NIF-Guided RAMIE Using ICG Versus OTE Feasibility RCT

NCT ID: NCT04938973

Last Updated: 2025-09-17

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: TERMINATED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 24 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-05-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-06-18

Brief Summary

In Canada, the incidence of esophageal cancer has been increasing over time, while surgical standards for esophageal resections have remained unchanged. Currently, the standard of surgical care for this cancer is Open Transthoracic Esophagectomy (OTE), a highly morbid operation that is associated with a complication rate of 60-80%, and a recovery period of many months. While Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (MIE) has been developed it has not been adopted because it is highly complex, technically demanding, and has a longer operative time than OTE. With the advent of robotic platforms, Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) has recently emerged as a novel minimally invasive alternative to OTE. RAMIE utilizes the DaVinci Xi robotic surgical platform which offers superior dexterity, 3D-vision, and wristed surgical equipment. To date, case reports and small case series have demonstrated the safety of RAMIE, however it has not been performed yet in Canada, and there has been no randomized trial that has compared RAMIE to OTE. This study proposes to build the infrastructure for introducing RAMIE to Canada, while laying the foundations for a future randomized controlled trial which will compare it to OTE.

Detailed Description

In Canada, the incidence of esophageal cancer has been increasing over time. The treatment of patients with cancer of the esophagus is multi-modal, with surgery being the cornerstone of most treatment regimens. Operative treatment is usually performed through Open Transthoracic Esophagectomy (OTE), a highly morbid procedure that is associated with a complication rate of 60-80%, and a recovery period of many months. This standard is being challenged by a growing body of evidence demonstrating that a minimally invasive approach can reduce post-operative morbidity and improve quality-of-life, while still offering an adequate oncological outcome. The minimally invasive alternative to OTE is Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (MIE). Although MIE has been shown to reduce the morbidity associated with esophagectomy, it has not been widely adopted. This failure of adoption is due to the high complexity of MIE; it is an exceedingly difficult operation, is associated with a very steep learning curve, and can take 8-10 hours to complete. As a result, less than 10% of esophageal cancer programs in Canada have adopted MIE, and there remains a need for a minimally invasive alternative to OTE. Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) has recently emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to OTE. RAMIE utilizes the DaVinci Xi robotic surgical platform which offers superior dexterity, 3D-vision, 7-degrees of freedom for range of motion, and near-infrared imaging for detection of blood vessels. As a result, RAMIE has succeeded where MIE has failed, and has been widely taken up in Europe and the United States.

To date, near-infrared fluorescence (NIF)-guided RAMIE using indocyanine green (ICG) dye has not been performed in Canada, and there has been no randomized trial that has compared NIF-guided RAMIE using ICG dye to OTE. In this study, we propose to build the infrastructure for introducing NIF-guided RAMIE using ICG dye to Canada, while laying the foundations for a future randomized controlled trial (RCT) which will compare it to OTE. This study is a Phase I, single center, prospective feasibility randomized controlled trial with two phases: Phase A: Learning Curve of NIF-guided RAMIE using ICG dye; and Phase B: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial. In Phase A, 40 patients will be enrolled, and they will all undergo NIF-guided RAMIE using ICG dye. Evidence shows that a surgeon experienced in MIE requires experience of 40 cases to gain proficiency of RAMIE. In Phase B, 54 patients will be enrolled, and they will be randomized to either NIF-guided RAMIE using ICG dye, or OTE.

Conditions

Esophageal Cancer

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

NIF-Guided RAMIE using ICG Dye (Experimental Arm)

The patient will undergo NIF-guided RAMIE using ICG dye using the standard Ivor-Lewis approach. This will be a two-stage operation involving a first stage through a 5-port robotic approach through the abdomen to achieve a proximal gastrectomy and D2 nodal dissection. A feeding jejunostomy would not be inserted, as per the enhanced recovery pathway for esophagectomy. In addition, the vascularization of the conduit can be confirmed using the near-infrared camera of the robot with the ICG dye. The second stage of the operation will involve a 4-port robotic approach through the right chest to achieve thoracic nodal dissection, esophagectomy, and a hand-sewn anastomosis between the residual esophagus and the gastric conduit at the level of the azygous vein. During this second stage of the operation, NIF with ICG dye will be used to visualize the vascular supply of the gastric conduit, and assess the gastric conduit for any perfusions to potentially reduce anastomotic leaks.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE)

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) will be performed using the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical Platform.

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE)

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) will be performed using the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical Platform.

Open Transthoracic Esophagectomy (OTE)

The patient will undergo OTE using the standard Ivor-Lewis approach. This is a two-stage operation involving a first stage through laparotomy, proximal gastrectomy, D2 nodal dissection, and insertion of feeding jejunostomy. The second stage of the operation will involve a right thoracotomy, thoracic nodal dissection, esophagectomy, and a stapled anastomosis between the residual esophagus and the gastric conduit at the level of the azygous vein.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Open Transthoracic Esophagectomy (OTE)

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Open Transthoracic Esophagectomy (OTE) is the current standard of care.

Interventions

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE)

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) will be performed using the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical Platform.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Open Transthoracic Esophagectomy (OTE)

Open Transthoracic Esophagectomy (OTE) is the current standard of care.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE)

Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) will be performed using the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical Platform.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 18 or older
• Clinical Stage I, II, or III esophageal cancer, who are candidates for surgery after discussion in multidisciplinary tumor board.
• Candidates for minimally invasive surgery as determined by the operating surgeon.

Exclusion Criteria

• Hypersensitivity or allergy to ICG, sodium iodide, or iodine
• Women who are currently pregnant or are breastfeeding; or women of childbearing potential who are not currently taking adequate birth control
• Clinical Stage IV esophageal cancer.
• Not a candidate for minimally invasive surgery as determined by the operating surgeon.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

McMaster University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Wael Hanna

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

SJHH_RAMIE_vs_OTE_Feasibility

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id