Our clinical trial experience is broad and deep.
UPMC Hillman’s Department of Radiation Oncology has a strong track record of clinical research that spans cooperative group, pharmaceutical/industry, and investigator-initiated trials in multiple disease sites. We consistently rank at or near the top among Lead Academic Participating Sites (LAPS) for NRG Oncology, reflecting our commitment to support and lead practice-changing clinical research. Our clinician investigators are particularly interested in developing investigator-initiated trials, and working with medical and surgical oncologists, leveraging UPMC Hillman’s immunotherapy expertise to explore the rational combination of radiation and immunotherapy in treating a range of patient populations.
UPMC Hillman’s network of over 70 radiation oncologists at more than 20 centers across western and central Pennsylvania and western Maryland provides access to practice-changing clinical trials and advanced treatments for thousands of patients. We develop and implement clinical trials for both common and rare cancers treated with a large portfolio of active trials.
Explore a few of the nearly 50 clinical trials currently open in our department.
- TRILOC: Phase II Trial of Transoral Surgical Resection followed by de-escalated adjuvant IMRT in Resectable p16+ Locally Advanced Oropharynx Cancer
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This phase II trial is designed to rationally de-escalate adjuvant (Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) in the post-transoral surgery (TOS) setting in patients with resectable HPV positive oropharynx cancer. Patients will be classified into one of three category/treatment groups (low-, intermediate-, and high-risk) according to their pathology after surgery and radiation (IMRT) dose will vary depending on group, with low-risk patients recurving no radiation and other groups receiving significantly reduced doses of radiation. Specifically, intermediate risk patients will receive 30 Gy in 15 fractions of IMRT, and high-risk patients will receive 50 Gy in 25 fractions (one day a week will include two treatments) combined with cisplatin for 5 weeks.
- Preoperative Irradiation for Stage I Breast Cancer: A Phase IB Study
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UPMC Hillman researcher Dr. Parul Barry is leading this early-phase study utilizing radiation therapy prior to lumpectomy for women over 50 with early-stage breast cancer. Patients are given escalating doses of radiation therapy, undergoing a lumpectomy seven-to-10 days after radiation is completed. Dr. Barry and his team will evaluate toxicity, quality of life, and clinical outcomes. The study will also capture immunologic and radiomic biomarker data to further our understanding of radiation therapy’s effect on intact breast cancer and the tumor microenvironment.
- NCI P10405: Phase I Trial of ATR inhibitor (BAY 1895344) + SBRT + Pembrolizumab for Recurrent HNSCC (NCT04576091)
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This phase I trial tests the safety of combining stereotactic body radiation therapy, pembrolizumab, and the novel systemic therapy agent BAY 1895344 (elimusertib), an inhibitor of the ATR kinase and a key regulator of the DNA damage response, for patients with unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma occurring within a previously irradiated field. Dr. Yvonne Mowery, radiation oncology department associate professor, is the national principal investigator in this trial, conducted through the NCI’s ECTCN clinical trial network. The trial builds on preclinical data demonstrating both radiosensitizing and immunomodulatory effects of ATR inhibition. Patients receive BAY 1895344 and anti-PD-1 therapy (pembrolizumab) in the first cycle, followed by BAY 1895344, pembrolizumab, and three-fraction SBRT in the second cycle. Serial blood is collected for correlative studies, including evaluation of the peripheral immune response.
- NRG GU009
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This phase III study, led by NRG Oncology (Dr. Adam Olson as site PI) seeks to determine the predictive power of the Decipher genomic test for tailoring hormonal therapy for men with high-risk prostate cancer treated with radiation therapy. The biopsy specimens of men with high-risk, nonmetastatic prostate cancer are assessed in a lab as to whether certain high-risk mutations are present in the tumor specimen. A risk score is generated and men are randomly selected to receive either the standard two years of hormonal therapy or one of two experimental arms based on the genetic risk score. If the genetic risk is low, men can receive just one year of hormonal therapy; those with high genetic risk can receive two years of therapy plus a new form of hormone therapy. UPMC Hillman is a leading accruer for this clinical trial.
SCINTIX technology
As one of the first adopters of the RefleXion X1 SCINTIX technology, our research team will be testing and expanding the use of SCINTIX across multiple disease sites. We are evaluating novel PET tracers to use with SCINTIX technology to provide functional and anatomic information that enables refining the radiation treatment plan during the course of radiation treatment to improve its therapeutic ratio (adaptive radiotherapy). We will also leverage biology guided radiotherapy (BgRT) to potentiate the effectiveness of systemic therapies, external beam radiotherapy and theranostics. In BgRT, patients are dosed with a radioactive PET tracer (18-FDG) prior to each treatment, and the signal arising from the tumor itself is used to target the radiation delivery. Current physics research on the RefleXion system includes failure mode and effects (FMEA) analysis of the unique treatment process for BgRT, secondary dose calculation for QA of treatment plans, tests of the accuracy of treatment delivery based on daily imaging, and tests on the ability of the system to track motions with varying amplitude and frequency while delivering treatment.