First radio-guided surgery on lung neuroendocrine tumours
On Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Sant'Andrea University Hospital, UOC Thoracic Surgery directed by Erino Angelo Rendina, the first surgery was successfully performed as part of the experimental project entitled “Chirurgia radioguidata con sonda beta in pazienti con tumori neuroendocrini (NET) polmonari eleggibili per chirurgia radicale - Radioguided beta-probe surgery in patients with lung neuroendocrine tumours (NET) eligible for radical surgery”. Principal Investigator of the project is Antongiulio Faggiano of the UOC Endocrine-Metabolic Specialist Medicine, promoters are Professors Riccardo Faccini of the Department of Physics and Andrea Isidori of the Department of Experimental Medicine of Sapienza University of Rome.
The surgery is part of a pilot study evaluating the use of a portable intraoperative beta radiation probe for radioguided surgery in NETs, developed in collaboration between the Sapienza’s Department of Physics and INFN.
The probe is an innovative instrument capable of detecting positrons, particles emitted by radiopharmaceuticals such as those commonly used in PET diagnostics. The device has demonstrated a high level of sensitivity when it comes to detecting tumour cells that have been labelled with a radiopharmaceutical that is specific to neuroendocrine tumours. This ability makes the probe effective in guiding the surgeon's hand precisely to the site of the lesion, however small or difficult to access it may be.
Already successfully tested on gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours and prostate tumours, the study aims to evaluate the possibility of extending the technique to thoracic lymph node metastases in patients with pulmonary NET undergoing radical surgery of the primary tumour and lymph node dissection.
Analysis of the data recorded by the probe during the operation will provide initial indications of its ability to detect pathological lymph nodes, pending further operations. A final analysis of the collected data is planned for the end of the year.
The trial is taking place entirely at the AOU Sant'Andrea, where the Centro di eccellenza ENETS delle Neoplasie neuroendocrine - ENETS Centre of Excellence for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms is active, and is based on the multidisciplinary collaboration between the Endocrine-Metabolic Specialist Medicine, Thoracic Surgery, Nuclear Medicine, Health Physics, Pathological Anatomy Units, the INFN and the company NUCLEOMED s.r.l., for the design of the “beta” probe used in the project.
This trial marks a significant technological advancement for AOU Sant'Andrea and Sapienza University, placing them at the forefront of precision medicine and cancer treatment.
Financed within the framework of the PNRR-M4C2-I1 Programme “HEAL ITALY” – Extended Partnership 6 – Spoke 4, the study is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU (Project PE_000019, CUP B53C22004000006, Protocol PE6421852C156157).
Further Information
Antongiulio Faggiano
Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine
antongiulio.faggiano@uniroma1.
Riccardo Faccini
Department of Physics
Andrea Isidori
Department of Experimental Medicine