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A Study of Lower Radiotherapy Dose to Treat Children With CNS Germinoma

  • PhasePhase 2
  • StatusRecruiting
  • Planned enrollment240 people
  • Recruiting US sites95
  • SponsorChildren's Oncology Group
  • RegistryNCT06368817

Recruitment re-checked on ClinicalTrials.gov Oct 30, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

A Study of Lower Radiotherapy Dose to Treat Children With CNS Germinoma: a one-minute explainerNCT063688171 min

Eligibility

Who can join

The film gives the main points. The full list below is copied from the registry; the study team makes the final decision.

  • Age3 Years to 29 Years
  • SexAll
  • Healthy volunteersNo

You may be able to join if

  • Patients must be ≥ 3 years and < 30 years at the time of study enrollment
  • Patients must be newly-diagnosed primary localized germinoma of the suprasellar and/or pineal region by pathology and/or serum and/or CSF hCGbeta 5-50 mIU/mL AND institutional normal AFP (or ≤ 10 ng/mL if no institutional normal exists), including tumors with contiguous ventricular or unifocal parenchymal extension. No histologic confirmation required
  • Patients with EITHER (A) bifocal (pineal + suprasellar) involvement OR (B) pineal lesion with diabetes insipidus (DI) AND hCGbeta ≤ 100 mIU/mL in serum and/or CSF AND institutional normal AFP (or ≤ 10 ng/mL if no institutional normal exists) in both serum and CSF. No histologic confirmation required
  • Patients with hCGbeta 51-100 mIU/mL in serum and/or CSF and institutional normal AFP (or ≤ 10 ng/mL if no institutional normal exists) in both serum and CSF. Histologic confirmation of germinoma IS required
  • Patients with germinoma of the basal ganglia and or/thalamic primary sites are eligible
  • Patients with metastatic germinoma including non-contiguous disease or distant disease in the brain, ventricles, or spine are eligible
  • Patients with germinoma admixed with mature teratoma are eligible
  • Patients must have a performance status corresponding to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores of 0, 1 or 2. Use Karnofsky for patients > 16 years of age and Lansky for patients ≤ 16 years of age
  • Patients must have eligibility confirmed by Rapid Central Imaging Review performed on APEC14B1-CNS
  • Imaging studies must be obtained within 31 days prior to study enrollment and start of protocol therapy. (Note: for patients that have had surgery and post-operative imaging performed, it is the post-operative MRI that must be obtained within 31 days prior to enrollment.)
  • Patients must have a cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without gadolinium at diagnosis/prior to enrollment. If surgical resection is performed, patients must have pre-operative and post-operative brain MRI with and without gadolinium. The post-operative brain MRI should be obtained within 72 hours of surgery. If patient has a biopsy only, post-operative brain MRI is recommended but not required
  • Patients must have a spine MRI with gadolinium obtained at diagnosis/prior to enrollment
  • Patients must be enrolled, and protocol therapy must begin, no later than 31 days after definitive surgery or clinical diagnosis, whichever is later
  • Patients must have eligibility confirmed by Rapid Central Tumor Marker Review performed on APEC14B1-CNS
  • Lumbar CSF must be obtained prior to study enrollment unless medically contraindicated. If a patient undergoes surgery and lumbar CSF cytology cannot be obtained at the time of surgery, then it should be performed at least 10 days following surgery and prior to study enrollment. False positive cytology can occur within 10 days of surgery. Of note, lumbar CSF should not be performed prior to obtaining spine MRI, as this can make interpretation of the spine MRI less clear
  • Patients must have CSF tumor markers obtained prior to study enrollment unless medically contraindicated. Ventricular CSF obtained at the time of CSF diversion procedure (if performed) is acceptable for tumor markers but lumbar CSF is preferred. In case CSF diversion and biopsy/surgery are combined, CSF tumor markers should be collected first. Ideally serum and CSF tumor markers should be collected at the same time and processed without delay
  • For patients with solid tumors: Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1000/uL (Must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated)
  • For patients with solid tumors: Platelet count >= 100,000/uL (transfusion independent) (Must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated)
  • For patients with solid tumors: Hemoglobin >= 8.0 g/dL (may receive red blood cell [RBC] transfusions) (Must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated)
  • For pediatric patients (age 3-17 years): A serum creatinine based on age/sex as follows (Must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated):
  • Age: 3 to < 6 years; maximum serum creatinine (mg/dL): 0.8 (male); 0.8 (female)
  • Age: 6 to < 10 years; maximum serum creatinine (mg/dL): 1 (male); 1 (female)
  • Age: 10 to < 13 years; maximum serum creatinine (mg/dL): 1.2 (male); 1.2 (female)
  • Age: 13 to < 16 years; maximum serum creatinine (mg/dL): 1.5 (male); 1.4 (female)
  • Age: ≥ 17 years; maximum serum creatinine (mg/dL): 1.7 (male); 1.4 (female) OR a 24-hour urine creatinine clearance ≥ 70 mL/min/1.73 m^2 OR a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≥ 50 mL/min/1.73 m^2. GFR must be performed using direct measurement with a nuclear blood sampling method OR direct small molecule clearance method (iothalamate or other molecule per institutional standard).
  • Note: Estimated GFR (eGFR) from serum or plasma creatinine, cystatin C or other estimates are not acceptable for determining eligibility.
  • For adult patients (age 18 years or older) (Must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated):
  • Creatinine clearance ≥ 70 mL/min, as estimated by the Cockcroft and Gault formula or a 24-hour urine collection. The creatinine value used in the calculation must have been obtained within 28 days prior to registration. Estimated creatinine clearance is based on actual body weight
  • Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) for age (Must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated)
  • Serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) (alanine transaminase [ALT]) ≤ 135 U/L (Must be performed within 7 days prior to enrollment unless otherwise indicated)
  • Note: For the purpose of this study, the ULN for SGPT (ALT) has been set to the value of 45 U/L
  • No evidence of dyspnea at rest, no exercise intolerance, and a pulse oximetry > 94% if there is clinical indication for determination
  • Patients with seizure disorder may be enrolled if on anticonvulsants and well controlled
  • CNS toxicity =< grade 2
  • Patients must not be in status epilepticus, coma or assisted ventilation prior to study enrollment
  • HIV-infected patients on effective anti-retroviral therapy with undetectable viral load are eligible for this study

You cannot join if

  • Patients with any of the following malignant pathological elements are not eligible:
  • Endodermal sinus (yolk sac)
  • Embryonal carcinoma, choriocarcinoma
  • Malignant/immature teratoma and mixed germ cell tumor (GCT) (i.e., may include some germinoma)
  • Patients with only mature teratoma upon tumor sampling at diagnosis and negative tumor markers are not eligible
  • Patients who have received any prior tumor-directed therapy for their diagnosis of germinoma other than surgical intervention and corticosteroids are not eligible
  • Female patients who are pregnant since fetal toxicities and teratogenic effects have been noted for several of the study drugs. A pregnancy test is required for female patients of childbearing potential.
  • Note: Serum and urine pregnancy tests may be falsely positive due to HCGbeta-secreting germ cell tumors. Ensure the patient is not pregnant by institutional standards
  • Lactating females who plan to breastfeed their infants
  • Sexually active patients of reproductive potential who have not agreed to use an effective contraceptive method for the duration of their study participation
  • All patients and/or their parents or legal guardians must sign a written informed consent
  • All institutional, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) requirements for human studies must be met

The treatment

How it is intended to work

This is how the treatment is meant to work. Whether it helps, and how safe it is, is what this trial is testing.

Treatments listed in the registry

  • 3-Dimensional Conformal Proton Radiation Therapy (Radiation): Undergo 3D-CPRT
  • 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (Radiation): Undergo 3D-CRT
  • Biospecimen Collection (Procedure): Undergo blood and CSF sample collection
  • Carboplatin (Drug): Given IV
  • Etoposide (Drug): Given IV
  • Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy (Procedure): Undergo IMPT
  • Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (Radiation): Undergo IMRT
  • Lumbar Puncture (Procedure): Undergo LP
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Procedure): Undergo MRI
  • Questionnaire Administration (Other): Ancillary studies
  • Surgical Procedure (Procedure): Undergo second-look surgery

The study

Treatment groups

Non Randomized · Parallel · masking: None

Stratum I (carboplatin, etoposide, 3D-CRT, IMRT, surgery) (Experimental)

See Detailed Description.

Stratum II (carboplatin, etoposide, 3D-CRT, IMRT) (Experimental)

Patients receive carboplatin IV over 15-60 minutes on day 1 and etoposide IV over 90-120 minutes on days 1-3 of each cycle. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with localized germinoma achieving PR with normalization of markers who do not undergo second-look surgery undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 20 days. Patients undergo MRI and optional blood and tissue sample collection throughout the study. Patients may undergo LP for CSF sample collection during screening and follow up.

Stratum III (carboplatin, etoposide, 3D-CRT, IMRT) (Experimental)

Patients receive carboplatin IV over 15-60 minutes on day 1 and etoposide IV over 90-120 minutes on days 1-3 of each cycle. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with localized germinoma with normalization of markers who fail to achieve CR or PR who do not undergo second-look surgery undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 24 days. Patients undergo MRI and optional blood and tissue sample collection throughout the study. Patients may undergo LP for CSF sample collection during screening and follow up.

Stratum IV (carboplatin, etoposide, 3D-CRT, IMRT, surgery) (Experimental)

Patients receive carboplatin IV over 15-60 minutes on day 1 and etoposide IV over 90-120 minutes on days 1-3 of each cycle. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with metastatic germinoma achieving CR undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 20 days. Patients with metastatic germinoma and normalization of markers who fail to achieve CR may undergo second-look surgery. Patients found to have mature teratoma or non-viable tumor undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 20 days. Patients undergo MRI and optional blood and tissue sample collection throughout the study. Patients may undergo LP for CSF sample collection during screening and follow up.

Stratum V (carboplatin, etoposide, 3D-CRT, IMRT) (Experimental)

Patients receive carboplatin IV over 15-60 minutes on day 1 and etoposide IV over 90-120 minutes on days 1-3 of each cycle. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with metastatic germinoma with normalization of markers who fail to achieve CR who do not undergo second-look surgery undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 24 days. Patients undergo MRI and optional blood and tissue sample collection throughout the study. Patients may undergo LP for CSF sample collection during screening and follow up.

Stratum VI (carboplatin, etoposide, 3D-CRT, IMRT, surgery) (Experimental)

Patients receive carboplatin IV over 15-60 minutes on day 1 and etoposide IV over 90-120 minutes on days 1-3 of each cycle. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with basal ganglia and thalamic germinoma achieving CR undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 20 days. Patients with basal ganglia and thalamic germinoma and normalization of markers who fail to achieve CR may undergo second-look surgery. Patients found to have mature teratoma or non-viable tumor undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 20 days. Patients undergo MRI and optional blood and tissue sample collection throughout the study. Patients may undergo LP for CSF sample collection during screening and follow up.

Stratum VII (carboplatin, etoposide, 3D-CRT, IMRT) (Experimental)

Patients receive carboplatin IV over 15-60 minutes on day 1 and etoposide IV over 90-120 minutes on days 1-3 of each cycle. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with basal ganglia and thalamic germinoma with normalization of markers who fail to achieve CR who do not undergo second-look surgery undergo 3D-CRT/3D-CPRT or IMRT/IMPT QD 5 days a week for 24 days. Patients undergo MRI and optional blood and tissue sample collection throughout the study. Patients may undergo LP for CSF sample collection during screening and follow up.

What it involves

Procedures

As the registry describes them. Requirements to join, such as a tissue sample, are in the eligibility list above even when on-study procedures are optional. Ask the study team which steps apply to you.

  • blood samples: Part of the study plan
  • MRI: Part of the study plan; some time points described as optional
  • questionnaires: Part of the study plan
  • lumbar puncture: Described as optional
  • surgery: Part of the study plan; some time points described as optional
  • radiation: Part of the study plan

Goals

What the study measures

Main goals

  • Event-free survival (EFS) (Stratum I) (Evaluated at 2- and 3-years post-radiation initiation)

Other goals

  • EFS (Stratum II)
  • EFS (Stratum III)
  • Radiographic response rate
  • Marker tumor response rate
  • Overall survival (OS)
  • Neuroendocrine dysfunction (including growth hormone deficiency)
  • Processing speed

Planned enrollment: 240 (estimated).

Where

Recruiting US sites

  • USA Health Strada Patient Care Center, Mobile, Alabama
  • Phoenix Childrens Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona
  • Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, California
  • Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
  • UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, California
  • Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California
  • Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
  • Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego, San Diego, California
  • UCSF Medical Center-Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
  • Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
  • Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut
  • Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
  • Children's National Medical Center, Washington D.C., District of Columbia
  • Memorial Regional Hospital/Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, Hollywood, Florida
  • Nemours Children's Clinic-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
  • University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-Sylvester Cancer Center, Miami, Florida
  • Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, Florida
  • Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, Florida
  • Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando, Florida
  • Nemours Children's Clinic - Pensacola, Pensacola, Florida
  • Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida
  • Saint Joseph's Hospital/Children's Hospital-Tampa, Tampa, Florida
  • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Arthur M Blank Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Saint Luke's Cancer Institute - Boise, Boise, Idaho
  • Lurie Children's Hospital-Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
  • University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
  • Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois
  • Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana
  • University of Iowa/Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Norton Children's Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky
  • Maine Children's Cancer Program, Scarborough, Maine
  • Johns Hopkins University/Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
  • C S Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals - Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota - Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • University of Minnesota/Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota
  • University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
  • Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center, St Louis, Missouri
  • Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
  • Children's Hospital and Medical Center of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
  • University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
  • Alliance for Childhood Diseases/Cure 4 the Kids Foundation, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Dartmouth Cancer Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
  • Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey
  • Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey
  • Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey
  • Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, New Jersey
  • Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center, Paterson, New Jersey
  • Albany Medical Center, Albany, New York
  • The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park, New York
  • Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone, New York, New York
  • Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York
  • NYP/Columbia University Medical Center/Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, New York
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
  • State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
  • Montefiore Medical Center - Moses Campus, The Bronx, New York
  • UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  • Sanford Broadway Medical Center, Fargo, North Dakota
  • Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
  • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Saint Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
  • Prisma Health Richland Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina
  • BI-LO Charities Children's Cancer Center, Greenville, South Carolina
  • Sanford USD Medical Center - Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • East Tennessee Childrens Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Vanderbilt University/Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas
  • Driscoll Children's Hospital, Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Medical City Dallas Hospital, Dallas, Texas
  • UT Southwestern/Simmons Cancer Center-Dallas, Dallas, Texas
  • Baylor College of Medicine/Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • Children's Hospital of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
  • Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Norfolk, Virginia
  • Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington
  • Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital, Spokane, Washington
  • University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center - University Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin

18 recruiting sites outside the US. Site status as of Oct 30, 2026. Check the live record before contacting a site.

Sources

Where this comes from

Registry record reviewed as fetched Oct 30, 2026, last updated by the sponsor Aug 24, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

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