TOURIST
Research type
Research Study
Full title
TOURIST: Thoracic Umbrella Radiotherapy study in stage IV NSCLC PRINCE: Prospective, randomised, multicentre trial of first line systemic treatment and radiotherapy in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. QUARTZ LUNG: Quality of life after radiotherapy treatment for patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer
IRAS ID
334993
Contact name
David Woolf
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN52137148
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Radiotherapy to the chest is widely used in the treatment of lung cancer. Its use in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has evolved worldwide based on local experience, as doctors attempt to ease symptoms, maintain/improve quality of life, and prolong survival, while minimising side effects. Current palliative thoracic radiotherapy practice is still based on dose fractionations that were studied in the 1990s. However, the past 30 years have seen profound changes in the management of advanced lung cancer, resulting in increasing variation in treatment strategies across centres with regards to the use and timing of radiotherapy. There have been no studies addressing this issue and there is an urgent need to update our evidence base.
TOURIST is a pragmatic multi-centre phase III platform incorporating randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of thoracic radiotherapy in the treatment of stage IV NSCLC. The TOURIST Platform has been established to run a series of RCTs across a range of situations where palliative radiotherapy will be used in the treatment of stage IV NSCLC.
Initial RCTs - PRINCE and QUARTZ LUNG.
PRINCE is a multicentre, phase III, RCT with clinical and cost effectiveness, process evaluation and translational research. Patients will be randomised (1:1) to control or early high-dose palliative radiotherapy; all trial patients will receive first-line systemic therapy. Radiotherapy will be investigator’s choice of 36Gy/12F or 39Gy/13F and will begin within 84 days of randomisation and between cycles 1 and 4 of systemic therapy.
QUARTZ Lung is a multicentre, Phase III, RCT with clinical and cost effectiveness, and process evaluation. Patients will be randomised (1:1) to receive symptom-based supportive and palliative care, with or without the addition of early low-dose palliative radiotherapy. Radiotherapy will be investigators choice of 16-17Gy/2F or 20Gy/5F, and should commence as soon as possible, but no later than 21 days following randomisation.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0133
Date of REC Opinion
7 May 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion