Pragmatic Randomized Trial of Proton vs. Photon Therapy for Patients with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving Comprehensive nodal Radiation: A Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness Trial

About the Study

The RadComp Study, short for Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness, is a nationwide clinical study comparing two FDA approved radiation therapies for the treatment of breast cancer, PHoton Therapy vs. PRoton Therapy. With any radiation treatment to the breast, the heart may be exposed to radiation potentially resulting in heart problems in the future. Both Photon and Proton therapies are FDA approved; however, to date doctors do not know which therapy is better or worse in terms of reducing side effects and promoting length and quality of life after radiation.

We hope to learn: The effectiveness of proton vs. photon therapy in reducing major cardiovascular events and how treatment affects patient’s quality of life, such as financial burden, fatigue, and anxiety. These objectives were chosen as study priorities by breast cancer patients themselves.

Type of Study

This a pragmatic randomized clinical trial in which patients (male or female) with locally advanced breast cancer will be randomized to either proton or photon therapy.

• Treatment Group 1: Receives PHoton Therapy once a day, 5 days a week, for 5 to 7 weeks
• Treatment Group 2: Receives PRoton Therapy once a day, 5 days a week, for 5 to 7 weeks

Participants will complete health questionnaires at various time points:

• at consent/when first joining the study
• 1 month follow-up
• 6 month follow-up 
• once yearly after that 

For convenience, participants have the option to fill these questionnaires out online or in-person during follow-up visits. Both treatment groups are then followed longitudinally (long-term) for 10 years to analyze health-related outcomes quality of life and cardiovascular morbidities.

Study Sites

Study sites are open nationwide. For information about the study at all sites, please visit www.RadComp.org and/or contact Hien Lu, Project Manager, by phone 215.662.6694 or by email at [email protected].

• Phoenix, AZ
  • Mayo Clinic: Contact Sameer Keole, MD by phone: 480-342-1262 or by email
• ​San Diego, CA
  • UCSD/Scripps: Contact James Urbanic, MD by phone 858-246-0500 or by email 
• Cincinnati, OH
  • University of Cinncinnati Cancer Center
• Jacksonville, FL
  • University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute: Contact Julia Bradley, MD by phone: 904-588-1800 or by email
• Orlando, FL
  • Orlando Health: Contact Tomas Dvorak, MD by phone: 321-841-7413 or by email
• Atlanta, GA
  • Emory University: Contact Mylin Torres, MD by phone 404-778-3473 or by email
• Chicago, IL
  • Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center Recruiting: Contact: Christy Kesslering, MD    by phone 630-352-5350 or by email  
• Shreveport, LA
  • Willis Knighton: Contact Lane Rosen, MD by phone 318-212-4639 or by email
• Baltimore, MD
  • University of Maryland: Contact: Mark Mishra, MD by phone 410-328-2328 or by email 
• Baltimore, MD
  • Johns Hopkins: Contact Jean Wright, MD by phone 305-588-4511 or by email
• ​Boston, MA
  • Massachusetts General Hospital: Contact Shannon MacDonald, MD by phone 617-643-7250 or by email  
• Flint, MI
  • McLaren Proton Therapy: Contact Kiran Devisetty, MD by phone 810-342-3800 or by email
• Royal Oak, MI
  • William Beaumont: Contact Peter Chen, MD by phone 248-551-7038 or by email 
• Rochester, MN
  • Mayo Clinic: Contact Robert Mutter, MD by phone 507-284-2511 or by email  
• St. Louis, MO
  • Washington University: Contact Imran Zoberi, MD by phone 314-747-7236 or by email 
• New Brunswick, NJ
  • Cancer Institute of New Jersey: Contact Bruce Haffty, MD by phone 732-253-3939 or by email
• Somerset, NJ
  • ProCure Proton Therapy Center: Contact Henry Tsai, MD by phone 732-357-2600 or by email  
• Cleveland, OH
  • University Hospitals, Case Medical Center: Contact Janice Lyons, MD by phone 216-896-1755 or by email
• Oklahoma City, OK
  • Oklahoma City ProCure: Contact Kiran Prabhu, MD by phone 888-847-2640 or by email
• ​Philadelphia, PA
  • Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania: Contact Gary Freedman, MD by phone 855-216-0098 or by email 
• Knoxville, TN
  • Provision Center for Proton Therapy: Contact Allen Meeks, MD by phone 865-437-5252 or by email      
• Houston, TX
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center: Contact Karen Hoffman, MD by phone 713-792-2121 or by email  
• Irving, TX
  • Texas Center for Proton Therapy: Contact Jared Sturgeon, MD by phone 469-513-5500 or by email  
• Dallas, TX
  • UT Southwestern: Contact Asal Rahimi, MD by phone 214-645-8556 or by email 
• Seattle, WA
  • University of Washington: Contact Li-Ming Christine Fang, MD by phone 206-598-4100 or by email