Multimodal Al for Precision Diagnosis of Esophageal Cancer

August 14, 2026 updated by: Quan-Lin Li, Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital
This study intends to construct two multimodal deep learning models: one for the diagnosis of esophageal cancer and the prediction of invasive depth to assess suitability for endoscopic resection; the other model, based on this, classifies endoscopic non-resectable patients into different degrees of invasion to further explore the differences in the sensitivity and survival of AI-predicted benign and malignant tumors in patients' responses to NAT, thereby providing reliable decision support for precise individualized treatment. This aspect has rarely been addressed in previous studies.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

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.
264

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • China
      • Shanghai, China
        • Zhongshan hospital

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

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of adult patients (≥18 years) with pathologically confirmed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who underwent diagnostic endoscopy and contrast-enhanced CT examination at participating centers. Patients with early-stage disease who received endoscopic resection or esophagectomy and had pathological assessment of tumor invasion depth will be included for development and validation of a multimodal deep learning model for diagnosis and prediction of invasion depth. Patients with locally advanced disease who received neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgical resection, with available pathological response and follow-up data, will be included for development and validation of a multimodal model for predicting treatment response and prognosis. Clinical information, CT images, endoscopic images, pathological findings, and survival outcomes will be collected for analysis.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Histologically confirmed or clinically suspected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
  • Availability of pre-treatment endoscopic images and contrast-enhanced chest/upper abdominal CT scans.
  • Availability of complete clinical and pathological data.
  • Patients who underwent endoscopic resection (ESD/EMR) or esophagectomy with pathological assessment of tumor invasion depth.
  • Adequate image quality for analysis.
  • Written informed consent (for prospective cohorts, if applicable).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Histology other than squamous cell carcinoma.
  • Prior treatment for esophageal cancer before baseline imaging, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or endoscopic resection.
  • Distant metastatic disease at diagnosis.
  • Incomplete clinical, imaging, or pathological data.
  • Poor-quality CT or endoscopic images unsuitable for analysis.
  • History of another active malignancy within the past 5 years.
  • Recurrent esophageal cancer.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
ESD
Other: ESD
Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally invasive endoscopic technique used for en bloc resection of superficial gastrointestinal neoplasms. The procedure is performed under conscious sedation or general anesthesia using a therapeutic endoscope. After lesion characterization and marking of the resection margins, a submucosal injection solution (e.g., saline mixed with epinephrine, dye, or viscous agents such as hyaluronic acid) is administered to lift the lesion from the muscularis propria. A circumferential mucosal incision is then made using an endoscopic knife, followed by meticulous submucosal dissection to separate the lesion from the underlying muscle layer. Hemostasis is achieved throughout the procedure using coagulation forceps or hemostatic devices as needed. The lesion is removed en bloc whenever possible, and the resected specimen is retrieved for histopathological evaluation. Post-resection inspection of the artificial ulcer is performed to assess for bleeding
ESD+surgery
Other: surgery
Additional surgery refers to esophagectomy with regional lymph node dissection performed after non-curative endoscopic resection. The procedure is recommended for patients with pathological risk factors for lymph node metastasis, including deep submucosal invasion, lymphovascular invasion, positive vertical resection margins, or other non-curative resection criteria. Surgical treatment is performed according to institutional standards and current clinical guidelines.
Other: ESD
Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally invasive endoscopic technique used for en bloc resection of superficial gastrointestinal neoplasms. The procedure is performed under conscious sedation or general anesthesia using a therapeutic endoscope. After lesion characterization and marking of the resection margins, a submucosal injection solution (e.g., saline mixed with epinephrine, dye, or viscous agents such as hyaluronic acid) is administered to lift the lesion from the muscularis propria. A circumferential mucosal incision is then made using an endoscopic knife, followed by meticulous submucosal dissection to separate the lesion from the underlying muscle layer. Hemostasis is achieved throughout the procedure using coagulation forceps or hemostatic devices as needed. The lesion is removed en bloc whenever possible, and the resected specimen is retrieved for histopathological evaluation. Post-resection inspection of the artificial ulcer is performed to assess for bleeding
NAT +surgery
Other: NAT
Neoadjuvant therapy has become a standard treatment strategy for patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Administered before surgical resection, neoadjuvant treatment aims to reduce tumor burden, downstage disease, increase the likelihood of complete (R0) resection, and improve long-term survival outcomes. Current neoadjuvant approaches include chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and more recently, immune checkpoint inhibitor-based combination therapies. Among these, neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy has demonstrated promising pathological response rates and survival benefits, emerging as an important treatment option for ESCC. However, treatment response varies considerably among patients, highlighting the need for reliable predictive models to guide individualized therapeutic decision-making.
Other: surgery
Additional surgery refers to esophagectomy with regional lymph node dissection performed after non-curative endoscopic resection. The procedure is recommended for patients with pathological risk factors for lymph node metastasis, including deep submucosal invasion, lymphovascular invasion, positive vertical resection margins, or other non-curative resection criteria. Surgical treatment is performed according to institutional standards and current clinical guidelines.

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
Actual receipt of additional surgery
Time Frame: 1 week
Actual receipt of additional surgery was defined as patients who underwent subsequent radical surgical treatment after ESD based on multidisciplinary team (MDT) recommendations, clinician judgment, and patient preference.
1 week
Presence of pathological indications for additional surgery
Time Frame: 1 week
According to current guidelines, non-curative resection requiring consideration of additional radical treatment was defined by the presence of submucosal invasion (SM2 invasion), or lymphovascular invasion (LVI-positive), or a positive vertical resection margin (VM-positive).
1 week

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 Zhongshan 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.
March 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
January 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
June 7, 2026

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).
June 1, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
June 5, 2026

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.
August 18, 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.
August 14, 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.
June 1, 2026

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.
  • B2026-538R

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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.

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