CancerPosition in RTNCT07765069
Positioning in RT - Supine vs. Upright
An observational study of Cancer, run by University Health Network, Toronto at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
This is a single-center, non-therapeutic prospective pilot cohort study evaluating patient-reported comfort levels between upright and supine positioning in patients receiving radiation therapy across all age groups using a concurrent mixed-methods design. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 3 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Cancer
- What is being tested?
- Upright positioning chair
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- How many people
- 105 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2026to 30 Nov 2027
- How long will I take part?
- 1 Day
- 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 3 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: Patients undergoing RT (as part of routine clinical care) who are in stable clinical condition.
Who may be able to join
- Pediatric and adult patients aged 3 years and older, undergoing radiation therapy as part of standard clinical care.
- Lansky or Karnofsky score 40 or greater
- Ability to provide informed consent (or if appropriate, provided by parent or legal guardian).
- Ability to understand and speak English or with appropriate assistance
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Canada1 site
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9
Yat Tsang, PhD, 416-946-4501 ext. 5302, yat.tsang@uhn.ca
Yat Tsang, PhD
About this study
Official title: Preferences and Perspectives on Supine vs. Upright Positioning in Radiation Therapy
This is a single-center, non-therapeutic prospective pilot cohort study evaluating patient-reported comfort levels between upright and supine positioning in patients receiving radiation therapy across all age groups using a concurrent mixed-methods design.
Following standard-of-care RT planning or delivery in the conventional supine position, patients and caregivers will complete a questionnaire evaluating the current treatment position. Patients will then be positioned upright in a chair, using similar immobilization to their supine setup when feasible. This position will be maintained for up to 15 minutes, as tolerated by the patient. During the upright positioning session, patients and caregivers will be asked open-ended questions exploring their perceptions of comfort, stability, and overall experience with the upright chair. No radiation or therapeutic intervention will be delivered during the upright session; the upright positioning procedure is non-therapeutic and conducted solely for assessment purposes. Patients and their caregivers will again be asked to complete a questionnaire evaluating the upright position.
Key stakeholders involved in RT (including Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, or Medical Physicists), will participate in one semi-structured interview to explore perspectives on supine versus upright positioning for RT. Each interview will take up to 60 minutes and will be conducted in-person or virtual using UHN's Microsoft Teams. All sessions will be audio recorded and transcribed on the UHN Microsoft cloud, which is encrypted and stored securely.
Read the detailed description
This is a mixed methods concurrent study design. Feedback will be collected from multiple participant groups as part of both the quantitative and qualitative components of the study.
Quantitative Component Patients: Participants will provide feedback, rank preferences, and compare their experiences between supine and upright positioning, focusing on comfort, anxiety, overall acceptability, and demographic information.
Caregivers: Caregivers will report their observations and preferences regarding both positioning approaches, including perceived comfort and distress levels.
Qualitative Component Patients: During the upright positioning session (the study intervention), patients will be asked open-ended questions exploring their perceptions of comfort, stability, and overall experience.
Key Stakeholders: Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, and Medical Physicists will participate in semi-structured interviews to share their perspectives on the feasibility and implementation of upright versus supine positioning.
A description of the measures taken to minimize/avoid bias.
To minimize bias in the study, the following measures will be implemented:
- Study participants and caregivers (if applicable) will complete standardized feedback tools for consistency.
- During the upright positioning session (study intervention), investigators will follow a scripted set of open-ended questions to explore patient perceptions.
- For semi-structured interviews, investigators will use neutral language and encourage equal participation among all interviewees.
A description of the trial treatment(s)/ intervention Patient participants will undergo the study intervention following a regularly scheduled radiation treatment. This involves being positioned upright in a chair using immobilization similar to their treatment setup, where feasible. No radiation or therapeutic procedures will be administered during the upright positioning session, which involves sitting in a chair for up to 15 minutes, as tolerated. There is no further study-related follow-up visit. Data collection from patients and caregivers will be completed on the same day as the positioning sessions.
Key stakeholders including Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, or Medical Physicists will participate in a semi-structured interview to explore perspectives on supine versus upright positioning for RT.
- Conditions
- Cancer
- Being tested
- Upright positioning chair
- Medical subject headings
- Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Upright positioning chairDevice
Following standard-of-care RT planning or delivery in the conventional supine position, patients and caregivers will complete a questionnaire evaluating the current treatment position. Patients will then be positioned upright in a chair, using similar immobilization to their supine setup when feasible. This position will be maintained for up to 15 minutes, as tolerated by the patient.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Patients | Patients undergoing RT (as part of routine clinical care) who are in stable clinical condition. Receives: Device: Upright positioning chair | |
| Caregivers | Caregivers of the patients undergoing RT (when applicable). | |
| Key Stakeholders | Key stakeholders involved in radiation therapy (including Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, and Medical Physicists). |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mean difference in comfort scores (upright minus supine), Likert scale, collected immediately post-positioning
The primary analysis will focus on within-subject comparisons of patient reported data from the questionnaire between supine and upright positioning. Ranking preference will be reported descriptively. Inferential statistics will be used to compare continuous and categorical outcomes (including paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests).
Measured: 24 months.
Secondary outcomes (7)
- Proportion preferring upright positioning
Measured: 24 months.
Setup time
Measured: 24 months
Age-stratified exploratory comfort/preference patterns
Measured: 24 months
Proportion of participants with disabilities preferring upright positioning
Exploratory subgroup analysis of participants with disabilities. Positioning preference will be assessed using the study questionnaire.
Measured: 24 months
Rate completing both positions without interruptions
Measured: 24 months
Key themes from patient/caregiver/radiation therapy key stakeholder interviews (qualitative)
A total of 12 key stakeholders will be enrolled in the qualitative study. There will be semi-structured interviews conducted with each stakeholder group, including Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, or Medical Physicists. There will be approximately one to three stakeholders in each interview.
Measured: 24 months
Mixed methods meta-integration: concordance of quantitative and qualitative acceptability/feasibility
The open-ended questions and the transcripts from the semi-structure interviews with the key stakeholders will undergo Braun and Clark's six steps of thematic analysis. Inductive coding will be done to generate themes and patterns using NVivo v.15. Additionally, a second coder will validate. The transcripts will undergo a thorough review, and codes will be sorted and re-evaluated to identify themes related to the perspectives of supine versus upright positioning feasibility and implementation for radiation therapy.
Measured: 24 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Aug 2026
- Study start1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Nov 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Nov 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for CancerStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University Health Network, TorontoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- 105 participants (estimated)
- Target duration
- 1 Day
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Health Network, Toronto
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07765069
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 25-5987
- Acronym
- Position in RT
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 14 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: To be discussed with PI.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Preferences and Perspectives on Supine vs. Upright Positioning in Radiation Therapy
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07765069
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Position in RT / 25-5987
- Conditions
- Cancer
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 105 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University Health Network, TorontoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Nov 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Nov 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 14 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This is a single-center, non-therapeutic prospective pilot cohort study evaluating patient-reported comfort levels between upright and supine positioning in patients receiving radiation therapy across all age groups using a concurrent mixed-methods design.
Following standard-of-care RT planning or delivery in the conventional supine position, patients and caregivers will complete a questionnaire evaluating the current treatment position. Patients will then be positioned upright in a chair, using similar immobilization to their supine setup when feasible. This position will be maintained for up to 15 minutes, as tolerated by the patient. During the upright positioning session, patients and caregivers will be asked open-ended questions exploring their perceptions of comfort, stability, and overall experience with the upright chair. No radiation or therapeutic intervention will be delivered during the upright session; the upright positioning procedure is non-therapeutic and conducted solely for assessment purposes. Patients and their caregivers will again be asked to complete a questionnaire evaluating the upright position.
Key stakeholders involved in RT (including Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, or Medical Physicists), will participate in one semi-structured interview to explore perspectives on supine versus upright positioning for RT. Each interview will take up to 60 minutes and will be conducted in-person or virtual using UHN's Microsoft Teams. All sessions will be audio recorded and transcribed on the UHN Microsoft cloud, which is encrypted and stored securely.
Detailed description
This is a mixed methods concurrent study design. Feedback will be collected from multiple participant groups as part of both the quantitative and qualitative components of the study.
Quantitative Component Patients: Participants will provide feedback, rank preferences, and compare their experiences between supine and upright positioning, focusing on comfort, anxiety, overall acceptability, and demographic information.
Caregivers: Caregivers will report their observations and preferences regarding both positioning approaches, including perceived comfort and distress levels.
Qualitative Component Patients: During the upright positioning session (the study intervention), patients will be asked open-ended questions exploring their perceptions of comfort, stability, and overall experience.
Key Stakeholders: Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, and Medical Physicists will participate in semi-structured interviews to share their perspectives on the feasibility and implementation of upright versus supine positioning.
A description of the measures taken to minimize/avoid bias.
To minimize bias in the study, the following measures will be implemented:
- Study participants and caregivers (if applicable) will complete standardized feedback tools for consistency.
- During the upright positioning session (study intervention), investigators will follow a scripted set of open-ended questions to explore patient perceptions.
- For semi-structured interviews, investigators will use neutral language and encourage equal participation among all interviewees.
A description of the trial treatment(s)/ intervention Patient participants will undergo the study intervention following a regularly scheduled radiation treatment. This involves being positioned upright in a chair using immobilization similar to their treatment setup, where feasible. No radiation or therapeutic procedures will be administered during the upright positioning session, which involves sitting in a chair for up to 15 minutes, as tolerated. There is no further study-related follow-up visit. Data collection from patients and caregivers will be completed on the same day as the positioning sessions.
Key stakeholders including Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, or Medical Physicists will participate in a semi-structured interview to explore perspectives on supine versus upright positioning for RT.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Target follow-up
- 1 Day
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Patients | – | Device: Upright positioning chairPatients undergoing RT (as part of routine clinical care) who are in stable clinical condition. |
| Caregivers | – | –Caregivers of the patients undergoing RT (when applicable). |
| Key Stakeholders | – | –Key stakeholders involved in radiation therapy (including Radiation Therapists, Registered Nurses, Radiation Oncologists, and Medical Physicists). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 3 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Patients undergoing RT (as part of routine clinical care) who are in stable clinical condition.
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Pediatric and adult patients aged 3 years and older, undergoing radiation therapy as part of standard clinical care.
- Lansky or Karnofsky score 40 or greater
- Ability to provide informed consent (or if appropriate, provided by parent or legal guardian).
- Ability to understand and speak English or with appropriate assistance
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Upright positioning chairFollowing standard-of-care RT planning or delivery in the conventional supine position, patients and caregivers will complete a questionnaire evaluating the current treatment position. Patients will then be positioned upright in a chair, using similar immobilization to their supine setup when feasible. This position will be maintained for up to 15 minutes, as tolerated by the patient. | Device | Patients |
Primary outcome
Mean difference in comfort scores (upright minus supine), Likert scale, collected immediately post-positioning
Time frame: 24 months.
The primary analysis will focus on within-subject comparisons of patient reported data from the questionnaire between supine and upright positioning. Ranking preference will be reported descriptively. Inferential statistics will be used to compare continuous and categorical outcomes (including paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests).
7 secondary outcomes
- Proportion preferring upright positioning
Time frame: 24 months.
Setup time
Time frame: 24 months
Age-stratified exploratory comfort/preference patterns
Time frame: 24 months
Proportion of participants with disabilities preferring upright positioning
Time frame: 24 months
Rate completing both positions without interruptions
Time frame: 24 months
Key themes from patient/caregiver/radiation therapy key stakeholder interviews (qualitative)
Time frame: 24 months
Mixed methods meta-integration: concordance of quantitative and qualitative acceptability/feasibility
Time frame: 24 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. To be discussed with PI.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Cancer, run by University Health Network, Toronto at 1 site in Canada.
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 4 inclusion and 0 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Aug 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 Canada. 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 Yat Tsang, PhD (416-946-4501 ext. 5302, yat.tsang@uhn.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Mean difference in comfort scores (upright minus supine), Likert scale, collected immediately post-positioning (time frame: 24 months.). 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 14 Aug 2026.