Transthoracic vs Transbronchial Radiofrequency Ablation for Lung Cancer

April 6, 2026 updated by: Jiayuan Sun, Shanghai Chest Hospital

Transthoracic Versus Transbronchial Radiofrequency Ablation for Peripheral Lung Cancer Staging IA: a Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of transthoracic versus transbronchial ablation in the treatment of early stage peripheral lung cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Ablation therapy has been widely used in the treatment of lung cancer and traditionally performed by CT-guided transthoracic puncture. In recent years, with the development of navigational bronchoscopy, exploratory studies on transbronchial ablation for peripheral lung cancer have demonstrated its efficacy and safety, but there is a lack of prospective randomized controlled trials to verify its near-term efficacy and safety, as well as its long-term efficacy. This study was designed as a prospective randomised controlled trial with 110 patients expected to participate in the study, randomized in a 1:1 ratio to CT-guided ablation and bronchoscopy-guided ablation treatment groups. The primary study endpoint is the rate of complete ablation at 6 months post-procedure. Secondary study endpoints were success rate of technique implementation, complete ablation rate at 12 months post-procedure, local control rate at 1, 2 and 3 years post-procedure, progression-free survival, overall survival and safety.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
110

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Jiayuan Sun, PhD
  • Phone Number: 1511 +86-021-22200000
  • Email: jysun1976@163.com

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200030
        • Recruiting
        • Shanghai Chest Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age greater than 18 years.
  2. Primary peripheral lung cancer diagnosed by pathology and pre-procedure staging examination suggesting clinical stage T1N0M0, stage IA (including postoperative new and multiple primary).
  3. The proposed ablation lesion was evaluated for feasibility of CT and bronchoscopy-guided ablation treatment.
  4. Consent to initial ablation therapy is given after assessment of unsuitability for surgery or refusal of surgery and signed informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients with platelets <50×109/L, severe bleeding tendency and coagulation dysfunction that cannot be corrected in the short term.
  2. Patients with severe pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
  3. Infectious and radioactive inflammation around the lesion, skin infection at the puncture site that is not well controlled, systemic infection, high fever >38.5°C.
  4. Patients with severe hepatic, renal, cardiac, pulmonary and cerebral insufficiency, severe anaemia, dehydration and serious disorders of nutritional metabolism that cannot be corrected or improved in the short term.
  5. Those with poorly controlled malignant pleural effusions.
  6. Anticoagulation therapy and/or anti-platelet drugs (except dabigatran, rivaroxaban and other new oral anticoagulants) have not been discontinued more than 5~7d before ablation.
  7. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score >2.
  8. Combination of other tumours with extensive metastases and an expected survival of <6 months.
  9. Patients with episodic psychosis.
  10. Patients with implanted electronic devices (e.g. pacemakers or defibrillators).
  11. Pregnant women, or patients with a pregnancy planned during the study period.
  12. Have participated or are participating in other clinical studies within the last 30 days.
  13. Any other condition that the investigator considers inappropriate for participation in this study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Transthoracic ablation
Procedure: ablation
ablation
Experimental: Transbronchial ablation
Procedure: ablation
ablation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Complete ablation rate at 6 months post-procedure
Time Frame: Up to 6 months
This refers to the number of lesions completely ablated 6 months after ablative treatment as a proportion of the total number of ablative treated lesions.
Up to 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Success rate of technique implementation
Time Frame: Immediate postoperative
Defined as the number of lesions reached by the ablation needle and successfully treated by ablation as a proportion of the total number of lesions to be ablated, as assessed by imaging immediately after ablation.
Immediate postoperative
Complete ablation rate at 12 months post-procedure
Time Frame: Up to 12 months
This refers to the number of lesions completely ablated 12 months after ablative treatment as a proportion of the total number of ablative treated lesions.
Up to 12 months
Local control rate at 1, 2 and 3 years post-procedure
Time Frame: Up to 36 months
This refers to the number of completely ablated and incompletely ablated lesions at 1, 2 and 3 years after ablative treatment as a proportion of the total number of ablative treated lesions.
Up to 36 months
Progression-free survival
Time Frame: Up to 36 months
Refers to the duration between the subject's study procedure and the first occurrence of disease progression or death from any cause, recorded through follow-up for up to 3 years.
Up to 36 months
Overall survival
Time Frame: Up to 36 months
Refers to the duration between the subject's study procedure and the subject's death, recorded through follow-up for up to 3 years.
Up to 36 months
Incidence of complications
Time Frame: Up to 6 months
Assessment of the incidence of device or procedure-related adverse events that occurred during the study.
Up to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Shanghai Chest Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Beijing Chao Yang Hospital
Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Jiayuan Sun, PhD, Shanghai Chest Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 4, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 10, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 10, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 16, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 6, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • SHCHE202301

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings