Surgeons could freeze lung tumors from miles away using 5G robots
NCT ID NCT07830095
First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether a doctor can remotely steer a robotic bronchoscope over a 5G network to freeze small lung tumors from inside the airway. The study enrolls about 15 adults with non-small cell lung cancer or controlled metastatic lung tumors, each no larger than 3 cm, who cannot or choose not to have surgery or radiation. Doctors guide the robot to the tumor, confirm its position with ultrasound, then push a cryoablation probe through the bronchus or a needle tunnel to freeze the growth. The main goal is to see how often the technique successfully destroys the target lesion.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 5G-enabled remote robotic-assisted bronchoscopy-guided cryoablation, a procedure that freezes lung tumors through the airway
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could give people with small lung tumors an option that avoids surgery and radiation, and let specialists treat patients in hospitals far from their own.
- What could go wrong
- The study is small and early, so it mainly checks whether the technique can be done at all, not whether it cures cancer. Remote robotic procedures can fail to reach a tumor, and freezing may leave cancer behind.
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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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
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About 15 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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Dec 2027
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 years and older
- 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: 1. Age ≥18 years. 2. Pathologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer, with a maximum tumor diameter ≤3 cm and the number of tumors requiring intervention is ≤3; or metastatic lung tumors with the primary lesion well controlled, with a maximum tumor diameter ≤3 cm and the number of tumors requiring intervention is ≤3. 3. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score ≤2. 4. Determined to be unsuitable for or unwilling to undergo surgery and radiotherapy. 5. Determined to be unsuitable for or unwilling to undergo antitumor drug therapy. 6. Considered technically feasible for robotic-assisted bronchoscopy-guided cryoablation of the target lesion(s). 7. Provided written informed consent after being fully informed of the study procedures, potential benefits, and risks. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Unable to tolerate or unwilling to undergo general anesthesia. 2. Contraindications to bronchoscopy or unwillingness to undergo bronchoscopy. 3. Receipt of any form of local tumor therapy to the target lesion(s) within 6 months before the procedure. 4. Evidence of intrathoracic lymph node metastases or extrathoracic metastases within 1 month before the procedure, except for extrathoracic metastases that had been effectively controlled by local treatment. 5. Severe bleeding tendency or uncorrectable coagulation abnormalities, including a platelet count \<50 × 10\^9/L, prothrombin time \>18 s, or prothrombin activity \<40%. 6. Anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy not discontinued for the required duration before the procedure. 7. Severe hepatic or renal dysfunction considered by the investigator to preclude participation in the study. 8. Uncontrolled infectious disease. 9. Severe concomitant pulmonary disease, including severe interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis with emphysema, atelectasis, or pulmonary hypertension, considered by the investigator to preclude participation in the study. 10. Acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events, such as acute ischemic stroke or acute coronary syndrome, within 3 months before enrollment. 11. A history of severe cardiac dysfunction and/or severe cardiac arrhythmia. 12. Participation in another clinical trial involving treatment within the previous 3 months or concurrent participation in another clinical trial involving treatment. 13. Pregnancy or lactation, or plans to become pregnant during the study period; 14. Any other condition considered by the investigator to make the patient unsuitable for enrollment.
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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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Shanghai Chest Hospital
Shanghai, China
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