Minimally-invasive ICG-guided Retroperitoneal Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection in the Primary Staging of Testicular Cancer Versus Standard of Care

Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexMale
Age18+
SponsorHeinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf

About this trial

Testicular cancer is highly curable, but approximately 20-30% of patients with clinical stage I disease harbor occult retroperitoneal lymph node metastases that are not detected by conventional imaging. Current risk-adapted management may lead to overtreatment in some patients while failing to identify others who are at increased risk of relapse.

The RAISN 2 study evaluates whether minimally invasive indocyanine green (ICG)-guided retroperitoneal sentinel lymph node dissection can improve primary staging and risk stratification in patients with clinical stage I testicular cancer. Participants will be randomized in a 5:1 ratio to undergo either orchiectomy combined with ICG-guided sentinel lymph node dissection or standard orchiectomy followed by guideline-based surveillance.

All participants will undergo structured follow-up according to current clinical guidelines. The primary objective is to estimate the 2-year relapse-free survival of patients undergoing the sentinel lymph node approach. Secondary objectives include assessment of overall survival, relapse patterns, perioperative morbidity, quality of life, psychological outcomes, and the feasibility and safety of the procedure.

This multicenter study aims to determine whether sentinel lymph node-guided staging provides more accurate risk stratification while avoiding unnecessary treatment and maintaining oncological safety.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Male participants aged 18 years or older.

Clinically suspected testicular germ cell tumor based on physical examination and scrotal ultrasonography, with or without elevated serum tumor markers (AFP and/or β-hCG).

No radiological evidence of metastatic disease on preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen (clinical stage I).

Eligible for radical inguinal orchiectomy.

Disqualifiers

Previous scrotal or retroperitoneal surgery unrelated to germ cell tumor treatment, except surgery for cryptorchidism during childhood.

Previous malignancy requiring abdominal surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy that could interfere with study participation.

Known hypersensitivity to indocyanine green (ICG), iodine, or sodium iodide.

Severe medical condition that precludes surgery or study participation.

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • ICG-Guided Retroperitoneal Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

    Procedure/Surgery

    Minimally invasive laparoscopic or robot-assisted retroperitoneal sentinel lymph node biopsy performed after intratesticular injection of indocyanine green (ICG) using near-infrared fluorescence imaging for sentinel lymph node identification.

  • Radical Inguinal Orchiectomy

    Procedure/Surgery

    Standard radical inguinal orchiectomy performed according to current clinical guidelines.

Treatment groups

171 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: ICG-Guided Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy plus OrchiectomyExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Standard Orchiectomy and SurveillanceActive comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

2-Year Relapse-Free Survival (RFS)

Relapse-free survival is defined as the time from randomization to the first occurrence of radiologically or histopathologically confirmed disease recurrence, serological progression according to guideline-based clinical assessment, clinically unequivocal progression requiring salvage therapy, or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.

Time frame
24 months after randomization

Secondary outcomes

1

Overall Survival

Overall survival is defined as the time from randomization until death from any cause.

Time frame
24 months after randomization
2

Time to Tumor Recurrence

Time from randomization to the first documented recurrence.

Time frame
24 months after randomization
3

Rate of Salvage Therapy

Proportion of participants requiring salvage treatment including chemotherapy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, radiotherapy, or other oncological treatment.

Time frame
24 months after randomization
4

Perioperative Morbidity

Perioperative complications graded according to the Clavien-Dindo classification and the EAU Intraoperative Adverse Incident Classification (EAUiaiC).

Time frame
up to 30 days after surgery

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

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