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Indeterminate Bethesda III Thyroid NodulesNCT05189808

Radiofrequency Ablation for BIII Thyroid Nodules

An observational study of Indeterminate Bethesda III Thyroid Nodules, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this observational chart review study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for treatment of indeterminate thyroid nodules before and after RFA procedure. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Radiofrequency Ablation
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
How many people
50 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Aug 2020to Aug 2028
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Adult patients (>/= 18 years) who have biopsy proven indeterminate thyroid nodules (Bethesda III only) that have been molecular profiled benign, who refuse to undergo or are not good candidates for surgical resection

Who may be able to join

  • Indeterminate Bethesda III nodules that have been molecularly profiled benign with either Afirma Genomic Sequencing Classifier (GSC) or ThyroSeq v3 tests

Who cannot join

  • cardiac arrthymias
  • pregnancy

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Jennifer H Kuo, MD MS contact

212-305-6969

jhk2029@cumc.columbia.edu

Catherine McManus, MD MS contact

212-305-6969

cm3304@cumc.columbia.edu

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Columbia University

    New York, New York, 10032

    Jennifer H Kuo, MD MS, 212-305-6969, jhk2029@cumc.columbia.edu

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Radiofrequency Ablation for Indeterminate Bethesda III Thyroid Nodules

The purpose of this observational chart review study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for treatment of indeterminate thyroid nodules before and after RFA procedure. This is a data collection study in which the investigators ask patients to give access to information generated before and after RFA treatment of their condition. The RFA procedure uses image guidance to place an electrode through the skin into the target area. In RFA, high-frequency electrical currents are passed through an electrode, creating a small region of heat to treat the lesion.

Read the detailed description

In the United States, there is an estimated 10% lifetime probability for developing a thyroid nodule.

Up to 15% of these nodules will prove to be malignant. The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing and is the third leading cause of cancer in women; accordingly, identification of a nodule

1 cm or larger in diameter often prompts a sophisticated diagnostic evaluation comprised of sonographic pattern risk assessment combined with fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), which enables the assessment of cellular morphologic features that could not be identified by means of clinical assessment or imaging. Ultrasound-guided FNAB has been shown to accurately classify 62-85% of thyroid nodules as benign, thereby avoiding diagnostic surgery. Yet, 20-30% of aspirations still yield indeterminate cytologic findings: "atypia (or follicular lesion) of undetermined significance," "follicular neoplasm or suspicious for follicular neoplasm," and "suspicious for malignancy with a risk of malignancy ranging from 6-75%." Most patients with cytologically indeterminate nodules are referred for diagnostic thyroid surgery, but the majority prove to have benign disease. For these patients, thyroid surgery is unnecessary, yet it exposes them to 2-10% risk of serious surgical complications, and most would require thyroid hormone replacement therapy for life. Research in recent years has focused on the potential of molecular diagnostic approaches that could capitalize on increasing knowledge of the molecular etiology of thyroid nodules and the transcriptional and mutation landscape of thyroid cancers to augment diagnostic accuracy of FNABs. Most molecular profiling tests demonstrate a high sensitivity and negative predictive value that helps to decrease the number of benign nodules undergoing unnecessary diagnostic surgery. However, these classified benign nodules may continue to grow and ultimately may need to undergo surgery due to compressive symptoms. Although thyroid surgery has always been the mainstay of treatment for symptomatic nodular goiters, and is associated with excellent outcomes in experienced hands, thyroid surgery carries a low risk of complications that include recurrent or superior laryngeal nerve injury leading to voice changes, hypoparathyroidism, hypothyroidism with need for thyroid hormone supplementation, and unsightly scarring. Although many patients with thyroid cancers find these risks acceptable, these risks are sometimes less acceptable to patients with benign disease. In an era when the medical field is treating thyroid diseases less aggressively, there is a pressing need to identify approaches to treat indolent malignant disease less invasively.

Introduced in the early 2000s, ultrasound-guided percutaneous ablation of thyroid lesions has emerged as a potential alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules. Of the myriad ablation methods, the most commonly used technique is radiofrequency ablation (RFA). An expanding body of evidence shows that radiofrequency ablation and other percutaneous interventions are effective treatments for benign solid thyroid nodules, toxic adenomas, and thyroid cysts resulting in overall volume reduction ranges of 40-70% with durable resolution of compressive and hyperthyroid symptoms. In addition, RFA has been used as an effective alternative treatment in the management of locally recurrent thyroid cancers in patients who are not good surgical candidates. Although these percutaneous techniques have been steadily.

gaining acceptance in Europe and Asia over the past 20 years, they have been slow to be adopted in the US. There remains a dearth of data regarding clinical experience in the United States and no randomized clinical trials have been performed evaluating RFA vs active surveillance for micropapillary carcinomas.

Being tested
Radiofrequency Ablation
Keywords
Radiofrequency Ablation

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Radiofrequency AblationProcedure or surgery

    Ultrasound guided radiofrequency ablation (non-experimental)

Study groups in NCT05189808
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
GroupNot described
Receives: Procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Nodule Volume

    ((Volume (baseline) - Volume (12m))/Volume(baseline))*100

    Measured: 12 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Complications

    Incidence of procedural complications including but not limited to infection, bleeding, voice change, nerve damage

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Jan 2022
  2. Study start1 Aug 2020
  3. Primary completionAug 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionAug 2028 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
50 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05189808
Sponsor's protocol ID
AAAT1979
Status last verified
May 2026
First submitted
28 Dec 2021
Last updated
29 May 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Durante C, Costante G, Lucisano G, Bruno R, Meringolo D, Paciaroni A, Puxeddu E, Torlontano M, Tumino S, Attard M, Lamartina L, Nicolucci A, Filetti S. The natural history of benign thyroid nodules. JAMA. 2015 Mar 3;313(9):926-35. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.0956.

    PubMed 25734734
  • de Rienzo-Madero B, Sabra JP, Gand E, Donatini G, Kraimps JL. Unilateral benign multinodular versus solitary goiter: Long-term contralateral reoperation rates after lobectomy. Surgery. 2019 Jan;165(1):75-79. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2018.04.074. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

    PubMed 30415868
  • Kim YS, Rhim H, Tae K, Park DW, Kim ST. Radiofrequency ablation of benign cold thyroid nodules: initial clinical experience. Thyroid. 2006 Apr;16(4):361-7. doi: 10.1089/thy.2006.16.361.

    PubMed 16646682
  • Na DG, Lee JH, Jung SL, Kim JH, Sung JY, Shin JH, Kim EK, Lee JH, Kim DW, Park JS, Kim KS, Baek SM, Lee Y, Chong S, Sim JS, Huh JY, Bae JI, Kim KT, Han SY, Bae MY, Kim YS, Baek JH; Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR); Korean Society of Radiology. Radiofrequency ablation of benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers: consensus statement and recommendations. Korean J Radiol. 2012 Mar-Apr;13(2):117-25. doi: 10.3348/kjr.2012.13.2.117. Epub 2012 Mar 7.

    PubMed 22438678
  • Kim JH, Baek JH, Lim HK, Ahn HS, Baek SM, Choi YJ, Choi YJ, Chung SR, Ha EJ, Hahn SY, Jung SL, Kim DS, Kim SJ, Kim YK, Lee CY, Lee JH, Lee KH, Lee YH, Park JS, Park H, Shin JH, Suh CH, Sung JY, Sim JS, Youn I, Choi M, Na DG; Guideline Committee for the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) and Korean Society of Radiology. 2017 Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation Guideline: Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology. Korean J Radiol. 2018 Jul-Aug;19(4):632-655. doi: 10.3348/kjr.2018.19.4.632. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

    PubMed 29962870
  • Gharib H, Papini E, Garber JR, Duick DS, Harrell RM, Hegedus L, Paschke R, Valcavi R, Vitti P; AACE/ACE/AME Task Force on Thyroid Nodules. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY, AND ASSOCIAZIONE MEDICI ENDOCRINOLOGI MEDICAL GUIDELINES FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF THYROID NODULES--2016 UPDATE. Endocr Pract. 2016 May;22(5):622-39. doi: 10.4158/EP161208.GL.

    PubMed 27167915
  • Jeong WK, Baek JH, Rhim H, Kim YS, Kwak MS, Jeong HJ, Lee D. Radiofrequency ablation of benign thyroid nodules: safety and imaging follow-up in 236 patients. Eur Radiol. 2008 Jun;18(6):1244-50. doi: 10.1007/s00330-008-0880-6. Epub 2008 Feb 20.

    PubMed 18286289
  • Baek JH, Kim YS, Lee D, Huh JY, Lee JH. Benign predominantly solid thyroid nodules: prospective study of efficacy of sonographically guided radiofrequency ablation versus control condition. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2010 Apr;194(4):1137-42. doi: 10.2214/AJR.09.3372.

    PubMed 20308523
  • Watt T, Barbesino G, Bjorner JB, Bonnema SJ, Bukvic B, Drummond R, Groenvold M, Hegedus L, Kantzer V, Lasch KE, Marcocci C, Mishra A, Netea-Maier R, Ekker M, Paunovic I, Quinn TJ, Rasmussen AK, Russell A, Sabaretnam M, Smit J, Torring O, Zivaljevic V, Feldt-Rasmussen U. Cross-cultural validity of the thyroid-specific quality-of-life patient-reported outcome measure, ThyPRO. Qual Life Res. 2015 Mar;24(3):769-80. doi: 10.1007/s11136-014-0798-1. Epub 2014 Sep 7.

    PubMed 25194574
  • Dobnig H, Amrein K. Monopolar Radiofrequency Ablation of Thyroid Nodules: A Prospective Austrian Single-Center Study. Thyroid. 2018 Apr;28(4):472-480. doi: 10.1089/thy.2017.0547. Epub 2018 Mar 20.

    PubMed 29490593

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Indeterminate Bethesda III Thyroid Nodules, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Jennifer H Kuo, MD MS (212-305-6969, jhk2029@cumc.columbia.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Nodule Volume (time frame: 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05189808, which also lists 10 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 May 2026.

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