Fluorescence-Guided Surgical Resection for Reducing Unexpected Positive Margins in Patients With Sarcoma, SarcoSIGHT Trial

June 12, 2026 updated by: City of Hope Medical Center

SarcoSIGHT: A Randomized-Control Trial of Fluorescence Guided Sarcoma Surgery Versus the Standard of Care

This phase II trial compares standard of care surgical resection to fluorescence-guided surgical resection using indocyanine green and fluorescence imaging for reducing unexpected positive margin rates in patients with sarcoma. Surgical margins are one of the criteria used in assessing the effectiveness of a given surgical procedure. They are the edges or border of the tissue removed in cancer surgery. A negative margin means that the resected tumor is surrounded by normal tissue, which implies there is no disease left in the patient. By contrast, a positive margin means that sarcoma cells are visible at the edge of the tumor. Positive margins may be classified as planned when they are expected pre-operatively due to the preservation of a critical structure, or unexpected when the pathologist reports the presence of tumor at the margin despite the surgeon having intended to remove it in its entirety. Fluorescence-guided surgery is an established surgical method that involves the administration of fluorescent dye (in this case, indocyanine green) into the tumor, which can then be visualized with a special camera during surgery to help surgeons identify tumor versus healthy tissue. Fluorescence-guided surgery may reduce the rate of unexpected positive margins in patients undergoing surgery for sarcoma.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine whether there is a reduction in the unexpected positive margin rate (UPM) in patients receiving fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) using indocyanine green (ICG) compared to standard of care (SoC).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the effect of FGS using ICG compared to the SoC over a 12-month period.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the role of ICG in the pathological margin assessment of resected sarcoma specimens whilst improving understanding of the cellular mechanisms of FGS using ICG.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients undergo standard of care surgical resection.

ARM II: Patients receive ICG intravenously (IV) 12-24 hours prior to their scheduled surgery. Patients then undergo FGS with intraoperative fluorescence imaging.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

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.
22

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.
  • Phase 2

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

  • United States
    • California
      • Duarte, California, United States, 91010
        • City of Hope Medical Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Thinzar Lwin

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Documented written informed consent of the participant
  • Histologically confirmed diagnosis of intermediate to high grade sarcoma
  • All ages
  • Amenable to surgical resection as a part of curative intent for the patient

  • Willingness to:

    • Respond to surveys during the trial
    • Permit medical record/ clinical laboratory result review

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Due for surgery with palliative intent
  • Recurrent tumors
  • Intracranial, retroperitoneal, and visceral anatomical locations
  • A woman of childbearing potential who is currently pregnant (as confirmed by urine pregnancy test)
  • A woman who are currently breastfeeding
  • Known allergies to ICG, iodine, iodine dyes or shellfish
  • Unable to provide written and informed consent
  • Patients with hyper-thyroidism or autonomic thyroid adenomas
  • Premature infants/neonates with exchange transfusion indication due to hyperbilirubinemia

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: Arm I (standard of care)
Patients undergo standard of care surgical resection.
Other: Questionnaire Administration
Ancillary studies
Procedure: Resection
Undergo surgical resection
Other Names:
  • Surgical Resection
Other: Electronic Health Record Review
Ancillary studies
Experimental: Arm II (FGS)
Patients receive ICG IV 12-24 hours prior to their scheduled surgery. Patients then undergo FGS with intraoperative fluorescence imaging.
Other: Questionnaire Administration
Ancillary studies
Other: Electronic Health Record Review
Ancillary studies
Procedure: Fluorescence Imaging
Undergo fluorescence imaging
Drug: Indocyanine Green
Given IV
Other Names:
  • ICG
Procedure: Fluorescence-Guided Surgery
Undergo FGS
Other Names:
  • FGS
  • Fluorescence-Guided Surgical Procedure

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
Unexpected positive margin (UPM) rate
Time Frame: At 6 months post-surgery
The margin status of each tumor will be taken from the pathology report for each patient enrolled in the trial. This will be recorded at six months post- surgery and will be classified according to the R classification system. The UPM rate for each arm will be defined by calculating the percentage of patients in that arm with a UPM on histopathological assessment of the resection specimen. The percentage of patients with unexpected positive margins will be calculated for each group to give the unexpected positive margin rate. This will then be compared between the two groups. Will use a logistic regression that adjusts key covariates including stratification factors used in the randomization. A Wald test and a 95% confidence interval will be extracted from this model. A two-sided p-value will be found from the Wald test.
At 6 months post-surgery

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
Intraoperative complications
Time Frame: During surgical resection
Intraoperative complications may include blood loss requiring transfusion, inadvertent damage to nerves, inadvertent damage to tendons/ligaments, inadvertent damage to bony structures, myocardial infarction, stroke, other events determined by the principal investigator to be a complication of the surgery. Will be compared between the two groups at the day of operation. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
During surgical resection
Postoperative complications
Time Frame: Up to 12 months
Postoperative complications may include wound infection, wound dehiscence, seroma, flap complications, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, stroke, other events determined by the principal investigator to be a complication of the surgery. Post operative complications will be graded using the Calvien Dindo Classifications of Surgical Complications. Will be compared between the two groups at the day of operation and at 1-, 6- and 12-month follow-up time points. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Up to 12 months
Length of index operation
Time Frame: During surgical resection
Will be measured in minutes. Will be compared between groups on the day of operation. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
During surgical resection
Length of inpatient stay
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Will be measured in days. Will be compared between the two groups at the day of operation and at 1-, 6- and 12-month follow-up time points. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Recurrence
Time Frame: Up to 12 months
Local/regional/distal recurrence is defined as the recurrence of sarcoma at the site of primary resection (local) or at a site other than that of the primary tumor, including distal metastasis. Investigations must be tailored to circumstances but where possible should include histological confirmation. Will be compared between the two groups at the 12-month time point. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Up to 12 months
Therapies
Time Frame: Up to 12 months
Adjuvant and neo-adjuvant therapy rates will include radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. The type and frequency of therapy will be recorded. Will be compared between groups on the day of operation. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Up to 12 months
Overall survival
Time Frame: Up to 12 months
Overall survival is defined as death due to any cause. Where possible, the specific cause of death should be documented, allowing the calculation of disease specific survival. Will be compared between the two groups at the 12-month time point. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Survival analysis like the Kaplan-Meier statistics will be used to find the overall survival in each arm. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Up to 12 months
Quality of life
Time Frame: Up to 12 months
Quality of life will be assessed using the EQ-5D-5L European Quality of Life Five Dimension Five Level scale or European Quality of Life Five Dimension Three Level Youth scale. Will be compared between the two groups. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Up to 12 months
Recovery following resection
Time Frame: Up to 12 months
After undergoing surgical resection for sarcomas of the extremity, participants are often left with an element of functional impairment in the affected limb due to the extent of the resection required. There are separate questionnaires for participants undergoing surgery on the upper and lower extremities, in which participants are asked to rate their ability to perform several tasks, rating them from 'impossible' to 'not at all difficult', as well as overall rating of how disabled they feel they are. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Up to 12 months
Surgical impact and decision making
Time Frame: Immediately following surgical resection
Immediately following the surgical procedure, a surgical case report form (CRF) will be completed by the surgeon who performed the surgery. This CRF will record if there was the potential for an acceptable close/positive margin due to the preservation of a critical structure, the length of the operation and any intra-operative complications. If the participant was randomized to the intervention arm, the CRF will also record whether the surgeon felt this influenced their operative decision making. Descriptive analysis will be performed to analyze the nature of the data. Secondary outcomes with binary/multiple measures will be analyzed with logistic regression. For variables with continuous measure, appropriate regression models will be used. Appropriate statistical tests depending on the nature of the variables (whether qualitative or quantitative) will be used for comparison between the two treatment arms.
Immediately following surgical resection

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.
City of Hope Medical Center

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.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

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.
  • Principal Investigator: Thinzar Lwin, City of Hope Medical Center

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 (Estimated)

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.
May 15, 2027

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.
May 11, 2028

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.
May 11, 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).
June 9, 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 12, 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 16, 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.
June 16, 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.
June 12, 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.
  • 24374 (Other Identifier: City of Hope Medical Center)
  • P30CA033572 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NCI-2026-03865 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

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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