Skip to content

Percutaneous Ethanol Injection for Primary Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma

Percutaneous Ethanol Injection for Primary Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma

Status
Terminated
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01974284
Enrollment
7
Registered
2013-11-01
Start date
2014-03-31
Completion date
2017-06-29
Last updated
2019-11-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Brief summary

We assess the effectiveness of percutaneous ethanol ablation for the treatment of thyroid cancer.

Detailed description

We hypothesize that percutaneous ethanol ablation (PEA) for primary papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) has equivalent oncologic outcomes to current treatment options including observation, thyroid lobectomy and total thyroidectomy. In addition, we hypothesize that it will yield superior long-term quality of life, including measures of pain, voice, and cosmesis than standard surgical therapy (total thyroidectomy). If our hypotheses are correct, the findings of this study have the potential to fundamentally change clinical management of this group of patients. This study was changed from its initial design: a 2 arm study comparing PEA to surgery (Amended April 30, 2015). The change in design was made based on several discussions within Yale Endocrine Surgery, with patients diagnosed with PTMC, and knowledge of other institutions performing PEA for PTMC as standard of care. The study team had been contacted by numerous potential subjects interested in PEA who were unwilling to be randomized to surgery. Because patients interested in PEA appeared to be firmly against the idea of thyroidectomy, we believed that we would be unable to enroll sufficient patients to this study as the protocol originally stood.

Interventions

DRUGpercutaneous ethanol ablation

The volume of 99% ethanol to be injected is calculated using a standardized formula. Ethanol is instilled with a needle under ultrasound guidance after administration of local anesthesia.

Sponsors

Yale University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18 years and older * Diagnosis: single, cytology-proven papillary thyroid carcinoma measuring 1 cm or less in diameter (microcarcinoma, T1a), without visible extrathyroidal extension, and with negative central and lateral neck lymph nodes by ultrasound

Exclusion criteria

* Patient refusal to participate * History of prior thyroid or parathyroid surgery * Previous recurrent laryngeal nerve injury * Inability to make decisions or comply with follow up * Co-existing indication for thyroidectomy * Aggressive cytological or molecular features * Multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma * Pregnant or breast-feeding * Anatomically unfavorable location of the tumor (proximity to recurrent laryngeal nerve or trachea) * Documented or suspected distant metastasis * History of radiation to neck or face * Family history of thyroid cancer

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Disease-free5 yearsPrimary endpoint of the study consists of the oncological outcome, which includes the disease-free status of the patients.
Overall Survival5 yearsPrimary endpoint of the study consists of the oncological outcome, which includes the overall survival of the patients.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Quality of Life5 yearsThe Short-Form-36 (SF-36) health survey is a patient-reported survery that evaluates the patient's health status. It consists of 8 scaled scores which are the weighted sums of the questions in each section. The 8 sections that are tested are vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, and mental health. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale; the higher the score, the less disability (i.e. the score of 0 is equivalent to maximal disability, and the score of 100 is equivalent of no disability). The SF-36 is a set of easily-administered quality-of-life measures and is a validated tool to evaluate patient quality of life.
Patient Satisfaction5 yearsPatient satisfaction will be assessed by evaluating the following: pain with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), voice with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and cosmesis with the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). The BPI is a simple, well-accepted instrument for the objective assessment of pain. The VHI is an established tool used to assess voice after an intervention. POSAS is a validated tool for the evaluation of surgical scars.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Percutaneous Ethanol Ablation
The experimental group of the study is comprised of patients that will undergo percutaneous ethanol ablation for the management of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. percutaneous ethanol ablation: The volume of 99% ethanol to be injected is calculated using a standardized formula. Ethanol is instilled with a needle under ultrasound guidance after administration of local anesthesia.
7
Total7

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPercutaneous Ethanol Ablation
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
7 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
7 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
7 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
2 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 7
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 7
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 7

Outcome results

Primary

Disease-free

Primary endpoint of the study consists of the oncological outcome, which includes the disease-free status of the patients.

Time frame: 5 years

Population: Patients were not followed as the study was terminated.

Primary

Overall Survival

Primary endpoint of the study consists of the oncological outcome, which includes the overall survival of the patients.

Time frame: 5 years

Population: Patients were not followed as the study was terminated.

Secondary

Patient Satisfaction

Patient satisfaction will be assessed by evaluating the following: pain with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), voice with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and cosmesis with the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). The BPI is a simple, well-accepted instrument for the objective assessment of pain. The VHI is an established tool used to assess voice after an intervention. POSAS is a validated tool for the evaluation of surgical scars.

Time frame: 5 years

Population: Patients were not followed as the study was terminated.

Secondary

Quality of Life

The Short-Form-36 (SF-36) health survey is a patient-reported survery that evaluates the patient's health status. It consists of 8 scaled scores which are the weighted sums of the questions in each section. The 8 sections that are tested are vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, and mental health. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale; the higher the score, the less disability (i.e. the score of 0 is equivalent to maximal disability, and the score of 100 is equivalent of no disability). The SF-36 is a set of easily-administered quality-of-life measures and is a validated tool to evaluate patient quality of life.

Time frame: 5 years

Population: Patients were not followed as the study was terminated.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026