Can a Brain-Tumor dye light up kidney cancer during surgery?
NCT ID NCT07828704
First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether a drug called 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) can make kidney tumors glow under blue light during surgery. Adults with suspected kidney cancer take the drug by mouth before a partial nephrectomy, a procedure that removes part of the kidney. Surgeons then use a special camera to see if the tumors light up, which could help them identify cancer more clearly. The study also checks whether the drug is safe and well tolerated.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 5-aminolevulinic acid, a drug that makes cancer cells glow under blue light
- What this could lead to
- If it works, surgeons could see kidney tumors more clearly during surgery, which may help them remove cancer while sparing healthy kidney tissue.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage feasibility study with only 10 participants. The drug may not make kidney tumors glow reliably, and it can cause side effects like low blood pressure, stomach upset, or sensitivity to light.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Patients aged 18 or older * Has indications for standard-of-care partial nephrectomy * Able to provide informed consent * Able to comply with study requirements Exclusion Criteria: * Known porphyria or hypersensitivity to porphyrins * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * AST or ALT \> 2x upper limit of normal within 30 days prior to surgery * Participation in another investigational study within 30 days * Known allergy or contraindication to 5-ALA or its components
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Get notified about this study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Henry Ford Health
RECRUITINGDetroit, Michigan, 48202, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- New MRI technique creates detailed maps of kidney tumors
- New scan aims to catch kidney cancer spread that others miss
- AI vs. jargon: can robots make cancer info easier to read?
- New imaging probe aims to spot kidney cancer earlier