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NCT06183437RecruitingPhase 4

The STOP-MED CTRCD Trial

A Multi-Centre Non-Inferiority Randomized Controlled Trial of STOPping Cardiac MEDications in Patients With Normalized Cancer Therapy Related Cardiac Dysfunction: The STOP-MED CTRCD Trial

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 7 Jul 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is when the heart's ability to pump oxygenated blood to the body is compromised. It is a side effect of cancer therapy which can occur as commonly as in 1 in 5 patients. When this occurs, heart failure medications are started to protect the heart from progressing to heart failure. With early detection and treatment, heart function recovers to normal in \>80% of patients. Unfortunately, heart failure medications are associated with an undesirable long-term pill burden, financial costs, and side-effects (e.g., dizziness and fatigue). As a result, cancer survivors frequently ask if they can safely stop their heart failure medications once their heart function has returned to normal. Currently there is no scientific evidence in this area of Cardio-Oncology. To address this knowledge gap, the investigators have designed a randomized control trial to assess the safety of stopping heart failure medication in patients with CTRCD and recovered heart function. The investigators will enrol patients who have completed their cancer therapy and are on heart medications for their CTRCD, which has now normalized. The investigators will randomize patients with no other reasons to continue heart failure medications (e.g., kidney disease) to continuing or stopping their heart medications safely. All patients will undergo a cardiac MRI at baseline, 1 and 5 years with safety assessments at 6-8 weeks, 6 months and 3 and 5 years. The investigators will determine if stopping medications is non-inferior to continuing medications by counting the numbers of patients who develop heart dysfunction by 1 year in each group.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Phase (registry)
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
335 (estimated)
First submitted
13 Dec 2023
Start date
4 Mar 2024
Primary completion date
Dec 2027
Lead sponsor
Dinesh Thavendiranathan
NCT number
NCT06183437

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional · Phase 4
  • Planned participants: 335
  • From 4 Mar 2024 to the primary completion date, Dec 2027
  • 14 sites in 6 countries
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Prior history of major cardiovascular event (defined as myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular event, admission for HF) or therapeutic cardiovascular procedure (e.g., percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)).

Other illness

  • Indication for continuation of HF medications i.e., ongoing HF symptoms, chronic kidney disease (CKD), vascular disease, atrial or ventricular arrythmias, other (note: participants with hypertension pre-CTRCD will continue their antihypertensive as only medication started for CTRCD will be ceased).
  • Patients with cardiac devices i.e. defibrillator, CRT, pacemaker, etc.
  • Continued use of loop diuretic therapy for heart failure purposes i.e., furosemide.
  • Life expectancy \<1 year or metastatic disease.

Other

  • Contraindications for CMR (e.g., MRI non-compatible implanted pacemakers).
  • Issues that prevent communication, understanding or presentation for study-related visits and inability to provide informed consent.

Who the study is looking for

  • Adult patients (age ≥18 years) with cancer therapy completed more than 6 months prior (other than hormonal therapy) and no plan for further cancer treatments with potential risk for CTRCD.
  • Prior cancer therapy with anthracyclines and/ or HER2-targeted therapy.
  • Prior asymptomatic, moderate to severe CTRCD, defined using the ESC/ICOS criteria (MODERATE: ≥10% drop in LVEF from baseline to 40% to 49.9% OR \<10% drop to 40-49.9% with a reduction in GLS by \>15% or new abnormal Troponin I/T or NT-proBNP or SEVERE: new LVEF reduction to \<40% from normal baseline LVEF), diagnosed within 1 year of completing potentially cardiotoxic cancer therapy.
  • Current use of ≥1 HF medication started for CTRCD for at least 6 months with LVEF ≥50% by recently performed (≤6 months) echocardiogram, normal sex and age adjusted NT-proBNP or BNP ≤97.5th Centile, and no symptoms attributable to HF.
  • Reference ranges for NT-proBNP and BNP by age and sex:
    • \<30 years: Female: NT-proBNP ≤196 pg/ml, BNP ≤55 pg/ml Male: NT-proBNP ≤104 pg/ml, BNP ≤29 pg/ml
    • 30-39 years: Female: NT-proBNP ≤209 pg/ml, BNP ≤59 pg/ml Male: NT-proBNP ≤102 pg/ml, BNP ≤29 pg/ml
    • 40-49 years: Female: NT-proBNP ≤233 pg/ml, BNP ≤65 pg/ml Male: NT-proBNP ≤137 pg/ml, BNP ≤38 pg/ml
    • 50-59 years: Female: NT-proBNP ≤299 pg/ml, BNP ≤84 pg/ml Male: NT-proBNP ≤195 pg/ml, BNP ≤55 pg/ml
    • 60-69 years: Female: NT-proBNP ≤399 pg/ml, BNP ≤112 pg/ml Male: NT-proBNP ≤333 pg/ml, BNP ≤93 pg/ml
    • 70-79 years: Female: NT-proBNP ≤743 pg/ml, BNP ≤208 pg/ml Male: NT-proBNP ≤763 pg/ml, BNP ≤214 pg/ml
    • ≥80 years: Female: NT-proBNP ≤2,704 pg/ml, BNP ≤757 pg/ml Male: NT-proBNP ≤6,792 pg/ml, BNP ≤1,902 pg/ml
  • Confirmation of LVEF ≥50% and normal volumes at baseline CMR (i.e., some patients recruited based on echocardiography, may be excluded if baseline CMR LVEF/volumes are not normal). This is included given that the primary outcome includes the use of CMR LVEF.
  • Normal Ventricular end-diastolic volumes by CMR as defined by the Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance 2025 update.

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (14)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
MelbourneAustraliaRecruiting
Cardio-Oncology Clinic, MAHI, University of Alberta Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
EdmontonCanadaRecruiting
Hamilton General Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
HamiltonCanadaNot yet recruiting
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
OttawaCanadaRecruiting
St. Michael's Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
TorontoCanadaNot yet recruiting
University Health Network
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
TorontoCanadaRecruiting
St. Boniface Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
WinnipegCanadaRecruiting
La Paz University Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
MadridSpainNot yet recruiting
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LiverpoolUnited KingdomRecruiting
Barts Health NHS Trust, University College London
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LondonUnited KingdomRecruiting
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Brompton Hospital)
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
LondonUnited KingdomNot yet recruiting
Maria Sklodowska-Curie - National Research Institute of Oncology
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
WarsawPolandNot yet recruiting
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BostonUnited StatesRecruiting
University of California, Los Angeles
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
Los AngelesUnited StatesNot yet recruiting

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.