Dose-escalated Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) for Solid Tumour Spine Metastases.
About this trial
The Spine SABR Trial (CTRIAL-IE 20-03) is currently open at:
- St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network (SLRON)
- The Beacon Hospital
- Bon Secours UPMC Cork
This study is for people whose cancer has spread to the spine from another area in the body, this is known as oligometastatic or oligoprogressive cancer.
This study is trying to find the highest safe dose of a type of precise, high-dose radiation treatment called SABR, given in two treatment sessions, for people whose cancer has spread to the spine.
What is the aim of the trial?
The trial is testing whether a high precision form of radiotherapy, called Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR), can be safely used to treat spinal tumours with higher doses of radiation than usual.
This trial uses a carefully controlled dose escalation approach. That means:
- The radiation dose to the tumour inside the spinal bone (vertebra) is gradually increased across groups of patients
Using advanced technology, radiation is shaped precisely to the tumour to:
- Maximise treatment to the cancer,
- Minimise risk to nearby critical areas like the spinal cord, nerves, and other organs.
The trial aims to identify the highest dose that can be safely delivered effectively without causing unacceptable side effects. Once the highest safe dose is ascertained 88 patients will receive treatment at this highest dose to confirm the safety of this treatment.
What is SABR and how is it different?
SABR is a modern form of radiotherapy that delivers very high-dose treatment in just two visits, with millimetre precision.
An Irish-led collaborative research effort
This is an Irish-designed, investigator-initiated trial, developed by:
- Professor Clare Faul, Consultant Radiation Oncologist and Principal Investigator, SLRON
In collaboration with: - Dr. Siobhra O’Sullivan, Radiation Oncologist leading the trial at The Beacon Hospital
- Christina Skarou, Medical Physicist, SLRON
The trial is supported by Cancer Trials Ireland, with radiotherapy quality assurance from the IRROG RTQA team, and funding from the Irish Cancer Society.
Who can take part?
You may be eligible if:
- You are 18 or older,
- You have one spinal tumour which has spread from another part of the body.
- You are not currently receiving chemotherapy or other conflicting treatments,
- You meet other medical criteria checked by your team.
What does participation involve?
If you join the trial:
- You’ll receive two SABR treatments, at least 40 hours apart, completed within 10 days,
- You’ll be monitored for 2 years through follow-up visits and scans.
Why is this research important?
For many patients with cancer that has spread to the spine, especially those with a longer life expectancy, more effective treatment options are needed.
This trial is helping to develop a new, safer, and more powerful way to:
- Control spinal tumours more effectively,
- Relieve pain, and
Improve quality of life—with fewer hospital visits.
Trial status in Ireland
The trial is open at:
- St. Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network (SLRON)
- The Beacon Hospital
- Bon Secours UPMC Cork