows for computer-based optimization of radiation dose delivery to target while simultaneously minimizing dose to surrounding normal tissues, such as the bladder and rectum. Commonly, physicians instruct patients undergoing pelvic radiation therapy to present with a reproducibly full bladder for the simulation and for each subsequent treatment session with the hope that increased distance between normal tissues (anterior bladder wall and bowel) and treatment target will limit toxicity. However, treating with a full bladder can result in wide variations in bladder volume. Often patients are unable to reproduce the bladder distention achieved at simulation, especially as typical urinary symptoms related to radiation develop during treatment. As the initial CT simulation is used to calculate dose distribution, bladder volume changes can affect radiation dose distribution to the bladder itself as well as adjacent pelvic organs. Given the challenges and uncertainties of treating with a full bladder, there has been increasing interest in bladder empty protocols. Retrospective, non-randomized, single-institution studies demonstrate that bladder empty protocols reduced absolute variation in bladder volume during treatment, had minimal impact on treatment related toxicity, and had non-inferior biochemical progression free survival, GI toxicities, and GU toxicities. However, prospective data is very limited. The present study plans to fill this knowledge gap by randomizing study participants to empty and full bladder protocols for simulation and radiation therapy.

Interventions

RADIATIONRadiation therapy

Radiation therapy with full bladder or empty bladder protocols

Sponsors

University of California, San Diego
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Provision of signed and dated informed consent form * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study * Persons, aged at least 18 years * Deemed eligible to undergo curative intent radiation therapy for primary GU, GI, or Gyn malignancy of the pelvis. * For participants able to become pregnant: use of highly effective contraception for at least 1 month prior to screening and agreement to use such a method during study participation * For participants able to cause a pregnancy: use of condoms or other methods to ensure effective contraception with partner

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnancy * Tumor invading the bladder, as judged by the enrolling physician based on available clinical information * Contraindications to radiotherapy, including Crohn's disease and active connective tissue disorders such as scleroderma or uncontrolled lupus * Prior radiation therapy to an area requiring treatment in the present study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Acute toxicity3 months post radiationAcute any attribution GU and/or GI grade ≥2 toxicity. This will be defined as the percentage of patients with CTCAE version 5.0 GU and/or GI grade ≥2 toxicity within 3 months post radiation therapy. This will be defined as a co-primary endpoint.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTTyler Seibert, MD, PhD
CancerCTO@health.ucsd.edu858 822 5354
CONTACTRana McKay, MD
CancerCTO@health.ucsd.edu858 822 5354
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORTyler Seibert, MD, PhD

University of California, San Diego

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 18, 2026