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Thoracic NeoplasmsNCT07479199

Local Radiofrequency Ablation Plus External Beam Radiation for the Treatment of Painful Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Tumors

An observational study of Thoracic Neoplasms and Lumbar Neoplasm, run by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This study looks at how well a combination of treatments helps reduce pain in people with tumors in the middle and lower back (thoracic and lumbar spine). All participants receive the same treatment, which includes a procedure to stabilize the spine (kyphoplasty), radiofrequency ablation will be with the Osteocool… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Thoracic Neoplasms, Lumbar Neoplasm
What is being tested?
kyphoplasty with Osteocool
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
How many people
70 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
16 Mar 2026to 1 Mar 2031
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Patient with metastatic thoracic and lumbar spine tumors treated at UNC Chapel Hill

Who may be able to join

  • Written informed consent obtained to participate in the study and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information.
  • Subjects is willing and able to comply with study procedures based on the judgement of the investigator.
  • Age ≥ 18 years at the time of consent.
  • Life expectancy beyond completion of protocol intervention of at least 1 month and deemed appropriate for treatment based on multidisciplinary review and/or investigator discretion.
  • Metastatic thoracic or lumbar spine tumor. Tumor should be lytic or mixed lytic/blastic. Note: there does not need to be a fracture.
  • Patient reported back pain of ≥ 5 on a VAS scale

Who cannot join

  • Active infection requiring systemic therapy.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding (NOTE: breast milk cannot be stored for future use while the mother is being treated on study).
  • Is currently taking Avastin or anti-coagulant meds that cannot be held.
  • Is currently enrolled in a cancer related clinical trial.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Desma Jones contact

desma_jones@med.unc.edu

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • UNC Hospitals

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599

    Markeela Lipscomb, 919-843-9463, markeela_lipscomb@med.unc

    Desma Jones, 919-984-0000, ddesma_jones@med.unc.edu

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Local Radiofrequency Ablation Plus External Beam Radiation for the Treatment of Painful Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Tumors -SPARC

This study looks at how well a combination of treatments helps reduce pain in people with tumors in the middle and lower back (thoracic and lumbar spine). All participants receive the same treatment, which includes a procedure to stabilize the spine (kyphoplasty), radiofrequency ablation will be with the Osteocool system and radiation therapy. The goal is to see how effective this combined approach is at relieving pain.

The purpose of this study is to find out whether combining these three treatments provides better pain relief for patients with thoracic and lumbar spine tumors. This study is for adults who have cancer that has spread to the thoracic or lumbar spine and who report moderate to severe back pain (a pain score of 5 or higher on a 0-10 pain scale).

Being tested
kyphoplasty with Osteocool
Keywords
pain, Radiofrequency Ablation, Local Radiofrequency Ablation, Radiofrequency, Ablation, External Beam Radiation, kyphoplasty, Osteocool
Medical subject headings
Thoracic Neoplasms, Neoplasms, Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • kyphoplasty with OsteocoolProcedure or surgery

    Also called kyphoplasty

    Participants will receive kyphoplasty with Osteocool prior to their Standard of Care External Beam Radiotherapy.

Study groups in NCT07479199
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Metastatic thoracic or lumbar spine tumormetastatic thoracic or lumbar spine tumor and reported back pain of ≥ 5 on a visual analog scale (VAS) assessments scale.
Receives: Procedure: kyphoplasty with Osteocool

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in pain intensity

    Change in pain intensity will be measured using visual analog scale (VAS) assessments, from baseline (pre-therapy) to 1 month post completion of radiotherapy.

    Measured: Baseline and at 3 months (1 months after completion of radiotherapy)

Secondary outcomes (8)
  1. Presence of thoracic and lumbar spine tumors

    Presence of thoracic and lumbar spine residual tumors will be determined by independent radiology report (clinical assessment by a non-investigator) based on any standard of care imaging exam per treating physician's discretion.

    Measured: at 3- and 6-months following procedure

  2. Long term new or worsened vertebral body compression fracture

    Long term new or worsened vertebral body compression fracture of thoracic and lumbar spine tumor subjects treated with kyphoplasty with osteocool ablation plus radiation therapy at the treated level will be determined by independent radiology report (clinical assessment by a non-investigator) based on any standard of care imaging exam per treating physician's discretion.

    Measured: at 6 months following procedure

  3. Retreatment of thoracic and lumbar spine tumor

    Retreatment of thoracic and lumbar spine tumor subjects treated with kyphoplasty with Osteocool ablation plus radiation therapy is defined as treatment at the same vertebral body level with kypho- radiation therapy for disease progression within 6-months of protocol intervention collected via medical record abstraction as compared to historical control.

    Measured: at 6 months following procedure

  4. Quality of life per Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria

    Quality of life in patients with thoracic and lumbar spine tumors treated with kyphoplasty with Osteocool ablation plus radiation therapy will be evaluated using the Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) measurements prior to therapy and at completion of therapy and 6 months after procedure. PRO-CTCAE is a questionnaire that lets patients report symptoms they experience during treatment, such as pain, fatigue, nausea, or skin changes. It measures how often symptoms occur, how severe they are, and how much they interfere with daily activities. Each symptom is scored from 0 to 4 (or 0/1 for absent or present). There is currently no standard method for combining scores into a single overall score.

    Measured: Baseline and at 6 months following procedure

  5. Pain level

    Quality of life in patients with thoracic and lumbar spine tumors treated with kyphoplasty with Osteocool ablation plus radiation will be evaluated by the Brief Pain Inventory prior to therapy and at completion of therapy and 6 months following intervention. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), developed by MD Anderson Cancer Center, is a patient-reported questionnaire used to measure pain severity and how pain interferes with daily activities. Patients rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means "no pain" and 10 means "worst pain imaginable." They also rate how much pain interferes with activities such as walking, work, mood, and sleep on a 0 to 10 scale, where 0 means "does not interfere" and 10 means "completely interferes." It is widely used in cancer patients to assess pain and its impact on quality of life.

    Measured: Baseline and at 6 months following procedure

  6. Readmission rate

    Quality of life in patients with thoracic and lumbar spine tumors treated with kyphoplasty with Osteocool ablation plus radiation will be evaluated by readmission rate for spine-related pain for the 6 months following the procedure via medical record abstract and self-reported care.

    Measured: Up to 6 months following procedure

  7. Narcotic pain medication

    Narcotic pain medication in patients with thoracic and lumbar spine tumors treated with kyphoplasty with Osteocool ablation plus radiation will be evaluated by self-reported use prior to therapy and for days 1 and 7 post-kyphoplasty and Osteocool ablation and at completion of therapy and 6 months following intervention.

    Measured: Up to 6 months following procedure

  8. Grade 2 or higher Adverse Events

    Safety of kyphoplasty with Osteocool ablation plus radiotherapy will be defined as the frequency and nature of Grade 2+ adverse events post therapy according to The National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE ). NCI-CTCAE is a descriptive terminology which can be utilized for Adverse Event (AE) reporting. Grade 1 Mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated. Grade 2 Moderate; minimal, local or noninvasive intervention indicated; limiting age-appropriate instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Grade 3 Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; limiting self-care ADL. Grade 4 Life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention indicated. Grade 5 Death related to AE. AE will compared against historical controls receiving gold standard radiation therapy alone.

    Measured: Up to 1 month

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted18 Mar 2026
  2. Study start16 Mar 2026
  3. Primary completion1 Mar 2031 (estimated)
  4. Study completion1 Mar 2031 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
70 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07479199
Sponsor's protocol ID
LCCC2336
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
12 Mar 2026
Last updated
23 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
Individual data sharing
Yes: Deidentified individual participant data will be available beginning 1 year after publication. Access will be granted to researchers with a methodologically sound proposal. Requests should be submitted to the corresponding investigator and may require a data use agreement.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Thoracic Neoplasms and Lumbar Neoplasm, run by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Markeela Lipscomb (919-984-0000, markeela_lipscomb@med.unc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in pain intensity (time frame: Baseline and at 3 months (1 months after completion of radiotherapy)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Apr 2026.

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