Surgery versus focused stereotactic radiation for early-stage lung cancer
Official title: Comparative Effectiveness of Surgery vs Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for Stage I Lung Cancer
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11380728 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares surgery and focused stereotactic radiation (SBRT) for people with stage I non-small cell lung cancer to learn which approach best balances cure, side effects, and recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | February 24, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $577,595 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA258681-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11380728 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with newly diagnosed stage I non-small cell lung cancer who are considering surgery or SBRT would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with more advanced lung cancer (stage II–IV) or those who are not eligible for either surgery or SBRT would not be included and are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you have stage I lung cancer, researchers will follow people treated with either surgery or SBRT and collect medical records, imaging, and patient-reported symptoms and quality of life. The team will pool data from many centers to get larger numbers than past studies and use careful statistical methods to account for other health problems that affect outcomes. They will track survival, cancer control, complications, and recovery to help match treatments to individual patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could help patients and doctors choose the treatment that best balances cure, side effects, and quality of life for early-stage lung cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Randomized trials comparing surgery and SBRT have failed to enroll enough patients and most prior comparisons are retrospective, so this large prospective comparative approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kozower, Benjamin D — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Kozower, Benjamin D
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.