FAQ

Contact the radiation oncology unit where you were treated. They will introduce you to the physician who is taking care of your original physician’s patients. Let the new physician know that you are a participant in the RadComp study.

Yes, you can remain in the study. Your participation in the study does not depend on where your physician is treating patients.

1. Contact your radiation oncologist for their recommendation for your cancer care. Your radiation oncologist may be able to refer you to another physician or continue your cancer care via telemedicine appointments.
2. You do not need to physically come in to continue to participate in the RadComp study. All study follow-ups can be done over the telephone, by mail or by email. Contact the RadComp Coordinating Center by email at radcomp@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or by phone at 215-662-6694 to update us with your new contact information.

We are glad you’re doing well! It’s important for the study to know how well each of our participants is doing over time. Even if you feel that you have nothing new to report, that information is important to the study.

If this is a medical emergency, please contact 911. If it’s not a medical emergency, please contact your health care providers to discuss any health concerns you may have.

If this is a medical emergency, please contact 911. If it’s not a medical emergency, please contact your health care providers to discuss any health concerns you may have.

The RadComp texts will come from phone number 215-883-4757. We recommend saving the number in your Contacts.

Yes! We can help you complete the survey over the telephone or the survey can be sent via email or mail for completion on your own time.

Yes, you can opt to not be directly contacted for follow-up. The research team can continue to access your medical records twice per year to collect information needed for the study. Please let the RadComp study know by email at radcomp@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or phone at 215-662-6694.

Yes. RadComp participants will be compensated $25 for each follow-up visit completed. You will receive your payment using ClinCard, a study debit card.

We’re sorry you haven’t received your payment. Payment takes between 5-10 business days to process. If it’s been 10 business days since you completed the check-in and still haven’t received your payment, please reach out to us by phone at 215-662-6694 or by email at radcomp@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Please refer to the ClinCard Cardholder FAQ for more information on how to use your ClinCard prepaid debit card.

Please contact ClinCard Support at 866-952-3795 and select option #3 to receive live support.

Please reach out to us by phone at 215-662-6694 or by email at radcomp@pennmedicine.upenn.edu to request a new ClinCard.

Please check the Spam/Junk folder in your email. If you still don’t see the email, please reach out to us by phone at 215-662-6694 or by email at radcomp@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Yes:

• Information about RadComp study publications can be found on the RadComp website, www.radcomp.org/
• The RadComp Newsletter, which is released four times per year, is the best way to stay informed about new publications and study findings. It can be sent directly to your email, or you can access it on our website. Please email radcomp@pennmedicine.upenn.edu to be added to the mailing list.
• When the study is complete, results will also be posted at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02603341.

Yes. The RadComp Coordinating Center partners with several national breast cancer advocacy organizations. You can find information about them on our website at www.radcomp.org. We encourage you to reach out to one of them to inquire about how to become a patient advocate.

To make study participation as easy as possible for our participants, we have centralized follow-up at the RadComp Coordinating Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Participants can complete their twice-yearly check-ins without having to come in for a visit.

Telephone calls from the RadComp study will be from 267-445-1660. Depending on your carrier, you may see the Caller ID show as Penn Medicine. RadComp texts will come from phone number 215-883-4757.

This study is being conducted at medical centers around the country to compare two types of standard care radiation therapy: PHoton Therapy (pronounced “fo-tahn”) and PRoton Therapy (pronounced “pro-tahn”) — to find out which type of radiation is best for treating your type of breast cancer. Both treatments work and neither is experimental.

PHoton and PRoton therapy are both standard care radiation therapy treatments. Photon and Proton therapy deliver similar radiation doses to your chest wall, breast tissue, and immediate surrounding lymph node areas in front of the heart, above the collar bone, and/or below the armpit. The chart below compares each type of radiation. You may have side effects with either radiation treatment.

PHoton Therapy

Potential Benefits:

• Widely used to treat breast cancer for many years.
• Short- and long-term risks and benefits are well-documented.
• Doctors can aim and shape the radiation beams to treat your cancer.

Potential Risks:

• Passes through healthy tissues on its way to AND beyond the tumor target.
• Healthy tissue, like parts of the heart or lungs, can be damaged by the radiation, possibly causing side effects.
• Your skin may react to the radiation and the look and feel of your breast, breast implant or chest wall may change.

PRoton Therapy

Potential Benefits:

• Passes through healthy tissues as it enters the body but stops after it has reached the target areas.
• This may cause less radiation damage to healthy tissue, like parts of the heart
• Doctors can aim and shape the radiation beams to treat your cancer.

Potential Risks:

• Short- and long-term risks and benefits are not as well-documented as photon therapy.
• Healthy tissue, like parts of the heart or lungs, can be damaged by the radiation, possibly causing side effects.
• Your skin may react to the radiation and the look and feel of your breast, breast implant or chest wall may change.

Doctors do not know if one type of radiation, PHoton or PRoton therapy, is better, about the same, or worse in terms of side effects, cure rates, length of life or quality of life after radiation.

We want to learn if one type of radiation (PHoton or PRoton Therapy) is better at helping you live longer or have a better quality of life.

Pragmatic clinical trials are designed to test treatment options in real-world settings to increase value to patients.

The RadComp study is being conducted at medical centers across the country. To find a participating site near you, visit our site page.

The total enrollment for this study is expected to take at least 5 years and then it will take approximately another 10 years to complete all analysis and reporting. If you decide to participate in this study you will be in the study until all the assessments are completed which will take about 10 years. Follow-up visits will be scheduled at 1 month, 6 months, and yearly from the end of radiation therapy. We will also call you every six months to check in about your health.

External beam radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that aims a beam (or many beams) of radiation through the skin to the breast or chest wall and the surrounding area to destroy cancer cells. When you receive radiation, a large machine aims the radiation and moves around you without touching you. Radiation therapy after surgery plays an important role in the treatment of breast cancer.

PHoton and PRoton therapy are both standard care radiation therapy treatments. Photon and Proton therapy deliver similar radiation doses to your chest wall, breast tissue, and immediate surrounding lymph node areas in front of the heart, above the collar bone, and/or below the armpit.

No, neither PHoton nor PRoton therapy are experimental. Both are FDA-approved radiation treatments and are on the cutting-edge of cancer therapy.

You should check to see if the radiation treatments in this study are covered by your health insurance. If they are covered, you may still be responsible for some costs, such as co-pays and deductibles. If your insurance will not cover a specific radiation treatment and you still want to participate, you will be responsible for paying for radiation treatment you receive.

Doctors do not know if one type of radiation is better, about the same, or worse in terms of side effects, cure rates, length of life or quality of life after radiation. By participating in the study, we will be monitoring your health long after radiation treatment. Your participation may also help decide which radiation therapy is best for future patients with your type of breast cancer.

This research study is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) (Contract # PCS-1403- 12804). PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better- informed healthcare decisions.

Please visit the following pages to learn more about breast cancer and clinical trials.

ClinicalTrials.gov — Learn About Clinical trials: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/about-studies/learn

Susan G. Komen — Clinical Trials: http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/ClinicalTrials.html

NIH — Clinical Trials and You: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you

Oncolink — All About Breast Cancer: http://www.oncolink.org/cancers/breast/all-about-breast-cancer