Clinical Trial

Is Radiation-before-pathology a Feasible Approach in the Palliative Oncology Setting? A Pragmatic Clinical Trial

Study acronym: RT-NOW
Recruiting
View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Record status
This record was last updated July 25, 2025 (before its estimated July 1, 2026 completion). Its status may not reflect the trial's current state.
Summary
When a doctor suspects cancer, often a biopsy is taken for testing to confirm if cancer is present. Usually, doctors would wait for the results of a biopsy before delivering radiation, but this may lead to a patient having to wait for a treatment that he or she urgently needs. With long wait times for biopsies in Canada, this may lead to symptoms and risks of complications from cancer in the meantime. Therefore, this study is being done to answer the following question: Is it safe and feasible to deliver radiation before obtaining a biopsy in a carefully selected group of patients who urgently need radiation treatment.
Protocol Amendment History 3 amendments
This ClinicalTrials.gov record has been amended 3 times since 2023-12-04; most recent amendment 2025-07-22.
Status change: Not Yet Recruiting → Recruiting 2024-07-08
Trial Details
NCT Number NCT06156800
Lead Sponsor David Palma
Conditions Cancer
Enrollment 48 participants
Start Date 2024-04-19
Primary Completion 2026-07-01 (estimated)
Study Completion 2027-07-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov 2025-07-25