Radiation Oncology

Clinical Trials and Research

Appointment New Patient Appointment or 214-645-8525

As one of the top academic medical centers in the country and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in North Texas, we lead and participate in a number of clinical trials aimed at improving the outcomes of patients with cancer. The Department of Radiation Oncology enrolls approximately 200 new patients in clinical trials each year. 

Program Overview

Clinical trials are critical in developing new therapies for cancer and can mean having access to new medication, groundbreaking research, and additional clinical care. Our clinical trials team is comprised of radiation oncologists, radiation biologists, clinical research coordinators, quality assurance coordinators, and clinical data specialists. 

If you’re interested in a clinical trial, please talk to your doctor or call 214-645-8525.

Explore Clinical Trials and Research:

Clinical Trials by Disease Site

Dr. Hannan - Research Lab
Breast

Therapeutic

STU 052018.052 (GammaPod Boost) - Tumor Bed Boost Using a Breast-Specific Radiosurgery Device, the GammaPod: Registry Study and Evaluation of Quality of Life with Development of Sizing Nomogram. Learn about the GammaPod.

STU 2018.0236 (Tailor RT) - A Randomized Trial of Regional Radiotherapy in Biomarker Low-Risk Node-Positive Breast Cancer.

STU 2019.1099 Single Institution Pilot Study to Detect Radiation-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Left-Sided Breast Cancer Patients Using Hyperpolarized Carbon 13-Based Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging.

STU 2019.1183 A Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Single Fraction Pre-Operative Partial Breast (S-PBI) for Early Stage Breast Cancer.

Central Nervous System

Therapeutic

STU 122016.064 (Neurocog. Decline) Phase I/II Trial to Determine the Neurocognitive Decline in Patients with Multiple (>6) Brain Metastases Treated with Distributed Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

STU 022015.106 (SRS-Dose Escalation) A Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastasis without Whole Brain Radiation.

Gastrointestinal

Therapeutic

STU 2019.1492 (INNATE) Immunotherapy During Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer, a Phase II Randomized Multicenter Trial with and without APX005M, an Anti-CD40 Agonist.

STU 2020.0166 (EA2182) A Randomized Phase II Study of Deintensified Chemoradiation for Early Stage Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

STU 2020.1216 (GRECO-2) A Randomized, Phase 2 Study of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) in Combination with GC4711 in the Treatment of Locally Advanced or Borderline Resectable, Non-Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.

STU 2020.1394 Phase I Trial of Ultra-Fractionated Adaptive Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy and Selective Omission of Surgery for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Genitourinary

Therapeutic

STU 022017.032 (NRG-GU002) Phase II-III Trial of Adjuvant Radiotherapy and Androgen Deprivation Following Radical Prostatectomy with or without Adjuvant Docetaxel.

STU 122016.067 (SALV-ENZA) Phase II Randomized Placebo-Controlled Double-Blinded Study of Salvage Radiation Therapy (SRT) Plus Placebo Versus SRT Plus Enzalutamide in Men with High-Risk PSA-Recurrent Prostate Cancer after Radical Prostatectomy.

STU 022015.058 (IVC Thrombus) Safety Lead-In Phase II Trial of Neo-Adjuvant SABR for IVC Tumor Thrombus in Newly Diagnosed RCC.

STU 092017.018 (POTEN-C) Prostate Oncologic Therapy While Ensuring Neurovascular Conservation (POTEN-C): A Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial of Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SAbR) with or without Neurovascular Sparing for Erectile Function Preservation in Localized Prostate Cancer. Learn more about the POTEN-C trial.

STU 2019.1065 (STEEL) A Randomized Phase II Trial of Salvage Radiotherapy with Standard vs Enhanced Androgen Deprivation Therapy (with Enzalutamide) in Patients with Post-Prostatectomy PSA Recurrences with Aggressive Disease Features.

STU 2019.1596 (F-SHARP) A Phase I/II Trial of Focal Salvage High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Locally Recurrent Prostate Cancer in Patients Treated with Prior Radiotherapy.

STU 2020.0329 (RAVENS) A Phase II Randomized Trial of Radium-223 and SABR Versus SABR for Oligometastatic Prostate Cancers.

STU 022011.213 (ASCLEPIuS) A Multi-Center Study of Androgen Suppression with Abiraterone aCetate, LEuprolide, PARP Inhibition and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (ASCLEPIuS). A Phase 1/2 Trial in High-Risk or Node-Positive Prostate Cancer.

STU 2021.1091 (NRG-GU010) Parallel Phase III Randomized Trial of Genomic-Risk Stratified Unfavorable Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer: De-Intensificiation and Intensification Clinical Trial Evaluation (Guidance).

Gynecological

Therapeutic

STU 2021.0787 A Safety Lead-in Single Arm Phase II Study for Image-Guided Ultrafractionated Radiation Therapy for Treatment of Metastatic Cervical Cancer. Learn more about this trial.

STU 2021.0852 Daily Adaptive External Beam Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Carcinoma of the Cervix: A Phase II Trial of an Individualized Approach for Intestinal Toxicity Reduction (ARTIA-Cervix).

Head and Neck

Learn about our adaptive radiation therapy trials for head and neck cancer.

Therapeutic

STU 072014.041 (NRG-HN001) Randomized Phase II and Phase III Studies of Individualized Treatment for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Based on Biomarker Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA).

STU 2019.1316 (KEYSTROKE) A Randomized Phase II Study of Pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) Plus Stereotactic Re-Irradiation versus SBRT Alone for Locoregionally Recurrent or Second Primary Head and Neck Carcinoma. Learn more about this trial.

STU 2020.0522 (HYPORT-HN) A Randomized Non-Inferiority Phase II Study of Hypofractionated Post-Operative Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Learn more about this trial.

STU 2020.1079 (HYHOPE) A Phase I Study of De-Intensified Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Human Papilloma Virus-Associated Oropharynx Cancer. Learn more about this trial.

STU 2020.1000 (EA3161) A Phase II/III Randomized Study of Maintenance Nivolumab versus Observation in Patients with Locally Advanced, Intermediate Risk HPV-Positive OPCA. Learn more about this trial.

STU 022013.055 (RTOG 1216) A Randomized Phase II/III Trial of Surgery and Postoperative Radiation Delivered with Concurrent Cisplatin versus Docetaxel versus Docetaxel and Cetuximab for High-Risk Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck. Learn more about this trial.

STU 2021.041 (DARTBOARD) A Prospective Randomized Phase II Study of Daily Adaptive Radiotherapy to Better Organ-at-Risk Doses in Head and Neck Cancer. Learn more about this trial.

Non-Therapeutic

STU 2021.0529 Registry Study to Evaluate the Clinical and Dosimetric Outcomes of Cancer Patients Adaptive Radiation Therapy (ART).

Lung

Therapeutic

STU 042017.024 (NRG-LU002) Maintenance Systemic Therapy Versus Consolidative Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) plus Maintenance Systemic Therapy for Limited Metastatic Non-Small Cell Cancer (NSCLC): A Randomized Phase II/III Trial. Learn more about the NRG trial.

STU 022015.069 (JoLT-Ca/STABLEMATES) A Randomized Phase III Study of Sublobar Resection (SR) versus Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SAbR) in High-Risk Patients with Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), the STABLEMATES Trial. Learn more about the JoLT-CA/STABLEMATES trial.

STU 2019.0858 (PACIFIC 4/RTOG-3515) A Phase III, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Multi-Center, International Study of Durvalumab Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for the Treatment of Patients with Stage I/II Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (PACIFIC-4/RTOG-3515).

STU 2019.1764 A Phase I/II Study of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) with or without GC4711 for Early Stage, Centrally Located or Large Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

STU 2021.0475 Pilot Study of Ruxolitinib in the Treatment of Cancer Cachexia.

Non-Therapeutic

STU 062016.073 (Lung SAbR) Investigating Radiation-Induced Injury to Airways and Pulmonary Vasculature in Lung Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SAbR).

STU 2019.1390 Tissue Procurement and Outcome Collection for Cancer Patients with and without Cachexia.

Lymphoma

Therapeutic

STU 2020.1106 A Phase I/II Trial of ‘Re-Priming’ Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SAbR) for Relapsed/Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients in Incomplete Response after Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) Salvage Therapy.

Pediatrics

Non-Therapeutic

STU 2019.1142 Video-Based Motion Detection and Prediction for Pediatric Radiotherapy.

Other

Non-Therapeutic

STU2021.0529 Registry Study to Evaluate the Clinical and Dosimetric Outcomes of Cancer Patients' Adaptive Radiation Therapy (ART)

STU 072010.098 Tissue Procurement and Outcome Collection for Radiotherapy-Treated Patients.

STU 2021.0206 Volunteer Scanning for Testing, Evaluating, and Enhancing 1.5T MRI Systems Dedicated to Radiation Treatment Planning and MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy.

STU 2021.0976 Prospective Data Registry and Quality-of-Life Assessment of Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy with the RefleXion Medical Radiotherapy System (PREMIER).

Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Aguilera - Research Lab
What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is a research study that is conducted in a medical setting such as a clinic or hospital. It usually involves the testing of a new medication, treatment, or device that is not yet approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for routine use.

The purpose of a clinical trial is to find out if a new medical treatment is safe and effective. All medications and treatments in use today were first shown to be effective through clinical trials. New and better treatments for cancer will be discovered only through the continued support of patients who participate in clinical trials.

The Department of Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center is a leader in developing new therapies for patients through clinical trials. It is our priority to ensure scientific integrity, privacy, safety, and ethical conduct in all clinical trials.

Who is eligible for a clinical trial?

Patients of the Department of Radiation Oncology may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial. A patient's particular health status and disease characteristics determines their eligibility. Patients who qualify for a clinical trial decide, with the advice of their physician, whether to participate in the study. How a treatment will work for a patient in a trial cannot be known ahead of time. Therefore, the patient should be aware of both the risks and benefits of clinical trials before deciding.

Patients are never placed in a clinical trial without their knowledge or permission. All qualified patients involved in clinical trials sign consent forms before the study begins.

How is a clinical trial developed?

Before a new treatment is tested with patients, it is carefully studied for several years in the laboratory and tested for safety. This research identifies the new methods most likely to succeed and, as much as possible, shows how to use them safely and effectively. Then, clinical trials undergo a rigorous approval process both by the FDA and by committees of UT Southwestern physicians.

One of these committees also includes patient advocates to ensure that patients are represented and that their rights are fully considered in each trial situation. Although there is always a possibility that a new treatment will be disappointing, the researchers and physicians who approve a study have reason to believe that it will be as good as, or better than, current treatments.

What is a randomized clinical trial?

A randomized clinical trial involves dividing participants at random into separate groups. Each group receives a different treatment. Dividing groups at random means that groups will be more similar and the effects of treatment can be compared more fairly. It is not known which treatment is best at the beginning of the trial.

What is informed consent?

During informed consent, patients are given important information, including possible risks and benefits of the clinical trial. The clinical research coordinator or physician will explain the study, the procedures involved, and answer any questions patients may have, which will help them decide if they want to take part in the trial. 

In addition, the team will walk through a patient's full medical history and perform a physical exam and lab testing to ensure there are no contraindications for participation in the clinical trial. All clinical trials require a time commitment and study schedules vary depending on the individual study.

What information do you need to decide whether or not to enroll in a trial?

Patients should be informed about:

  • The purpose of the study
  • The length of the study and what procedures will be done as part of the research study
  • Potential risks or discomforts that may be associated with these procedures, including additional treatment costs, if any
  • What other treatments are available should a patient decide to not participate in the study

What are the potential benefits of participating in a clinical trial?

Participating in a clinical trial can have many potential benefits, including:

  • Receiving a new treatment before it’s openly available to others
  • Playing a more active role in care
  • Additional medical care and more frequent health check-ups
  • Helping others get better treatment for their health 

Does it cost money to join a clinical trial?

Most trials don’t cost anything for the patient. Each trial is different, but the costs are usually incurred by the trial sponsor and, in part, the patient's insurance company. 

How does a patient know if they're receiving treatment or a placebo?

Only a small percentage of our clinical trials use placebos. If the trial a patient is considering will be utilizing placebos, the patient will be informed ahead of time. 

Are investigational treatments better than currently available ones? Are they safe?

Clinical trials are done with the hope that the new treatment will be as (or more) effective than currently available treatments, but this is not known. By definition, if we are doing a study, it is because we do not know if it is more effective, so there is a chance that it’s less effective than current treatment. Similarly, clinical trials are designed with safety in mind and any known risks are explained in the consent form. However, there may be risks that are not known at the time the study is started.

Can a patient quit a clinical trial at any time?

Yes, a patient can quit the trial at any time for any reason.

Is a patient's information kept private?

Any information obtained in a clinical trial remains confidential and is shared only with those involved in the study unless authorized by the participant. Just like any other medical record, a research record may be inspected by the FDA, other federal regulatory authorities, and other legally authorized parties.

How does someone sign up for a clinical trial?

Call our clinical trials information line at 214-645-7322.

What happens when the trial is over?

Once the trial is over, the clinical trials team analyzes all the data collected. Depending on what they find, they might do more testing by moving onto the next phase of the trial or they may stop testing altogether.