A Phase II Trial of Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy for Incompletely Resected Craniopharyngioma and Observation for Craniopharyngioma After Radical Resection

NCT ID: NCT02792582

Last Updated: 2025-11-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 160 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-06-22
• Study Completion Date: 2028-12-31

Brief Summary

Craniopharyngioma is a rare brain tumor that affects both children and adults. It arises in a region of the brain near the pituitary gland, visual pathways, and central blood vessels. Patients often present with headache, loss of vision or delayed growth. In some instances they may present with imbalance of water and salts in the body.

The treatment for craniopharyngioma may be radical surgery or a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. In some instances surgery is not required. If the tumor cannot be completely removed, radiation therapy may be required. In this study we will use the most advanced form of proton therapy which is called intensity-modulated proton therapy. This is a newer form of radiation therapy which has a number of advantages over older forms of proton therapy and conventional radiation therapy using x-rays.

The main goal of this study is to learn if proton therapy will effectively treat patients with craniopharyngioma brain tumors and reduce side effects compared to more traditional forms of radiation therapy.

Detailed Description

This study will include participants who are diagnosed or presumed to have craniopharyngioma based on neuroimaging, intra-operative assessment, or the evaluation of cyst fluid or tissue after limited or radical surgery. When possible, participants will be enrolled on protocol prior to surgery.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

• To estimate the distributions of progression-free and overall survival for children and young adults with craniopharyngioma treated with intensity-modulated proton therapy while monitoring for excessive central nervous system necrosis, clinically significant vasculopathy, and permanent neurological conditions or deficits.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

• To estimate the cumulative incidence of cystic intervention and the event-free survival distribution for children and young adults with craniopharyngioma treated with intensity-modulated proton therapy; and to compare the distributions of progression-free, event-free and overall survival with the distributions for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH) cohort of patients treated with photon therapy on which the design of this trial is based.
• To estimate the cumulative incidence of cystic intervention and the distributions of progression-free survival, overall survival and the event-free survival for children and young adults with craniopharyngioma treated only with primary surgical resection and to compare these distributions with the distributions observed for patients treated with proton therapy.

OTHER PRE-SPECIFIED OBJECTIVES:

• To explore potential associations of clinical and treatment factors with the incidence and severity of neurological, endocrine and cognitive deficits in children and young adults with craniopharyngioma treated with radical surgery or proton therapy. Descriptively compare findings for patients treated with proton therapy with the reported findings for the updated SJCRH cohort treated with photon therapy.
• Using specific measures of sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, daytime activity, circadian rhythm, fatigue, symptom distresses, and quality of life, explore associations of sleep, fatigue and quality of life with other measures of central nervous system (CNS) effects, clinical and treatment factors in children and young adults with craniopharyngioma treated with radical surgery or proton therapy.
• To evaluate and explore differences in physical performance and movement in children and young adults with craniopharyngioma treated with radical surgery or proton therapy, using specific measures of overall physical performance, flexibility, balance, coordination, muscle strength and power, and cardiopulmonary fitness.
• Estimate and compare the response of residual tumor and the incidence and severity of structural, functional and vascular effects of normal brain in children and young adults with craniopharyngioma after treatment with radical surgery or proton therapy using specific methods of diffusion, contrast-enhancement, vascular and functional neuroimaging, and explore the association between these and other measures of CNS effects and clinical and treatment factors.
• Investigate the feasibility of using positron emission tomography (PET) as an in vivo dose and distal edge verification system for craniopharyngioma patients treated with proton therapy.
• Measure growth factor and cytokine responses in children and young adults with craniopharyngioma after treatment with radical surgery or proton therapy, and explore associations between these and other measures of CNS effects and clinical and treatment factors. Descriptively compare findings for patients treated with proton therapy with the reported findings for the updated SJCRH cohort treated with photon therapy.

Conditions

Craniopharyngioma

Keywords

Brain tumor; Pediatrics; Radiation therapy; Proton therapy; Surgery

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Tumor-Surgery

Participants who are eligible to undergo surgery to remove the tumor will proceed to surgery. If all tumor is removed, they will be followed over 5 years for outcome comparison to the other participant groups.

If the entire tumor is not removed by surgery, participants will receive 6 weeks of proton therapy. They will then be followed for 5 years to collect outcome data for comparison to the other participant groups.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Proton Therapy

Intervention Type: RADIATION

The protocol-specific radiation dose will be prescribed to a target defined by the use of computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The target will encompass the residual tumor and/or tumor bed and will include a margin mean to treat subclinical microscopic disease. There is no time limit for the interval from surgery or study enrollment to when proton therapy commences. The time course of administration of proton therapy will be 1 treatment/day, 5 days/week, for a period 6 weeks.

Surgery

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

When possible, tumors will be removed surgically prior to proton therapy. If no tumor remains following surgery, no proton therapy will be given, and participants will be followed for 5 years to collect outcome data for comparison between groups.

Tumor-No Surgery

Participants whose tumor cannot be resected through surgery will receive 6 weeks of proton therapy. They will then be followed over 5 years for outcome comparison to the other participant groups.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Proton Therapy

Intervention Type: RADIATION

The protocol-specific radiation dose will be prescribed to a target defined by the use of computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The target will encompass the residual tumor and/or tumor bed and will include a margin mean to treat subclinical microscopic disease. There is no time limit for the interval from surgery or study enrollment to when proton therapy commences. The time course of administration of proton therapy will be 1 treatment/day, 5 days/week, for a period 6 weeks.

Interventions

Proton Therapy

The protocol-specific radiation dose will be prescribed to a target defined by the use of computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The target will encompass the residual tumor and/or tumor bed and will include a margin mean to treat subclinical microscopic disease. There is no time limit for the interval from surgery or study enrollment to when proton therapy commences. The time course of administration of proton therapy will be 1 treatment/day, 5 days/week, for a period 6 weeks.

Intervention Type: RADIATION

Surgery

When possible, tumors will be removed surgically prior to proton therapy. If no tumor remains following surgery, no proton therapy will be given, and participants will be followed for 5 years to collect outcome data for comparison between groups.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Other Intervention Names

Radiation therapy; Tumor resection

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Craniopharyngioma diagnosed by histology, cytology or neuroimaging or intra-operative assessment
• Patients ages 0-21 years at the time of diagnosis

Exclusion Criteria

• Prior history of fractionated radiation therapy
• Prior treatment with intracystic P-32 or intracystic bleomycin
• Pregnant females are excluded. Radiation has teratogenic or abortifacient effects

• Maximum Eligible Age: 21 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Thomas E. Merchant, DO, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Locations

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Countries

United States

References

Wilson LJ, Pirlepesov F, Moskvin V, Li Z, Guo Y, Li Y, Merchant TE, Faught AM. Proton therapy delivery method affects dose-averaged linear energy transfer in patients. Phys Med Biol. 2021 Apr 1;66(7). doi: 10.1088/1361-6560/abe835.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 33607632 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

http://www.stjude.org

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

http://www.stjude.org/protocols

Clinical Trials Open at St. Jude

Other Identifiers

NCI-2016-00813

Identifier Type: REGISTRY

Identifier Source: secondary_id

RT3CR

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id