ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07685938Updated Sep 17, 2026

Pharmacologic Therapies to Mitigate Radiation- Associated Heart Disease

A Phase 2 interventional study of Atorvastatin and Lisinopril and Placebo in Chest Wall Tumor, Breast Cancer and Lung Cancer, 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 2026-09-17.

Sponsored by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center · Phase 2, Interventional, and Supportive care

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Aug 2026; still recruiting 2 months later.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Radiation therapy is an essential treatment for tumors in the chest area, including breast, lung, esophageal, mediastinal cancers, and spine metastases. Although technical advances have reduced treatment-related illness and death, radiation exposure to the heart can still cause substantial rates of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) among survivors.

For example, about 21% of non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving a mean heart dose of 20 Gy or higher experience major adverse cardiac events (MACE) within 2 years. In breast cancer patients, the risk of MACE increases by about 7% for each additional Gy of mean heart dose.

There is currently no established medication strategy to prevent or reduce RIHD.

Preclinical and clinical studies show that statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may help reduce radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD). Statins and ACE inhibitors are generally well tolerated, available as generic drugs, and commonly used to help prevent cardiovascular disease. They may protect the heart by reducing damage to blood vessel lining (endothelial damage), microvascular dysfunction, atherosclerosis, reduced blood flow (ischemia), and fibrosis (scarring).

This study is a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II hybrid decentralized trial. Patients receiving standard radiation therapy and expected to receive an equivalent dose of at least 25 Gy (EQD2) to at least 10% of the heart will be randomly assigned to receive either:

  • placebo, or
  • Atorvastatin 20 mg plus Lisinopril 5 mg daily. The medications will be taken during radiation therapy and continued for 6 months after treatment.

The study aims to determine whether the intervention can reduce radiation-related decreases in blood flow to the heart, measured using myocardial perfusion imaging, such as positron emission tomography (PET), which is commonly used to evaluate the risk of coronary heart disease.

02

Conditions studied

  • Chest Wall Tumor
  • Breast Cancer
  • Lung Cancer
  • Esophageal Cancer
  • Mediastinal Cancers
  • Spine Metastases
  • Spinal Tumor
  • Thoracic Cancer
  • Thoracic Neoplasms

Keywords

  • radiation therapy
  • morbidity
  • mortality
  • radiation induced heart disease
  • major adverse cardiac events
  • placebo-controlled
  • angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
  • statins
03

In context

Breast Neoplasms

14,825 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 3,319 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 72 across 10,896 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.

Browse Breast Neoplasms 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.

04

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.

Inclusion criteria

  • Written obtained to participate in the study and HIPAA
  • authorization for release of personal health information.
  • Subjects is willing and able to comply with study procedures based on the
  • judgement of the investigator.
  • Consent for serial blood draws and consent for use of biological specimens.
  • Age ≥ 18 years at the time of consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding (NOTE: breast milk cannot be stored for future use while the mother is being treated on study).
  • Pre-existing use of a statin or ACE-inhibitor
  • Pre-existing hypotension
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 2
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

    Patients expected to receive ≥25 Gy equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2) to at least 10% of the heart will be treated with statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

    Drug: Atorvastatin and Lisinopril

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Patients expected to receive ≥25 Gy equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2) to at least 10% of the heart will take inhibitors.

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • DrugAtorvastatin and Lisinopril

    Drug pages: Atorvastatin · Lisinopril

    Patients will receive statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

  • DrugPlacebo

    Patients will receive placebo.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percent difference in the radiation (RT)-induced reduction of myocardial perfusion

    Percent difference in the radiation (RT)-induced reduction of myocardial perfusion in cardiac regions receiving ≥25Gy equivalent dose in 2Gy fractions (EQD2) based on comparison of before and after RT among participants receiving placebo and statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors intervention.

    Time frame: Pre radiation therapy and 6-month post radiation therapy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percent Change in Radiation-Induced Myocardial Perfusion Reduction by Cardiac Dose: Placebo vs Statin and ACE Inhibitor Therapy

    Percent difference in radiation therapy (RT)-induced reduction of myocardial perfusion in cardiac regions receiving different radiation doses (10-20 Gy and 20-25 Gy equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions, EQD2), based on comparison of pre-RT and 6-month post-RT myocardial perfusion imaging scans between participants receiving placebo versus statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors intervention.

    Time frame: Pre radiation therapy and 6-month post radiation therapy

  2. Change in for cardiac biomarker panel

    Change in for cardiac biomarker panel including high- sensitivity troponin, Creatine Kinase myocardial band (CK-MB) or N-terminal pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide( NT-proBNP).

    Time frame: Pre radiation therapy and 3 months and 6-month post radiation therapy

  3. Correlation between cardiac stress and perfusion biomarkers and radiation dose

    Correlations between absolute values and changes in cardiac stress/perfusion biomarkers and radiation dose at the individual pixel level will be compared between the placebo and intervention groups. Cardiac perfusion imaging provides quantitative assessment of regional myocardial perfusion, and the absolute difference in RT-induced perfusion reduction between study arms will be evaluated using pre- and post-RT measurements. Changes in cardiac biomarkers, including high- sensitivity troponin, Creatine Kinase myocardial band (CK-MB) or N-terminal pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide( NT-proBNP). will also be assessed.

    Time frame: Pre radiation therapy and 3 months and 6-month post radiation therapy

  4. Rates of major adverse cardiac events

    Rates of major adverse cardiac events (unstable angina, heart failure hospitalization or urgent visit, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and cardiac death) will be compared between trial groups at long-term

    Time frame: At follow-up of 1, 2, and 3 years.

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Aug 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Feb 2029, 30 months after the start.

Of 1,070 non-industry phase 2 interventional studies under Breast Neoplasms, half reached primary completion within 56 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 34 and three quarters within 87. This study's planned 30 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 1,302 studies reached it within 51 months; a quarter within 30 and three quarters within 82.

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

Registered
Jun 29, 2026
First posted
Jul 6, 2026
StartActual
Aug 12, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Feb 2029
CompletionEst.
Feb 2029
Last update
Sep 17, 2026
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 Sep 17, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07685938
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 6, 2026
Start date
Aug 12, 2026
Primary completion
Feb 2029 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 17, 2026

Study contacts

Claire Kowalczyk
Contact
claire_kowalczyk@med.unc.edu
984-974-0000
Shivani Sud, MD
principal investigator · UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Oversight

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

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Studies of the drugs tested here: Atorvastatin · Lisinopril

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