ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07668284Updated Oct 8, 2026

COQ10 and Vitamin E for Off-Target Radiation Toxicity

A Phase 1/2 interventional study of Coenzyme Q10 Cap/Tab and Vitamin E Cap/Tab in Prostate Cancer, Uterine Cancer and Cervical Cancer, sponsored by University of Nebraska. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 19 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-08.

Sponsored by University of Nebraska · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Supportive care

Updated Oct 8, 2026Start date movedGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Phase 1/2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
200
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
19 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this supportive care study is to learn if high-dose Vitamin E and CoQ10 in combination can reduce the negative sub-acute and chronic side effects of radiation to the pelvis in adults treated for prostate, uterine, cervical, or anal cancer.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Is taking high doses of Vitamin E (dl-α-tocopherol acetate, 900mg) and CoQ10 (ubidecarenone, 200 mg) each day safe and tolerable?
  • Does a 90-day course of vitamin supplementation with high-dose Vitamin E and CoQ10 reduce the incidence and severity of late radiation-associated toxicities?
  • Does high-dose vitamin supplementation with Vitamin E and CoQ10 improve patient reported measure of quality of life?
  • Does high-dose vitamin supplementation with Vitamin E and CoQ10 change the trajectory of recovery after radiation therapy?
  • Is there evidence that suggests high-dose vitamin supplementation with Vitamin E and CoQ10 impairs oncologic outcomes?
  • Can longitudinal biomarkers of oxidative stress be correlated with Vitamin E and CoQ10 concentrations or radiation-associated toxicity?
  • Will subjects adhere to the vitamin administration schedule?
  • Are there demographic differences in systemic exposure to the vitamins?
  • Are there differences in toxicity outcomes across tumor types or radiation dose fractionation schemes?

Participants will be asked to:

  • Take Vitamin E and CoQ10 every day for 90 days by mouth.
  • Fill out quality of life questionnaires to assess treatment impacts.
  • Come for clinic visits every 2-4 weeks for around 4 months, then every 3-6 months for around 2 years.
  • Have blood draws more frequently than standard-of-care for clinical laboratory examinations and the collection of research samples.
  • Undergo Computed Tomography (CT) imaging of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis more frequently than standard of care.
  • Agree to lifestyle changes that ensure adequate vitamin absorption including intermittent abstinence from alcoholic beverages.
Read the detailed description

The purpose of this study is to determine if high-dose supplementation with the antioxidants Coenzyme Q10 (ubidecarenone) and Vitamin E (dl-α-tocopherol) reduces subacute and chronic radiation-associated toxicity after radiation therapy for pelvic cancers including post-prostatectomy prostate, endometrial, cervical, and anal malignancies. Changes to oncologic outcomes will be assessed to characterize the effects of the vitamin regimen. The safety and tolerability of the vitamin regimen will be tested to determine the recommended phase II dose. Subsequently, the regimen's efficacy towards reducing the incidence and severity of post-treatment toxicity burden will be compared to historical norms. Other objectives of the research include characterizing the trajectory of recovery, patient reported quality of life outcomes, adherence to therapy, and longitudinal changes in biomarkers of oxidative stress.

Exposure to radiation can cause sustained oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, membrane injury, maladaptive tissue remodeling, and ferroptosis. The biological drivers of these effects may be counteracted by increasing the pool of active vitamin E (oxidized α-tocopherol) in affected tissues through perfusion and regeneration by CoQ10 (ubidecarenone as ubiquinol). The subject population will include adults with ECOG performance status ≤2 scheduled for curative-intent external beam radiation therapy ± chemotherapy as treatment for the pelvic malignancies listed above. Participants must be able to swallow gel capsules. Known comorbidities that affect vitamin absorption or tolerability, increase bleeding risk, and/or increase the risk of vitamin E overdose may exclude participation. Prior to the initiation of vitamin therapy, participants must complete at least 80% of their scheduled radiation dose and have adequate hematological, organ and clotting function. Pregnancy, lactation, and refusal of contraceptive precautions (unless exempt) preclude participation.

Research interventions include daily co-administration of vitamin E (450-900 mg) and CoQ10 (100-200 mg) for 90 days immediately following radiation therapy, frequent clinic visits and phlebotomy, PRO questionnaires, and the collection of blood-based research specimens. The duration of participation will vary with the length of radiation therapy but will always involve a 3-month treatment period followed by 21 months of follow up.

02

Conditions studied

  • Prostate Cancer
  • Uterine Cancer
  • Cervical Cancer
  • Anal Cancer

Keywords

  • radiation
  • toxicity
  • subacute
  • antioxidant
03

In context

Prostatic Neoplasms

7,046 studies on the registry are indexed under Prostatic Neoplasms; 1,580 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 200 is above the median of 60 across 5,348 interventional studies indexed under Prostatic Neoplasms.

Browse Prostatic Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Nebraska is the lead sponsor of 496 studies on the registry; 67 are open to participants now.

Of its 83 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 53 (64%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
19 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.

Inclusion criteria

  1. confirmed post-prostatectomy prostate, uterine (endometrial and cervical), or anal cancer.
  2. Scheduled for curative-intent, multi-fraction (at least 15 fractions) external-beam radiotherapy +/- chemotherapy at the study site which does not involve re-irradiation to the same field.
  3. Age ≥ 19 years at the time of consent.
  4. Performance Status ≤ 2.
  5. ≥ 6 months at the time of consent as determined by the participant's treating physician.
  6. Participants must be able to swallow soft-gel capsules.
  7. Participants must not have a disease significantly affecting drug absorption (e.g., resection of the stomach or small bowel, symptomatic inflammatory bowel disease, partial or complete bowel obstruction).
  8. Participants must agree to limit alcohol consumption to ≤ 2 standard drinks (14 g of pure ethanol) within 6 hours before and 6 hours after vitamin administration.
  9. Participants must agree to discontinue current vitamin/mineral supplements, including multivitamins, that contain Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) or CoQ10 (ubidecarenone) and abstain from taking these supplements while on study, including during the follow-up period. Participants must also agree to discontinue and abstain from high-dose vitamin/mineral supplementation while on-study and during the study follow-up period. NOTE: Participants for whom high-dose vitamin/mineral supplementation is medically necessary are eligible if the principal investigator determines that continuing treatment will not impact safety or study outcomes.
  10. Women of and male participants with partners of childbearing potential must agree to use two forms of medically effective (at least one of which must be a barrier method) while on study until one month following the last dose of vitamin supplements.
  11. As determined by the enrolling physician, the participant must be able to understand and comply with study procedures for the entire length of the study. There must not be psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical conditions potentially hampering protocol compliance, including alcohol dependence or drug abuse.
  12. The participant or the participant's legally authorized representative must provide documented after being informed of the procedures to be followed, the experimental nature of the therapy, alternatives, potential benefits, side effects, risks, and discomforts.
  13. Participant must have adequate hematological, organ, and clotting function as defined below. Screening labs must be obtained prior to the end of radiation therapy.

    • (ANC) ≥ 500/mm3
    • ≥ 50,000/mm3 • ≥ 8.0 g/dL. The use of transfusion or other intervention to achieve Hgb ≥ 8.0 g/dL is acceptable.
    • Calculated (CrCl (mL/min); Cockcroft-Gault formula) ≥ 30 mL/min.
    • Total ≤ 1.5X institutional (ULN) or ≤3 X ULN for patients with known Gilbert's syndrome
    • (SGOT) and ALT (SGPT) ≤ 3X institutional ULN
    • and PTT (in the absence of lupus anticoagulant) ≤ 2X institutional ULN.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Participants who do not receive ≥ 80% of the planned total radiation.
  2. Participants who are scheduled to receive SBRT/SRS
  3. Participant's treatment plan must not include anti-cancer pharmaceutical therapies during the period of vitamin administration (\~3 months after completion of radiation therapy).
  4. Participants must not receive any other agents while on study.
  5. Participants must not have to Vitamin E or CoQ10 supplementation, including:

    1. Anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy that cannot be stopped. NOTE: To be eligible, participants must be able to discontinue contraindicated medications at least 2 weeks prior to the initiation of study treatment. These medications may be resumed 1 month after completing study treatment.
    2. Underlying bleeding conditions (e.g., hemophilia or von Willebrand disease)
    3. Retinitis pigmentosa
    4. Hepatobiliary dysfunction
    5. Vitamin K deficiency
    6. Preexisting severe fibrosis
    7. History of significant cerebrovascular disease/event, including stroke or intracranial hemorrhage.
    8. Uncontrolled Grade 2 hypertension defined as ≥ 140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or ≥ 90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure.
    9. Uncontrolled AIHA ( hemolytic anemia) or ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura).
    10. Uncontrolled systemic bacterial, fungal, parasitic, mycobacterial, viral, or other infections, despite appropriate antibiotics or other treatments.
    11. Any other uncontrolled comorbidities that, in the opinion of the treating investigator, would compromise subject safety or study outcomes.
  6. Participant must not have a history of allergic reactions to Vitamin E or CoQ10 or any of the vitamin (soybean oil, soy lecithin, gelatin, glycerin).
  7. Not pregnant or lactating. A negative pregnancy test (serum hCG) is required for participants of . Female participants who are permanently sterilized (hysterectomy/bilateral oophorectomy) or (12 months of consecutive amenorrhea, > 45 years-of-age in the absence of other biological or physiological causes; females \< 55 years-of-age with serum FSH level > 40 mIU/mL) are exempt
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(19)

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.

Histologically or cytologically confirmed

The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).

Your pathology report is the document that shows this.

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.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

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.

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC)

The number of neutrophils, white blood cells that help fight infection, in a given amount of blood. Too few raises the risk of infection.

It is a count, not a percentage of the white cells. Limits are written in units that mean the same: ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L is ≥ 1,500 per mm³ (µL). Each lab has its own reference range.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Creatinine clearance (CrCl)

How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

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.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Excipients

The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.

Postmenopausal

Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1 / Phase 2
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
200 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Arm I: Treatment

    Vitamin E (dl-α-tocopherol), gel capsule, 900 mg, QD, 90 days CoQ10 (ubidecarenone), gel capsule, 200 mg, QD, 90 days The vitamins are co-administered.

    Drug: Coenzyme Q10 Cap/Tab · Drug: Vitamin E Cap/Tab

Interventions

  • DrugCoenzyme Q10 Cap/Tab

    Drug page: Coenzyme Q10

    taken daily for 3 months with vitamin E

    Also known as: ubidecarenone

  • DrugVitamin E Cap/Tab

    taken daily for 3 months with CoQ10

    Also known as: dl-α-tocopherol

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Recommended Phase 2 Dose

    Determine if the initial dose of each vitamin is recommended for the remainder of study participants.

    Time frame: 3-6 months

  2. Incidence of Grade ≥2 (CTCAE) Radiation-Associated Toxicity

    The incidence of CTCAE Grade ≥2 radiation therapy-associated toxicity occurring from completion of RT through 3 months post-RT

    Time frame: 2-3 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Vitamin Safety and Tolerability

    To further characterize the safety and tolerability of post-radiation vitamin E and CoQ10 supplementation through clinician-reported adverse events (CTCAE v5.0).

    Time frame: 2-3 years

  2. Patient Quality of Life

    To assess patient-reported quality of life using disease-specific EORTC surveys.

    Time frame: 2-3 years

  3. Trajectory of Toxicity: Resolution

    To characterize the resolution (persistence) of toxicity using patient reported outcome and adverse event data (time to event).

    Time frame: 2-3 years

  4. Trajectory of Toxicity: Delayed Emergence

    To characterize the delayed emergence of toxicity using patient reported outcome and adverse event data (time to event).

    Time frame: 2-3 years

  5. Oncologic Safety: Recurrence/Progression Free Survival

    To describe patterns of recurrence/progression during follow-up to monitor for unexpected oncologic safety signals (time to event).

    Time frame: 2-3 years

  6. Oncologic Safety: Overall Survival

    To describe patterns of survival during follow-up to monitor for unexpected oncologic safety signals (time to event).

    Time frame: 2-3 years

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
Start date
Jul 1, 2026→Dec 1, 2026
Oct 8, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 8, 2026
    Start date Jul 1, 2026→Dec 1, 2026

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07668284
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 25, 2026
Start date
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Feb 15, 2030 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 15, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 8, 2026

Study contacts

Erin M Drengler, MS
Contact
edrengler@unmc.edu
1 402 552 2435
Taylor A Johnson, MA
Contact
taylora.johnson@unmc.edu
1 402 559 0963
Chi P Lin, MD
principal investigator · University of Nebraska

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

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Studies of the drug tested here: Coenzyme Q10

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