Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41927289›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy versus video-assisted lobectomy for operable stage I non-small-cell lung cancer: study protocol for an emulated target trial.

Ahmed Bedir, Lamiaa Hassan, Ian Wittenberg, Jörg Andreas Müller, Florian Oesterling, Thorsten Walles, Andreas Stang, Dirk Vordermark, Daniel Medenwald

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Research with cancer registry data in radiation oncology-current possibilities and perspectives : A narrative review.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Ahmed BedirDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5659-1485
Lamiaa HassanDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Ian WittenbergCancer Registry Saxony Anhalt, Magdeburg, Germany.
Jörg Andreas MüllerDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Florian OesterlingCancer Registry of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bochum, Germany.
Thorsten WallesClinic for Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany.
Andreas StangCancer Registry of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bochum, Germany.
Dirk VordermarkDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Daniel MedenwaldDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany daniel.medenwald@med.ovgu.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionVideo-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy is a commonly employed surgical technique for the management of operable early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This procedure, however, is dependent on the patient's ability to tolerate surgery. In light of this, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) has emerged as a viable alternative treatment strategy for patients who are inoperable or who refuse surgery. Considering the lack of randomised controlled trials and the increased risk of bias in observational cohort studies, this study protocol proposes an emulated target trial design to investigate the causal effect of SABR, in comparison to VATS, on overall survival in operable early stage NSCLC patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Data on NSCLC patients will be collected from routinely collected university hospital records linked with German cancer registry data. This study protocol was developed using the target trial methodology outlined by Hernan ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg with an approved addendum with Dnr 2023-112 has approved this study. The study uses anonymised routinely collected hospital and cancer registry data in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungLung NeoplasmsPneumonectomyRadiosurgeryThoracic Surgery, Video-AssistedFemaleGermanyHumansMulticenter Studies as TopicNeoplasm StagingResearch DesignLung NeoplasmsRadiation oncologySURGERYSurvival

Identifiers

PMID41927289
PMCPMC13052693

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.