SHiP-Rt
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Shortened High-dose Palliative Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer
IRAS ID
332998
Contact name
Raj Shrimali
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) Charity
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK and worldwide. About 48,000 patients in the UK (39,000 in England) were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017. NSCLC that has spread beyond one lung comprises stage IV disease and about half of the patients with NSCLC present with metastatic (stage IV) disease. Treatment for this cancer is aimed at controlling the symptoms and increasing patients’ life expectancy, and this includes the treatment called high dose palliative radiotherapy.
Typically, the NHS standard of care for these patients is 36Gy in 12 daily radiotherapy treatments and this takes about 16 days to deliver. This 36Gy of 12 radiotherapy treatments is recommended based on randomised evidence generated in the 1990s, when radiotherapy techniques were simple and less precise. However, high-dose palliative radiotherapy using 30-39Gy in 10-13 fractions is recommended by the Royal College of Radiologists, in their consensus statement (2020) on lung cancer radiotherapy, for patients with good performance status, who are most likely suitable for multiple lines of systemic therapy.
SHiP-Rt is a single arm study which will investigate whether delivering a treatment regime of 30Gy in 6 treatments on alternate days is a safe and feasible alternative, using modern radiotherapy techniques. Data will be collected to assess the safety and feasibility through blood tests, toxicity assessments, QoL questionnaires and imaging such as CT scans. The Radiotherapy Trials Quality Assurance (RTTQA) Group is an independent multidisciplinary network funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which will monitor safety, consistency, and accuracy of treatment within the SHiP-Rt study. Thirty-seven patients will be recruited for this study from four different hospitals. These include UHCW NHS Trust, University Hospital Birmingham, University Hospital North Midlands, and The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trusts.REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/WM/0032
Date of REC Opinion
18 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion