Zapping thyroid tumors without surgery: tiny trial begins
NCT ID NCT07218315
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study tests a device that uses nanosecond electrical pulses to destroy small papillary thyroid cancers (up to 1.5 cm) without cutting the skin. Fifteen participants will get the outpatient procedure under local anesthesia. The main goal is to check safety and side effects, not yet to prove it works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Nanosecond pulsed field ablation (nsPFA) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a less invasive, outpatient option for treating small thyroid cancers without surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early-phase trial (15 people) focused on safety, not yet proven effective. The procedure may not fully destroy the tumor or could cause side effects.
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.
- Started
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Feb 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2031
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: * Participant must provide voluntary, written informed consent to participate in this clinical investigation. * Participant agrees to comply with all study procedures, including all follow-up visits. * Participant with a Bethesda VI cytology (tumor size \<= 1.5 cm, no known regional/distant metastases) * Participant with a Bethesda V cytology and normal calcitonin levels. * Ultrasonographic evaluation of tumor to be ablated must show size of less than or equal to 1.5 cm and no extrathyroidal extension or locoregional metastases. * Participant must have normal complete blood count, blood coagulation profile, and thyroid function test. * For females of childbearing potential, a negative serum or urine pregnancy test must be obtained at baseline, prior to the procedure. * Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. (Refer to Pregnancy Assessment Policy MD Anderson Institutional Policy # CLN1114). This includes all female patients, between the onset of menses (as early as 8 years of age) and 55 years unless the patient presents with an applicable exclusionary factor which may be one of the following: ). This includes all female patients, between the onset of menses (as early as 8 years of age) and 55 years unless the patient presents with an applicable exclusionary factor which may be one of the following: * Postmenopausal (no menses in greater than or equal to 12 consecutive months). * History of hysterectomy or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. * Ovarian failure (Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Estradiol in menopausal range, who have received Whole Pelvic Radiation Therapy). * History of bilateral tubal ligation or another surgical sterilization procedure. * Approved methods of birth control are as follows: Hormonal contraception (i.e. birth control pills, injection, implant, transdermal patch, vaginal ring), Intrauterine device (IUD), Tubal Ligation or hysterectomy, Subject/Partner post vasectomy, Implantable or injectable contraceptives, and condoms plus spermicide. Not engaging in sexual activity for the total duration of the trial and the drug washout period is an acceptable practice; however periodic abstinence, the rhythm method, and the withdrawal method are not acceptable methods of birth control. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. * Men treated or enrolled on this protocol must also agree to use adequate contraception prior to the study, for the duration of study participation, and 4 months after completion of study procedure. Exclusion Criteria: * FNA findings suggestive of high-grade malignancy * Presence of regional or distant lymph node metastases. * Participant had a history of previous neck irradiation. * Females who are pregnant at time of enrollment. * Participant has any condition or situation, in the opinion of the site Investigator, that puts the subject at significant risk, could confound the study results, or may interfere significantly with subject's participation in the 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
2 sites. 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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Sarasota Memorial Hospital
RECRUITINGSarasota, Florida, 34239, United States
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The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77030, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Mapping how thyroid tumors spread and what surgery leaves behind
- Freezing out thyroid tumors: a new weapon in the fight?
- Electric pulses, no needles: a new path to pain relief after thyroid surgery?
- Drug duo aims to starve thyroid tumors
- Scientists mine 1,100 patient records to spot thyroid cancer return risks
- Robotic surgery through the mouth could eliminate neck scars in thyroid cancer patients