An interventional study of Robotic-Assisted Fusion Biopsy and Expert Cognitive Fusion Biopsy in Prostate Biopsy, sponsored by Shanghai East Hospital. Not yet recruiting. Open to male participants aged 40 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-24.
Sponsored by Shanghai East Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic
The trial aims to find out if using a robotic system to help perform prostate biopsies is better than having a highly experienced doctor perform the biopsy by hand in men with a high Body Mass Index (BMI).
While MRI-guided prostate biopsies are highly effective, carrying them out in men with obesity can be physically challenging for doctors. Extra pelvic tissue increases the depth the biopsy needle must travel and makes it difficult to manually hold the ultrasound probe perfectly steady. This physical difficulty might cause doctors to miss some aggressive prostate cancers.
This study tests whether a robotic arm-which completely locks the biopsy needle on target and eliminates human hand tremors-can improve cancer detection. The study will enroll up to 570 men with high BMI who have suspicious areas on their prostate MRI. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a robotic-assisted biopsy or a standard manual biopsy performed by an expert urologist.
To ensure the results are completely unbiased, participants will not know which method is being used on them. They will be placed behind a surgical drape and wear noise-canceling headphones playing music during the procedure to block out the sounds of the robotic motors. The main goal is to see if the robotic method safely and significantly increases the detection rate of clinically significant prostate cancer in this specific group of patients.
The integration of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) with transperineal targeted biopsy has established a new standard for prostate cancer diagnosis. However, clinical evidence, including findings from the previous IMAGINATION trial, suggests that the diagnostic accuracy of manual targeted biopsy techniques degrades significantly in patients with high Body Mass Index (BMI).
Deep perineal adiposity creates a "hostile anatomical environment." It increases the skin-to-apex distance and introduces a "fulcrum effect," where the extensive soft tissue acts as a pivot point that amplifies manual tremors and restricts the operator's physical ability to steer the transperineal probe accurately. This mechanical barrier contributes to the "Obesity Paradox," wherein men with obesity face a higher risk of harboring undiagnosed, advanced high-grade prostate cancer.
The ROBUST (Robotic Optimization for Biopsy Under Substantial Tissue) trial is an investigator-initiated, international, multicenter, randomized controlled trial designed to determine if robotic stabilization can serve as a "technical equalizer" for this specific anatomical challenge.
Unlike conventional device trials, ROBUST utilizes a Bayesian adaptive hierarchical non-inferiority to superiority design. It aims to test whether robotic-assisted fusion biopsy is strictly non-inferior (with a -5% margin), and subsequently superior, to expert cognitive fusion biopsy. To rigorously isolate the impact of mechanical stabilization from operator inexperience, the control arm explicitly represents "peak human performance," mandating that human operators be credentialed experts with a documented history of >500 total prostate biopsies and >200 cognitive fusion targeted cases.
To eliminate performance bias and placebo effects on patient-reported outcomes (such as procedural anxiety and pain), the trial implements a strict single-blind (patient-blinded) protocol. A high surgical drape and noise-canceling headphones are utilized to completely mask the distinct motor operations of the robotic platform from the participant.
Furthermore, to mitigate the inherent recruitment fatigue associated with this highly specific demographic, the study incorporates a Bayesian sequential monitoring framework. An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) will evaluate Posterior Probability and Predictive Probability of Success (PPOS) at predefined interim looks (N=200, 300, and 400). This allows the trial to be halted early for either overwhelming efficacy or objective futility. By strictly targeting the "stress test" population, ROBUST seeks to provide Level 1 evidence for a risk-stratified precision diagnostic pathway, evaluating whether high-cost robotic technology is an absolute clinical necessity for men with obesity.
Exclusion Criteria:
Robotic-Assisted Fusion Biopsy
Procedure: Robotic-Assisted Fusion Biopsy
Expert Cognitive Fusion Biopsy
Procedure: Expert Cognitive Fusion Biopsy
Participants in this arm will undergo a transperineal prostate biopsy utilizing a dedicated robotic fusion platform. The system features a mechanical arm or rigid fixator that completely locks the ultrasound probe and needle guide into a pre-planned coordinate trajectory. This mechanical stabilization uncouples the needle guide from manual human force, eliminating operator hand tremor and the "fulcrum effect" caused by deep pelvic adiposity. The urologist will obtain 3 to 4 targeted cores per MRI-visible lesion (PI-RADS ≥ 3) using the robotic interface, followed by a standard systematic biopsy. To prevent performance bias and placebo effects, participants will be blinded to the intervention using a high surgical drape and noise-canceling headphones.
Participants in this arm will undergo a standard manual transperineal prostate biopsy. To represent "peak human performance," the procedure will be performed exclusively by an expert urologist credentialed with a documented history of \>500 total prostate biopsies, including \>200 cognitive fusion targeted cases. The operator will mentally register the MRI lesion onto the real-time ultrasound image using anatomical landmarks, without the aid of any software overlay or robotic mechanical stabilization. The urologist will manually obtain 3 to 4 targeted cores per MRI-visible lesion (PI-RADS ≥ 3), followed by a standard systematic biopsy. To maintain the single-blind study design, participants will be shielded by a surgical drape and wear noise-canceling headphones.
Detection Rate of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer (csPCa) by Targeted Biopsy
The primary efficacy endpoint is the proportion of participants in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) specifically from the targeted biopsy cores. csPCa is strictly defined histopathologically as International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Grade Group 2 or higher (Gleason score 3+4=7 or greater).
Time frame: Up to 30 days post-procedure (at the time of final pathology report)
Detection Rate of Any Prostate Cancer by Targeted Biopsy
The proportion of participants in whom any prostate cancer, defined as ISUP Grade Group 1 or higher (Gleason score 3+3=6 or greater), is detected specifically from the targeted biopsy cores.
Time frame: Up to 30 days post-procedure
Detection Rate of csPCa by Combined Biopsy
The proportion of participants diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer (ISUP Grade Group 2 or higher) when combining the pathological results from both the targeted biopsy cores and the standard systematic biopsy cores.
Time frame: Up to 30 days post-procedure
Pathological Upgrade Rate
The proportion of participants in whom the targeted biopsy cores detect a higher ISUP Grade Group of prostate cancer compared to the ISUP Grade Group detected by the background systematic biopsy cores in the same patient.
Time frame: Up to 30 days post-procedure
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: Yes — De-identified individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results reported in the primary publication, along with the study protocol and statistical analysis plan (SAP), will be made available to qualified scientific researchers. Data will be available beginning 6 months and ending 36 months following article publication. To gain access, researchers must submit a methodologically sound study proposal to the corresponding authors. Data sharing will be strictly subject to the execution of a formal data use agreement and must fully comply with local institutional review board (IRB) requirements and national data security regulations regarding cross-border data transfer.
Supporting information: Study protocol
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Shanghai East Hospital