REC-CAGEFREE I Trial: Drug-Coated Balloons vs. Drug-Eluting Stents at 3 Years | JACC | TCT 2025

JACC continues its collaboration with TCT 2025 in this interview featuring JACC Associate Editor Celina M. Yong, MD, MBA, MSc, FACC, and lead investigator Professor Chao Gao, MD, PhD. The discussion spotlights the 3-year results of the REC-CAGEFREE I randomized trial comparing drug-coated balloons (DCB) with drug-eluting stents (DES) for de novo coronary lesions. Published in JACC and presented at TCT 2025, the findings reveal that while DCBs remained inferior to DES at 3 years, the outcome gap narrowed over time, primarily driven by elective revascularizations rather than death or MI. Professor Gao also explores bleeding risk, antiplatelet therapy patterns, bailout stenting rates, and where DCBs may find their optimal role, particularly in small vessel disease and high bleeding-risk patients.