Trop2-Targeted Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Precise Resection of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

August 28, 2026 updated by: Yunnan Cancer Hospital

Study on Precise Resection of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Guided by Trop2-Targeted Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Technology

Research Objective Taking Trop2, a specific target of bladder urothelial carcinoma, as the research basis, this study adopts a Trop2-targeted near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe combined with an intravesical rapid incubation imaging system to investigate the safety of this imaging system and whether it can improve the intraoperative identification accuracy of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) (to assist surgeons in localizing NMIBC lesions intraoperatively).

Research Procedures If you volunteer to participate in this study and sign the informed consent form, the study physicians will conduct pre-enrollment screening. You will be enrolled only if you meet the eligibility criteria.

The study consists of three phases: Screening Phase, Treatment Phase, and Follow-up Phase.

  1. Screening Phase

    You will undergo the following interviews and examinations administered by study physicians:

    Physicians will collect your medical history and perform physical examinations; blood and urine specimens will be collected for laboratory tests, including routine blood test, blood biochemistry, coagulation function test, routine urinalysis, etc. You will also receive an electrocardiogram (ECG) and B-ultrasound examination of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, bilateral kidneys. Study physicians will determine your eligibility for this study based on all above examination results.

  2. Treatment Phase After intraoperative bladder emptying, 50 mL of TTP-ICG solution (20 μg/mL) will be instilled into the bladder for a 3-minute full incubation on the entire bladder mucosal surface. Upon completion of incubation, the TTP-ICG solution will be drained, followed by three rounds of bladder irrigation with 50 mL normal saline each time.

    A dual imaging system integrating white light endoscopy and near-infrared fluorescence endoscopy will then be used to image the whole bladder lining. The number and location of lesions detected under white light and near-infrared fluorescence imaging will be compared and documented, with images and video footage collected for subsequent analysis. All lesions highlighted under near-infrared fluorescence and suspected lesions identified via white light imaging will be resected and sent for pathological examination.

  3. Follow-up Phase The follow-up period starts immediately after surgery and lasts until postoperative Day 30. Subjects' vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, etc.) and symptomatic changes will be closely monitored intraoperatively and postoperatively. Blood and urine samples will be collected postoperatively for testing of routine blood, blood biochemistry, coagulation function, routine urinalysis and other indicators, and all adverse reactions experienced by subjects will be recorded.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

  1. Research Background Bladder cancer ranks the fifth most common human malignancy, with an incidence rate of 81.2 per 100,000 individuals. Approximately 70% of patients present with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) at initial diagnosis, wherein tumors are superficial (carcinoma in situ) or confined to the mucosa (Ta) and submucosa (T1). Up to 90% of NMIBC cases are pathologically confirmed as urothelial neoplasms. Urothelial tumors exhibit heterogeneous morphological features, which may be solitary, multiple, flat or exophytic, and can arise anywhere on the urothelial lining of the bladder. Bladder cancer generally confers a favorable prognosis, especially when detected at early Ta or T1 stages.

    Although white-light cystoscopy, recommended by cancer prevention guidelines, serves as a convenient and noninvasive modality for bladder cancer detection, up to 30% of tumors may be missed-particularly small satellite lesions and flat carcinoma in situ. This oversight contributes to a recurrence rate as high as 70%, and recurrent lesions may progress to invasive carcinoma, severely impairing patients' quality of life. Therefore, improving the detection performance of bladder cancer, especially for lesions frequently overlooked by conventional approaches, will optimize the prognosis of patients with NMIBC.

    Novel imaging modalities have recently been developed to enhance tumor detection rates. Endoscopic techniques including narrow-band imaging and blue-light cystoscopy have been introduced to boost tumor identification and guide endoscopic resection. Nevertheless, these approaches are limited by high false-positive rates due to insufficient specificity. Microscopic imaging technologies, such as confocal laser endomicroscopy and optical coherence tomography, can visualize tissue microarchitecture and cellular morphology; however, their narrow field of view renders them unsuitable for full bladder survey.

    Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has emerged as a promising precision imaging technique widely adopted in precision surgery. Accurate intraoperative tumor recognition relies not only on the high signal-to-noise ratio of NIR imaging but also on specific enrichment of targeted fluorescent dyes at tumor sites. Researchers have developed a variety of fluorescent probes that actively target tumors at the molecular and cellular levels for surgical navigation. Most such strategies target mutated or overexpressed tumor-specific biomarkers in solid tumors, such as folate receptor α, epidermal growth factor receptor, and tumor-associated antigens (e.g., prostate-specific membrane antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen), or exploit enzymes overexpressed in tumor tissues, including cathepsins and matrix metalloproteinases.

    Human trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2), a single-pass transmembrane cell-surface glycoprotein, belongs to the tumor-associated calcium signal transducer (TACSTD) family. Trop2 is overexpressed in multiple solid malignancies including breast cancer and bladder urothelial carcinoma, and plays critical roles in cell self-renewal, proliferation and invasion. Encouragingly, sacituzumab govitecan (SG), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting Trop2, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, further validating Trop2 as a reliable therapeutic target for bladder urothelial carcinoma. Accordingly, construction of an NIR fluorescent probe targeting Trop2 is expected to enable precise intraoperative navigation for NMIBC and improve patient prognosis.

  2. Research Objective Based on Trop2, a specific target of bladder urothelial carcinoma, this study employs a Trop2-targeted NIR fluorescent probe combined with a rapid intravesical incubation imaging system to investigate the safety profile of this imaging system and whether it can improve the intraoperative detection accuracy of NMIBC (to assist surgeons in localizing NMIBC lesions during surgery).
  3. Study Procedures If you volunteer to participate in this study and sign the informed consent form, study investigators will conduct pre-enrollment screening. You will be enrolled only if you meet all eligibility criteria.

The study consists of three phases: Screening Phase, Treatment Phase, and Follow-up Phase.

  1. Screening Phase You will receive clinical consultations and examinations administered by study physicians as follows: medical history collection and physical examination; collection of blood and urine specimens for laboratory tests including complete blood count, serum biochemistry, coagulation function assay, routine urinalysis, etc.; electrocardiography and B-mode ultrasonography of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen and bilateral kidneys. Study physicians will assess your eligibility for this trial based on all above examination results.

    Eligibility Criteria Inclusion Criteria 1.Aged between 18 and 80 years old; 2.Suspected or confirmed bladder tumor patients scheduled for transurethral partial bladder resection; 3.Able to sign informed consent and comply with study protocols. Exclusion Criteria 1.Suffering from other invasive malignant tumors; 2.Severe concomitant diseases: congenital malformations, acute inflammation, cachexia, myocardial infarction or stroke within the past 6 months, severe hepatic or renal dysfunction, etc.; 3.Pregnant or lactating women; 4.Patients with gross hematuria or history of allergies (including drug and food allergies); 5.Complicated with cystitis, urinary tract malformations or urethral stricture; 6.Participation in other clinical trials within the preceding 30 days. Discontinuation Criteria 1.Intraoperative conversion to alternative surgical procedures (e.g., radical cystectomy); 2.Occurrence of severe adverse reactions; 3.Subject-initiated withdrawal from the clinical trial; 4.Investigators' judgment that continued participation is inappropriate for the subject.

    Subjects passing screening will receive standardized treatment and follow-up in accordance with the trial protocol.

  2. Treatment Phase After intraoperative bladder emptying, 50 mL of TTP-ICG solution (20 μg/mL) will be instilled into the bladder for a 3-minute full incubation over the entire bladder mucosal surface. Upon incubation completion, the TTP-ICG solution will be drained, followed by three cycles of bladder irrigation with 50 mL normal saline per cycle.

    A dual-modal white-light and near-infrared fluorescence endoscopic imaging system will then be utilized to image the whole bladder lumen. The number and anatomical location of lesions detected under white light and NIR fluorescence will be recorded and compared; images and video recordings will be archived for subsequent analysis. All lesions highlighted under NIR fluorescence and suspected lesions identified under white light endoscopy will be resected and submitted for pathological examination.

  3. Follow-up Phase The follow-up period commences immediately after surgery and lasts until postoperative Day 30. Subjects' vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, etc.) and symptomatic changes will be closely monitored intraoperatively and postoperatively. Blood and urine samples will be collected postoperatively for laboratory tests including complete blood count, serum biochemistry, coagulation function assay and routine urinalysis. All adverse reactions observed in subjects will be documented in detail.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

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 Backup

Study Locations

    • Yunnan
      • Kunming, Yunnan, China, 650118
        • Yunnan Cancer Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Guojun Zhang, Doctor of Medicine

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 80 years old
  • Patients with suspected or confirmed bladder tumor who are scheduled for transurethral partial bladder resection
  • Capable of providing written informed consent and adhering to the study protocol

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of other invasive malignant tumors
  • Severe comorbidities, including congenital malformations, acute inflammatory disease, cachexia, myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular stroke within the previous 6 months, severe liver or renal insufficiency
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding female patients
  • Patients with gross hematuria or a history of allergic reactions to drugs or food
  • Concurrent cystitis, urinary tract malformation or urethral stricture
  • Enrollment in another interventional clinical trial within 30 days prior to screening

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Trop2-Targeted NIR Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Precise Resection of NMIBC
All enrolled subjects will be assigned to this arm.

After intraoperative bladder emptying, 50 mL of TTP-ICG solution (20 μg/mL) will be instilled into the bladder for a 3-minute full incubation over the entire bladder mucosal surface. Upon incubation completion, the TTP-ICG solution will be drained, followed by three cycles of bladder irrigation with 50 mL normal saline per cycle, with each irrigation lasting 30 seconds.

A dual-modal white-light and near-infrared fluorescence endoscopic imaging system will then be utilized to image the whole bladder lumen. The number and anatomical location of lesions detected under white light and NIR fluorescence will be recorded and compared; images and video recordings will be archived for subsequent analysis. All lesions highlighted under NIR fluorescence and suspected lesions identified under white light endoscopy will be resected and submitted for pathological examination.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events graded per CTCAE v4.0
Time Frame: 1 year
Count the number of subjects who develop adverse events causally related to TTP-ICG administration, categorized by adverse event severity grade defined by CTCAE v4.0. The primary aggregated outcome is the count of affected participants.
1 year
Number of participants with clinically significant abnormal laboratory test results
Time Frame: 1 year
Summarize participants presenting with clinically meaningful abnormal blood routine, biochemistry, coagulation and urine laboratory indicators after TTP-ICG administration, aggregate to the total number of participants with abnormal laboratory findings.
1 year
Changes in baseline vital signs (aggregated abnormal vital sign occurrence count)
Time Frame: 1 year
Collect heart rate, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate at baseline and post-administration timepoints. Aggregate data to calculate the number of participants with vital signs deviating from normal clinical reference ranges.
1 year
Sensitivity of near-infrared fluorescence imaging for tumor lesion detection
Time Frame: 1 year

Calculate diagnostic sensitivity of TTP-ICG mediated near-infrared fluorescence imaging for identifying pathological tumor lesions confirmed by postoperative pathological gold standard.

Unit of Measure: Percentage

1 year
Specificity of near-infrared fluorescence imaging for tumor lesion detection
Time Frame: 1 year

Calculate diagnostic specificity of TTP-ICG mediated near-infrared fluorescence imaging for identifying pathological tumor lesions confirmed by postoperative pathological gold standard.

Unit of Measure: Percentage

1 year
False positive rate of near-infrared fluorescence imaging for tumor lesion detection
Time Frame: 1 year

Calculate false positive rate of TTP-ICG mediated near-infrared fluorescence imaging for identifying pathological tumor lesions confirmed by postoperative pathological gold standard.

Unit of Measure: Percentage

1 year
False negative rate of near-infrared fluorescence imaging for tumor lesion detection
Time Frame: 1 year

Calculate false negative rate of TTP-ICG mediated near-infrared fluorescence imaging for identifying pathological tumor lesions confirmed by postoperative pathological gold standard.

Unit of Measure: Percentage

1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Intraoperative NIR mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of bladder tumor lesions and normal bladder mucosal epithelium
Time Frame: 1 year

Intraoperative NIR fluorescence images are acquired with a 4K high-definition fluorescent laparoscopic system. ImageJ software is used for quantitative fluorescence analysis. Regions of interest (ROIs) are delineated on monochromatic NIR images covering tumor lesions and normal bladder mucosal epithelium, followed by quantification of the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) for each ROI.

Unit of Measure: Arbitrary fluorescence unit

1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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)

August 8, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 31, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 28, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

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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