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NCT Number: NCT06853834

Comparative Diagnostic Yield of Endobronchial Cryo Biopsy vs Forceps Biopsy in Patients With Suspected Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a multi-systemic granulomatous disease of unknown cause that is characterized by the formation of non-caseous epithelioid cell granulomas. Sarcoidosis involves the respiratory system in > 90% of cases, usually the hilar and mediastinal nodes, and, less frequently, the lung tissue. Airway involvement, as judged by clinical features, physiologic testing, imaging techniques, bronchoscopy, and airway mucosal biopsy, has been observed in nearly two-thirds of patients with sarcoidosis. Although sarcoidosis involving thoracic lymph nodes and pulmonary parenchyma is familiar to most clinicians, airway involvement is often overlooked. The frequency of airway involvement increases as the parenchymal disease progresses, and\\airway involvement is associated with increased morbidity, respiratory symptoms, and mortality. The initial airway abnormality is the inflammation manifested by mucosal edema, erythema, and the formation of granulomas. As the airway disease progresses, the mucosa may demonstrate granularity, nodularity, cobble stoning, and friability. Sarcoid granulomas tend to develop along the bronchovascular bundle or in the vicinity of the airways. Overall quality of the endobronchial biopsy (EBB) will depend on the method by which it is obtained and cryo-EBB will most likely to provide better tissue for the diagnosis in comparison to forceps biopsy which has smaller sample as well as crush artifacts. Therefore, it is hypothesized that cryo-EBB will be better than forceps EBB and combined together it will increase the overall diagnostic yield of the sarcoidosis when combined with lymph node sampling by endobronchial ultrasound guided trans-bronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).

1. Primary objective: To compare the diagnostic yield of cryo-EBB with forceps biopsy in patients undergoing routine EBUS-TBNA for suspected sarcoidosis. 2. Secondary Objective: To evaluate the overall diagnostic yield of combined endobronchial biopsy and EBUS-TBNA in patients undergoing routine EBUS-TBNA for suspected sarcoidosis.

The relevance and the expected outcome of the proposed study

1. The study will provide insight to obtain an endobronchial biopsy either with cryo probe or forceps 2. The study will also provide information regarding overall increase in diagnostic yield if any when the endobronchial biopsies are combined with EBUS-TBNA.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226014, India

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Alok Nath, MBBS, MD, DM

CONTACT

[email protected]

+918004904532

Mansi Gupta, MD, DM

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Sushila Jaiswal, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Yash Jagdhari, MBBS, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

The study will consist of consecutive patients undergoing routine EBUS-TBNA for suspected sarcoidosis AND subsequently confirmed on clinical, radiology and non-caseating granuloma on histopathology. .

150 patients will be randomized into either cryo-EBB or forceps biopsy from a computer-generated randomized table. 75 patients will be included in each arm.

Determination of the sample size was based on the primary outcome of the proportion of diagnostic yield between two independent groups. Using the z test of proportion for two independent samples to detect a one-sided target difference between the groups of 15% with 85% power and a level of significance of 5%, each group required 69 participants. With an expected attrition rate of 8-10%, we capped the total number of participants in each arm of the study at 75.

Subsequent to EBUS-TBNA, video bronchoscopy will be performed to obtain the endobronchial biopsy by using either forceps or cryo-proble. Three endobronchial biopsies from primary carina and both left and right secondary carina will be taken in each patients irrespective of the endobronchial abnormality. Additional biopsies will be taken from any endobronchial abnormality detected during the examination.

The biopsy samples will be fixed in neutral 10% buffered formalin. In the pathology laboratory the sample will be embedded in paraffin followed by staining with hematoxylin and eosin or special stain according to the requirement to allow an exact classification. The samples will be analyzed and assessed by one pathologist according to common standards describing adequacy of the sample, crush artifacts, specific diagnosis. The pathologist will be blinded from the biopsy technique that has been used.

Diagnostic yield will be defined by the ability to make an adequate diagnosis on histopathological examination of the sampled tissue. Diagnostic yield will be calculated for each biopsy technique as the number of diagnostic procedures divided by number of non-diagnostic procedures plus the number of diagnostic procedures.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

All patients of suspected pulmonary sarcoidosis scheduled for routine EBUS-TBNA

Exclusion criteria

  • Patient age less than 18 years
  • Patients with co-morbid conditions like Diabetes mellitus, renal failure, chronic liver disease or any other chronic disease.
  • Patients already on treatment with steroids or h/o steroids intake in last three months or on disease modifying and immunosuppressive drugs.
  • Final Diagnosis other than sarcoidosis

Treatment and study plan

Cryobiopsy with liquid nitrogen

Device

Forceps vs Cryo Endobronchial Biopsy

Other names: Forceps biopsy, Cryo Biopsy

Endobronchial Forceps Biopsy

Device

Comparision of forceps and cryo endobronchial biopsy

Other names: Cryo Biopsy, Forcpes Biopsy

Primary outcomes

  1. Diagnostic Yield

    Time frame: Two week after the end of enrollment

    To compare the diagnostic yield of cryo-endobronchial biopsy with forceps biopsy in patients undergoing routine EBUS-TBNA for suspected sarcoidosis.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Over all diagnostic yield

    Time frame: Two week after the end of enrollment

    Overall diagnostic yield - TBNA + Endobronchial Biopsy

  2. Complications

    Time frame: From enrollment to Two week after the end of enrollment

    Complications of endobronchial biopsy

  3. Dignostic yield based on endobronchial abnormality

    Time frame: Two week after the end of enrollment

    Diagnostic yield in normal vs abnormal endobronchial fingins

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Ajmal Khan, MBBS, MD, DM

CONTACT

[email protected]

+919878678689

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

Prospective Randomized Controlled Study Comparing Diagnostic Yield of Endobronchial Cryo Biopsy vs Forceps Biopsy in Patients Undergoing Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration for Suspected Sarcoidosis

Acronym: CREBS

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 3, 2025
Registry last updated
Mar 3, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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