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Could a dye and camera spare esophageal cancer patients from extensive lymph node removal?

NCT ID NCT04400292

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study explores whether a dye called indocyanine green (ICG) and a special camera can help surgeons find the first lymph nodes that esophageal cancer may spread to. If this 'sentinel lymph node' mapping works, future surgeries might remove only those key nodes instead of all nearby lymph nodes. The trial involves 90 adults with distal esophageal or esophagogastric junction cancer who are already scheduled for minimally invasive esophagectomy.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Indocyanine green (ICG) dye
What this could lead to
If successful, this approach could allow surgeons to remove only key lymph nodes instead of all of them, reducing surgical side effects.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study with only 90 participants, and the technique may not reliably identify all affected nodes, limiting its use.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

90 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2020

Expected to finish

May 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Pathological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma tumor located in distal 1/3 of esophagus or esophagogastric junction , with a plan to undergo minimally invasive esophagectomy. * All patients with Stage IVA (AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, 8th edition) disease will be eligible * ≥18 years of age. * Documented, signed, and dated informed consent, obtained before any procedures, for the proposed research study and for standard surgical resection. Exclusion Criteria: * No plan to undergo surgical resection. * Severe iodide or seafood allergy. * Women of childbearing potential without a negative pregnancy test; or women who are lactating. * Prior diagnosis of severe hepatic or renal dysfunction. * Patients with Stage IVB or M1 disease (AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, 8th edition) * Patients with local recurrence and planning to undergo salvage esophagectomy

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

esophageal adenocarcinoma esophageal cancer Esophageal Neoplasms

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Esophageal cancer

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (All Protocol Activities)

    New York, New York, 10065, United States

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