ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06073067Updated Sep 3, 2026

GRID Therapy for Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma

An interventional study of GRID therapy in Sarcoma, sponsored by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-03.

Sponsored by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Nov 2023; still recruiting 3 years later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
20
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

Patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) are at high risk of recurrence. Pre-operative radiotherapy is used to increase the safe removal of tumors and improve local control in these patients. Increasing the preoperative radiotherapy dose with standard techniques might lead to normal tissue toxicity and postoperative wound complications.

GRID radiation therapy is a technique that may increases radiation dose with minimal added toxicity. It is hypothesized that GRID radiation dose will improve tumor response without increasing post-operative wound complications. While GRID has been used in many patients, there have been few formal studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the technique. In this study, a single priming dose of GRID will be administered to subjects with high-risk extremity soft tissue sarcoma prior to standard radiotherapy and tumor resection to determine the safety and clinical efficacy of the GRID dose. This single-arm pilot study will assess the safety of spatially fractionated grid radiation therapy (GRID) on 20 subjects with resectable extremity soft tissue sarcoma, followed by standard-of-care conventional radiotherapy (XRT) and tumor resection.

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Conditions studied

  • Sarcoma

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Keywords

  • extremity
  • radiation
  • GRID
  • surgery
  • preoperative
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In context

Sarcoma

1,607 studies on the registry are indexed under Sarcoma; 366 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 40 across 1,255 interventional studies indexed under Sarcoma.

Browse Sarcoma studies →

Lead sponsor

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is the lead sponsor of 429 studies on the registry; 97 are open to participants now.

Of its 33 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 26 (79%) have results posted.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
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.

In order to participate in this study a subject must meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined below.

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Written was obtained to participate in the study and HIPAA authorization for the release of personal health information. Subjects are willing and able to comply with study procedures based on the judgment of the investigator.
  2. Age ≥ 18 years at the time of consent.
  3. (ECOG) Performance status of 0 - 2 ( Performance Status equivalent of 50 - 100).
  4. Histological or cytological evidence/confirmation of extremity soft tissue sarcoma as determined by core-needle or excision biopsy. If the diagnostic tissue is not available or sufficient to perform correlative studies, must be willing to provide the mandatory pre-treatment core-needle biopsy. In some cases of extremity STS, subjects undergo an attempted surgical resection for a presumed benign condition and the specimen reveals . Such subjects are allowed so long as a complete, oncologic, resection was not performed/attempted and there is ≥ 5 cm of the remaining primary tumor.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects meeting any of the exclusion criteria listed below at baseline will be excluded from the study.

  1. Subjects who have received prior radiotherapy to the tumor site.
  2. Subjects who have undergone complete tumor resection of the primary tumor or who have developed tumor recurrence after resection.
  3. History of serious or non-healing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture in the treatment limb within the last 5 years.
  4. History of lymphedema in the treated limb.
  5. History of lupus, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (any type), or other collagen vascular disease that may pose a relative , due to increased risk of skin or soft tissue toxicity, with radiation.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

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.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Karnofsky performance status (KPS)

A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.

Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Fractionated grid radiation therapy

    Subjects with resectable extremity soft tissue sarcoma received neoadjuvant grid radiation therapy (GRID), followed by standard-of-care conventional radiotherapy (XRT) and tumor resection.

    Radiation: GRID therapy

Interventions

  • RadiationGRID therapy

    GRID therapy delivers a high dose of radiation to small areas of tumor interleaved with areas that intentionally receive a low dose

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Grade 2 or higher post-operative wound complications after GRID-3 months

    Safety will be quantified as the incidence of Grade 2 or higher post-operative wound complications after GRID, the standard of care XRT, and surgery. Wound complications will be graded according to The NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 5.0. CTCAE is a descriptive terminology that can be utilized for Adverse Event (AE) reporting. A grading (severity) scale is provided for each AE term. Grade 1 Mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated. Grade 2 Moderate; minimal, local or noninvasive intervention indicated; limiting age-appropriate instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Grade 3 Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; limiting self-care ADL. Grade 4 Life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention indicated. Grade 5 Death related to AE.

    Time frame: 3 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. The tumor specimen of the surgery

    The effect of GRID on tumor response will be measured using the tumor specimen of the surgery. The major pathological response (MPR) rate will be defined as the viable residual tumor in 10% or less of the resection specimen.

    Time frame: At the time of surgery (Approximately 17th week)

  2. Grade 2 or higher post-operative wound complications after GRID-6 months

    Safety will be quantified as the incidence of Grade 2 or higher post-operative wound complications after GRID, the standard of care XRT, and surgery. Wound complications will be graded according to The NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 5.0. CTCAE is a descriptive terminology that can be utilized for Adverse Event (AE) reporting. A grading (severity) scale is provided for each AE term. Grade 1 Mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated. Grade 2 Moderate; minimal, local, or noninvasive intervention indicated; limiting age-appropriate instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Grade 3 Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; limiting self-care ADL. Grade 4 Life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention indicated. Grade 5 Death related to AE.

    Time frame: 3 months to 6 months

  3. Long Term Safety

    Safety will be quantified as the incidence of Grade 2 or higher post-operative wound complications after GRID, the standard of care XRT, and surgery. Wound complications will be graded according to The NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 5.0. CTCAE is a descriptive terminology that can be utilized for Adverse Event (AE) reporting. A grading (severity) scale is provided for each AE term. Grade 1 Mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated. Grade 2 Moderate; minimal, local or noninvasive intervention indicated; limiting age-appropriate instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Grade 3 Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; limiting self-care ADL. Grade 4 Life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention indicated. Grade 5 Death related to AE.

    Time frame: 6 months after completrion of radiotherapy

  4. The comparative effect of GRID

    The comparative effect of GRID will be quantified using histopathologic substrates. Comparisons will be made between pre-treatment biopsies, biopsies taken from different dose regions of the tumor specimen following GRID, and samples of the surgically resected tumor. The viable tumor rate will be compared.

    Time frame: At the time of surgery (Approximately 17th week after completion of radiotherapy)

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Radiation Oncology
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
    Recruiting
    • Erin Jennings · Contacterin_jennings@med.unc.edu · 984-974-8441
    • Theodore K Yanagihara, MD, PhD · Principal investigator
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References and documents

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 3, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06073067
Collaborators
Radiation Oncology Institute
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 10, 2023
Start date
Nov 9, 2023
Primary completion
Nov 10, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Nov 10, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 3, 2026

Study contacts

Erin Jennings
Contact
erin_jennings@med.unc.edu
919-843-5400
Claire Kowalczyk
Contact
claire_kowalczyk@med.unc.edu
Theodore K Yanagihara, MD. PhD
principal investigator · UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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