Lung cancer showdown: surgery or radiation – which saves more lives?

NCT ID NCT02468024

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study compares two treatments for early-stage lung cancer in patients who are high-risk for surgery: removing part of the lung (sublobar resection) versus precise, high-dose radiation (stereotactic ablative radiotherapy). About 272 participants will be randomly assigned to one treatment. The main goal is to see if radiation leads to better 3-year survival than surgery.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: radiation therapy (stereotactic ablative radiotherapy) and lung surgery (sublobar resection)
What this could lead to: If radiation proves better than surgery, it could offer a less invasive, effective treatment option for high-risk patients with early-stage lung cancer.
What could go wrong: This is a large phase 3 trial, but results may not apply to all patients. Both treatments have risks, and radiation may not improve survival as hoped.

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

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

non-small cell lung carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

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

NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Contacts and locations

Locations

Allegheny
RECRUITING

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15212, United States
Barwon Health - Uni Hospital Geelong
RECRUITING

Geelong, Victoria, 3220, Australia
Beaumont
COMPLETED

Royal Oak, Michigan, 48073, United States
Boca Raton Regional Hospital
COMPLETED

Boca Raton, Florida, 33486, United States
Boston Medical Center
COMPLETED

Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States
CHUM
RECRUITING

Montreal, Quebec, 26214, Canada
Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons
COMPLETED

Austin, Texas, 78756, United States
Case Western (University Hospitals Case Medical Center)
COMPLETED

Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States
Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center
COMPLETED

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53295, United States
Cleveland Clinic
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States
Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer
RECRUITING

Savannah, Georgia, 31404, United States
Henry Ford Health System
COMPLETED

Detroit, Michigan, 48202-2689, United States
Inova Fairfax Medical Campus
COMPLETED

Falls Church, Virginia, 22042, United States
Intermountain Medical Center
COMPLETED

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84107, United States
Lawson Health Science Center
RECRUITING

London, Ontario, Canada, N6C 2R5, Canada
Lifespan Oncology Clinical Research
COMPLETED

Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States
Luminis Health Research Institute
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Annapolis, Maryland, 21401, United States
Mayo Clinic Rochester
COMPLETED

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
Medical College of Wisconsin
COMPLETED

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
Meridian Health System
RECRUITING

Neptune City, New Jersey, 07753, United States
Mount Nittany
COMPLETED

State College, Pennsylvania, 16803, United States
New York University Langone Medical Center
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

New York, New York, 10016, United States
Ochsner Medical Center
COMPLETED

New Orleans, Louisiana, 70121, United States
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
Ottawa Hospital Cancer Center
RECRUITING

Ottawa, Ontario, KIH8L6, Canada
Penrose Cancer Center
COMPLETED

Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80907, United States
Providence Health & Services/Oregon Clinic
COMPLETED

Portland, Oregon, 97213, United States
SUNY - Upsate Medical Centre
RECRUITING

Syracuse, New York, 13210, United States
St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
RECRUITING

Fitzroy, Melbourne, 3065, Australia
St. Vincent's/Peter Mac
RECRUITING

Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
COMPLETED

Toronto, Canada, M4N 3M5, Canada
Swedish Cancer Institute
COMPLETED

Seattle, Washington, 98104, United States
The James Cook University Hospital
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Middlesbrough, TS4 2BW, United Kingdom
Thomas Jefferson University
COMPLETED

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, United States
Trillium Health Partners
COMPLETED

Mississauga, Canada, L5M 2N1, Canada
UCSD
COMPLETED

La Jolla, California, 92023, United States
UHN-Toronto
RECRUITING

Toronto, Ontario, M5G2C4, Canada
UPMC Health System
COMPLETED

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15234, United States
University of Cincinnati
COMPLETED

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45267, United States
University of Colorado/Memorial
COMPLETED

Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
University of Iowa
TERMINATED

Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States
University of Kansas Medical Center
COMPLETED

Kansas City, Kansas, 66160, United States
University of Kentucky Health Care
COMPLETED

Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0093, United States
University of Louisville Physicians
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Louisville, Kentucky, 40202, United States
University of Maryland Medical Center
COMPLETED

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States
University of North Carolina
COMPLETED

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
COMPLETED

Memphis, Tennessee, 38163, United States
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
RECRUITING

Dallas, Texas, 75390, United States
University of Virginia Health System
COMPLETED

Charlottesville, Virginia, 22901, United States
Wake Forest Baptist Health
COMPLETED

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

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