Fact CheckerSign in

NCT02617186Active, not recruiting

Robotic Lobectomy vs. Thoracoscopic Lobectomy for Early Stage Lung Cancer: RCT

Robotic Lobectomy vs. Thoracoscopic Lobectomy for Early Stage Lung Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 12 Sept 2025

Brief summary (registry, in English)

During video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy (VATS), the surgeon inserts a small camera attached to a thoracoscope that puts the image onto a video screen. Instruments are inserted via small incisions, and the lung resection is completed. Robotic thoracic surgery (RTS) uses a similar minimally invasive approach, but the very precise instruments involved with RTS allow the surgeon to view the lung using 3-dimensional imaging. The instruments give the surgeons increased range of motion during the surgery, and research demonstrates that RTS has a less steep learning curve as compared to VATS. Both VATS and RTS demonstrated better results as compared to traditional thoracotomy (open surgery). However, Robotic lobectomy has not yet been compared directly to video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy (VATS) in a prospective manner. There are two major barriers against the widespread adoption of robotic thoracic surgery. The first barrier is the lack of high-quality prospective data. To our knowledge, there are no prospective trials comparing VATS to RTS for early stage lung cancer. The second major barrier to the widespread adoption of robotic technology in thoracic surgery is the perceived higher cost of Robotic lobectomy. To address these barriers, the investigators will undertake the first randomized controlled trial comparing Thoracoscopic Lobectomy to Robotic Lobectomy for early stage lung cancer. Prospective randomization will eliminate the biases of retrospective data and will serve to determine whether there exist any advantages to Health Related Quality of life (HRQOL) or patient outcomes in favour of Robotic Lobectomy over VATS Lobectomy. Furthermore, through a prospective cost-utility analysis, this trial will provide the highest quality data to evaluate the true economic impact of robotic technology in thoracic surgery in a Canadian health system.

Status (registry)
Active, not recruiting
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
446 (actual)
First submitted
22 Sept 2015
Start date
Jan 2016
Primary completion date
Sept 2021
Lead sponsor
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
Diseases
Lung cancer
NCT number
NCT02617186

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Participants enrolled: 446
  • From Jan 2016 to the primary completion date, Sept 2021
  • 1 site in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Not a candidate for minimally invasive surgery.

Other

  • Clinical stage IIIb or IV NSCLC

Who the study is looking for

  • Age \>/= 18 years
  • Clinical stage I, II or IIIa non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
  • Candidates for minimally invasive pulmonary lobectomy, as determined by the operating surgeon.

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
McMaster University / St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
HamiltonCanadaUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.