Real-time MRI-guided adaptive radiation for inoperable pancreatic cancer
Official title: Real-time MRI-guided adaptive radiotherapy of unresectable pancreatic cancer
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11144526 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This approach uses real-time MRI to guide high-dose, focused radiation for people with pancreatic tumors that cannot be removed by surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 13, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $683,094 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA255661-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144526 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic tumors who are not candidates for surgery and who can undergo MRI-compatible radiotherapy are the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with small resectable tumors, widespread metastatic disease unlikely to benefit from localized therapy, or those with MRI-incompatible implants may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
This project aims to image the pancreatic tumor in three dimensions during treatment so the radiation beam can follow its movement as you breathe. The team will pre-learn common 3D motion patterns and then rapidly match those motion 'signatures' during each treatment session to update the beam in real time. They are implementing this on an MR-Linac (Unity) and linking the motion output to the treatment couch and multileaf collimator so the beam tracks the moving tumor. The goal is to deliver much higher, surgery-like radiation doses while keeping nearby organs safe.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow higher, potentially curative radiation doses for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer while reducing damage to nearby gastrointestinal organs.
How similar studies have gone: Early MR-guided tracking has shown promising real-time tumor tracking in the liver and ablative radiation has achieved surgery-like outcomes in some settings, but fully real-time 3D MRI-guided adaptive delivery for pancreatic cancer remains relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Otazo, Ricardo — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Otazo, Ricardo
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.