Tests brain radiosurgery plus standard drugs for melanoma or lung cancer in the brain
Tests radiosurgery with standard drugs in adults with melanoma or lung cancer in the brain.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation
- Where
- London and Manchester, United KingdomSee the 2 sitesAlso in 4 other countries, 13 sites
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Immunotherapy or Targeted Therapy With or Without Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Patients With Brain Metastases From Melanoma or Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
- Status
- Recruiting
- Phase
- Phase 3
- People taking part
- 180 people, planned
- Started
- 30 Nov 2022
- Expected to end
- Jun 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- Immune checkpoint inhibitor
- Record updated
- 12 November 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and newly found brain metastases that are causing no symptoms or only mild ones. All get standard drug treatment; some also get stereotactic radiosurgery.
- Age
- 18 years or older.
- Sex
- All sexes can join.
- Disease stage
- Melanoma or NSCLC with 1 to 10 untreated brain metastases. At least one is 5 mm or larger. NSCLC must be newly diagnosed and metastatic. Karnofsky performance status of 60 or more.
- Earlier treatment
- Brain metastases must be untreated, except for surgery. For NSCLC, no earlier treatment except surgery. People with melanoma may have had other earlier treatment, including immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- Biomarker or test result
- Melanoma: BRAF mutation status must be known. NSCLC: PD-L1 status and driver mutation status must be known.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Cancer spread to the membranes around the brain (leptomeningeal metastases)
- Brain metastases with symptoms needing more than 4 mg dexamethasone equivalent for over one week
- Earlier whole brain or focal radiation to the brain
- Earlier drug treatment for brain metastases
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 30 criteriaShow less
Other criteria
- Most important inclusion criteria:
- Newly diagnosed, previously untreated (except for surgery, see below) asymptomatic or oligo-symptomatic brain metastases, e.g., controlled symptomatic seizure disorder. Note: patients with neurological symptoms or signs that require more than a stable dose of 4 mg dexamethasone equivalent for more than one week are not considered oligo-symptomatic
- Requirements for brain metastases:
- Brain metastases must be previously untreated, except for surgery
- Prior surgery (including biopsies, resection, and cyst aspiration) for brain metastases is allowed. Residual and measurable disease after surgery is not required, but surgery must have confirmed the diagnosis. An MRI performed within 72 hours post-surgery should be available
- Number and size of metastases at diagnosis of brain metastases:; Maximum 1-10 brain metastases at screening; At least one brain metastasis must be of ≥5 mm in diameter; In case of 1-4 brain metastases:; Longest diameter of largest brain metastasis must be ≤30 mm; In case of 5-10 brain metastases:; Largest metastasis must be ≤10 mL in volume and longest diameter must be ≤30 mm; Maximum cumulative brain metastases volume must be ≤30 mL
- Primary disease of histologically confirmed (from primary tumour or from a metastatic lesion, including in the brain) melanoma or NSCLC
- Requirements for patients with melanoma:
- Prior treatment, including treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors is permitted, but brain metastases must be newly diagnosed and previously untreated (except for surgery)
- BRAF-mutation status, locally assessed, should be known (previous adjuvant BRAF-targeted therapy is allowed)
- Requirements for patients with NSCLC:
- Newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve (except for prior surgery) metastatic NSCLC, with or without a targetable oncogenic driver alteration
- Known PD-L1 expression status (from primary tumour or from a metastatic lesion, including brain)
- Known driver mutation status (from primary tumour or from a metastatic lesion, including brain)
- Age of 18 years or older
- Karnofsky performance status of 60 or more
- Life expectancy >12 weeks
- Patients must be candidates for systemic treatment, within the defined cohorts (melanoma: cohorts 1a and 1b; NSCLC: cohorts 2a and 2b)
- Women of childbearing potential, including women who had their last menstruation in the last 2 years, must have a negative urinary or serum pregnancy test within 7 days before randomisation
- Written IC for study participation must be signed and dated by the patient and the investigator prior to any study-related intervention; Most important exclusion criteria:
- Confirmed or probable leptomeningeal metastases according to EANO ESMO criteria
- Symptomatic brain metastases at time of randomisation, e.g., neurological symptoms or signs that require more than a stable dose of 4 mg dexamethasone equivalent for more than one week
- Patients must be off steroids or on a stable dose of ≤4 mg dexamethasone equivalent at randomisation
- Patients experiencing seizures controlled by anti-epileptic drugs are eligible
- Prior whole brain irradiation or focal radiation therapy to the brain
- Prior systemic treatment for brain metastases
- Contra-indication for SRS
- Judgment by the investigator that the patient should not participate in the study if the patient is unlikely to comply with study procedures, restrictions and requirements
- Women who are pregnant or in the period of lactation
- Sexually active men and women of childbearing potential who are not willing to use an effective contraceptive method during the study
Where in United Kingdom
Also in 4 other countries, 13 sites
- Royal Marsden (Sutton)London, United KingdomContact: Mary O'BrianTaking people
- Christie NHS ManchesterManchester, United KingdomContact: Sarah HughesTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
The primary objective of the study is to assess the efficacy in terms of CNS-specific PFS of the combination of standard systemic treatment plus SRS vs. standard systemic treatment alone in patients with newly diagnosed and untreated (except for surgery) asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic brain metastases from melanoma or NSCLC. This proposed randomised phase III clinical study addresses one of the most controversial issues in the current approach to patients with brain mets: the timing of SRS in patients eligible for systemic immune checkpoint inhibition or targeted therapy in order to guide therapeutic options as to what strategy allows the best compromise between best survival and best QoL.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Standard systemic treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)Treatment being tested
Arm A
Treatment: Stereotactic radiosurgery and Immune checkpoint inhibitor
- Standard systemic treatment without stereotactic radiosurgeryExisting treatment, for comparison
Arm B
Treatment: Immune checkpoint inhibitor
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- A Multicentre Randomised Open-label Phase III Study of Stereotactic Radiosurgery, in Addition to Standard Systemic Therapy for Patients With Metastatic Melanoma or Newly Diagnosed Metastatic NSCLC and Asymptomatic or Oligo-symptomatic Brain Metastases
- Plain-language title
- Tests brain radiosurgery plus standard drugs for melanoma or lung cancer in the brainGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Record updated
- 12 November 2026