Lung cAncer Robotic Comparative Study (LARCS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparing outcomes for minimally invasive techniques for anatomic lung resection for cancer - A Prospective, Comparative, non-randomized, open label post-market observational cohort study within Europe
IRAS ID
319601
Contact name
Varsha Gandhi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Intuitive Surgical Sarl
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
1114332C , Protocol reference
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 6 months, 17 days
Research summary
Lung cancer is currently the most common case of cancer death in Europe: In 2020 the disease was also the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and third most common cancer among women in Europe (European Commission, 2020). Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises about 80% of the primary lung cancers (American Cancer Society, 2017).
Surgically removing the cancerous tissue is the main treatment approach for early stage (stage-I and II) lung cancer patients, it is also a key component of the multimodality treatment approach to stage-IIIA lung cancer patients.
Traditionally, performed open surgery would include making a large incision and division of major muscles to spread the ribs apart to gain access to the cancerous tissue. During surgery, either an entire lobe (lobectomy) or a small section, called a segment (segmentectomy) maybe removed. Evidence to demonstrate the benefits of removing smaller lung segments is emerging and is being considered as the standard treatment approach for early-stage cancer (Saji et al., 2022).
In the past 15-20 years the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) as compared to open surgery has been shown to improve patient outcomes, with fewer post-surgical complications and faster recovery. Video assisted MIS has been in widespread use in thoracic surgery. An alternate MIS approach is the use of robotic assisted system.
In this study we compare patient reported and clinical outcomes of robotic and video assisted surgery used for segmentectomy (removal of a segment of the lung) and lobectomy (removal of an entire lobe of the lung) for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/0429
Date of REC Opinion
25 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion