HEARTS Trial for Thoracic Cancers

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON · Aug 12, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called the HEARTS Trial, is studying a new type of radiation treatment for people with certain cancers in the chest area, such as lung, esophageal, and thymus cancers. The study is comparing a newer radiation method called magnetic resonance-guided adaptive radiation therapy (MRgART) to the standard radiation treatment to see if it affects the heart differently. Since these cancers are close to the heart, researchers want to understand if this new approach can better protect the heart during treatment.

People who may be eligible for this study are adults over 18 with specific stages of lung, esophageal, esophagogastric, or thymus cancers that need radiation treatment, usually given in daily sessions over a few weeks. Participants should not have cancer that has spread widely or serious heart problems, and they must be able to safely have MRI scans. During the study, patients will receive radiation therapy, have regular MRI scans and blood tests, and complete questionnaires about their quality of life. This helps the researchers learn not only about the safety and effects of the treatment on the heart but also how patients feel during and after therapy. The trial is not yet recruiting but aims to include adults of all genders who meet these criteria.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age \> 18 years at the time of consent.
• • Dosimetric eligibility criteria met using endpoints from QUANTEC (\>10% of heart receives \> 25 Gy) as determined through rapid auto-planning
• * Participants with histologically or cytologically proven AJCC, 8th edition including:
• • Stage IIIA,IIIB, or IIIC non-operable non-small cell lung cancer
• • Stage I-III N0-2 disease esophageal/esophagogastric cancer
• • Stage II or III thymoma/thymic carcinoma
• • Other cancers in the thoracic region that meet the dosimetric and other clinical trial criteria.
• • Participants must have a definitive course of daily fractionated RT planned of at least 15 treatment fractions, typically ranging from 1.8 to 4 Gy/fraction
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Definitive clinical or radiologic evidence of metastatic disease with life expectancy \<12 months
• • Prior thoracic radiotherapy significantly overlapping the heart region
• • Contraindications to MRI
• • Severe, active co-morbidity defined as follows: New York Heart Association Functional Classification III/IV are not eligible.