The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in cancer patients before and after undergoing treatment regimens where the primary treatment modality is radiation therapy (XRT). Specifically, there is interest in the change in CTCs pre- and post- XRT, both in absolute and relative terms.
CTCs measurements will be taken pre- and post-RT treatment. CTCs measurements will also be taken during treatment. The CTCs measurements from this study will provide essential information for the power and sample size considerations for future translational studies, particularly for those looking to identify biomarkers possibly associated with CTCs and tumor response activity after XRT, and to adequately power more formal statistical comparisons of important associations between CTCs and patient characteristics and outcomes.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
162
Blood samples will be collected at up to 4 time points before and during radiation. Blood will be collected at least 4 to 12 weeks post-treatment. Additional post-treatment blood draws will be performed at each subsequent follow-up visit to UNC (roughly \~1 month interval), up until 24 months after completion of radiation.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Radiation Oncology
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
To measure CTCs levels to evaluate the change pre- and post-treatment separately in 10 cohorts of patients receiving radiation therapy.
Time frame: 24 months post-radiation
Change in CTC levels from Baseline to Post-RT treatment and the correlation with local tumor response or pathological evaluation, depending on cohort
Time frame: 24 months post-radiation
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.