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RecruitingNCT02193841SBoCKUpdated Jul 12, 2023

Simple Bone Cysts in Kids

A Phase 3 interventional study of Curettage with puncture (C & P) and Curette in Bone Cyst, sponsored by The Hospital for Sick Children. Recruiting at 25 sites in 4 countries. Open to participants aged 2 Years to 21 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-07-12.

Sponsored by The Hospital for Sick Children · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
160
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
2 Years to 21 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Simple bone cysts (SBCs) are cysts filled with fluid that occur most frequently in the long bones (arms or legs) of children. There are many ways to treat SBCs but it is unclear if one is better than another. The purpose of this research trial is to compare the effectiveness of two common treatments that are used by surgeons today.

Read the detailed description

In general, few randomized clinical trials have been undertaken in paediatric orthopaedics, and only one to date has addressed the problem of simple bone cysts (SBCs). Also known as unicameral bone cysts, they are the commonest bone lesion in children. Despite general opinion, these cysts do not resolve at skeletal maturity.

Many forms of treatment have been recommended but none, including the popular methods of corticosteroid or bone marrow injections, have reliably eradicated SBC. Although the lesions are considered benign (non-cancerous), they cause pain, frequently interfere with function, dramatically restrict play activity, may re-fracture leading to growth arrest and/or deformity, and cause enormous anxiety for children and their families.

With a well-developed network of surgeons and researchers, we will provide evidence comparing the effectiveness of two treatment interventions for SBC. More specifically, our goals for this study are:

  1. to compare the rate of radiographic healing between two standard treatments including curettage with puncture alone, and curettage with puncture followed by injection with Vitoss morsels;
  2. to identify prognostic radiographic factors associated with simple bone cyst healing and fracture;
  3. to determine the impact of simple bone cyst on children/family functioning.
02

Conditions studied

  • Bone Cyst

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Keywords

  • Simple bone cyst
  • Unicameral bone cyst
03

In context

Bone Cysts

18 studies on the registry are indexed under Bone Cysts; 5 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 160 is above the median of 17 across 10 interventional studies indexed under Bone Cysts.

Browse Bone Cysts studies →

Lead sponsor

The Hospital for Sick Children is the lead sponsor of 578 studies on the registry; 83 are open to participants now.

Of its 7 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 1 (14%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years to 21 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with a confirmed simple bone cyst in a long bone (ie. arm or leg) within last 3 months
  • At least 3 weeks must have elapsed since last fracture
  • At least 3 months must have elapsed since last cyst treatment
  • Patients and/or their legal representatives willing to provide written (and assent, when appropriate)
  • Patients with stabilizing implants in the bone where the cyst is located

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with bone disease (ie. osteogenesis imperfecta, cancer, osteoporosis, Paget's disease)
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding female
  • Patients with cysts crossing the growth plate (area where bone grows)
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
160 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    C & P

    Curettage with puncture (C \& P) will be performed alone

    Procedure: Curettage with puncture (C & P) · Device: Curette

  • Active comparator
    C & P with Vitoss

    A predetermined amount of Vitoss morsels will be injected following the curettage and puncture (C \& P)

    Procedure: Curettage with puncture (C & P) · Device: Curette · Device: Vitoss morsels

Interventions

  • ProcedureCurettage with puncture (C & P)

    A curette will be inserted to scrape the contents of the cyst (curettage) and a hole in the cyst wall will be made (puncture) near the bone marrow cavity

  • DeviceCurette

    A small surgical instrument with a rounded edge designed for scraping

  • DeviceVitoss morsels

    A bone substitute intended for use as a filler for voids or gaps in bones

    Also known as: Tri-calcium phosphate bone graft substitute

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Cyst healing

    Healing will be graded according to a 4-point modified Neer's classification by radiologists

    Time frame: 2 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Clinical measures (Cyst features)

    Cyst features (ie. appearance, size) will be described or measured from X-rays taken annually after treatment

    Time frame: 1 and 2 years

  2. Functional measures (Questionnaire scores)

    Function in participants will be evaluated using self-reported questionnaires for activity level, perception of illness, and pain annually after treatment

    Time frame: 1 and 2 years

07

Study locations

16 of 25 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Wright JG, Yandow S, Donaldson S, Marley L; Simple Bone Cyst Trial Group. A randomized clinical trial comparing intralesional bone marrow and steroid injections for simple bone cysts. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2008 Apr;90(4):722-30. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.G.00620. PubMed 18381307 ↗
  • Donaldson S, Wright JG. Recent developments in treatment for simple bone cysts. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2011 Feb;23(1):73-7. doi: 10.1097/MOP.0b013e3283421111. PubMed 21191299 ↗
  • Canavese F, Wright JG, Cole WG, Hopyan S. Unicameral bone cysts: comparison of percutaneous curettage, steroid, and autologous bone marrow injections. J Pediatr Orthop. 2011 Jan-Feb;31(1):50-5. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0b013e3181ff7510. PubMed 21150732 ↗
  • Donaldson S, Chundamala J, Yandow S, Wright JG. Treatment for unicameral bone cysts in long bones: an evidence based review. Orthop Rev (Pavia). 2010 Mar 20;2(1):e13. doi: 10.4081/or.2010.e13. PubMed 21808696 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Mar 2015, a primary completion of Mar 2027 and a completion of Mar 2027. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jul 4, 2014
First posted
Jul 18, 2014
Start
Mar 2015
Primary completionEst.
Mar 2027
CompletionEst.
Mar 2027
Last update
Jul 12, 2023
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 12, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02193841
Collaborators
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Responsible party
James Wright (Orthopaedic Surgeon, The Hospital for Sick Children) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 18, 2014
Start date
Mar 2015
Primary completion
Mar 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 12, 2023

Study contacts

Project Manager
Contact
sbock.study@sickkids.ca
James G. Wright
principal investigator · The Hospital for Sick Children
Sevan Hopyan
principal investigator · The Hospital for Sick Children

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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