Analysis of Parametrial Lymph Nodes as Sentinel Nodes in Patients With Cervical Cancer
Summary
The goal of this clinical research study is to find out if the parametrial nodes are "sentinel" nodes (the lymph nodes believed to be the greatest risk for the spread of cancer) and if intraoperative lymphatic mapping can identify "sentinel" lymph nodes in the parametrium (the tissue that is on either side of the cervix). Identifying these lymph nodes may help to predict the status of the remaining lymph nodes in the pelvis. This research will also determine if India Ink is safe to use with the blue dye and radioactive tracer and if it improves the process of identifying the sentinel nodes.
Description
Lymph nodes are glands that play an important part in your body's defense against infection. They are also the most common site of cancer spread in patients with cervical cancer. Intraoperative lymphatic mapping is a procedure that has been used in patients with other types of cancer to identify the "sentinel" lymph node. Researchers know that if the sentinel node does not contain cancer, then the remaining lymph nodes are almost always cancer-free.
Researchers believe that the parametrial lymph nodes (1 group of lymph nodes located in the parametrium) are the sentinel lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer. Surgical removal of the parametrial lymph nodes is currently the only known way to accurately find out whether or not these lymph nodes have cancer in them.
Stage IA2 or IB1 cervix cancer is treated by a radical hysterectomy (removal of the uterus, cervix, and the parametrium) or radical trachelectomy (removal of the cervix and the parametrium). Pelvic lymph nodes and possibly para-aortic lymph nodes (near the aorta in the abdomen) are also removed. This procedure is called a pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy.
If you agree to take part in this study, you will undergo a procedure called intraoperative lymphatic mapping. This procedure is done in the operating room. When you are asleep (under anesthesia), the surgeon will inject the cervix with a very small amount (less than one tenth of a teaspoon) of a radioactive material in 4 different places around the edge of the tumor in the cervix. This injection is given over 1-2 minutes. The cervix is then injected with 2 different blue dyes called Isosulfan Blue and India ink (about 1 1/2 teaspoons). These injections take less than 5 minutes. The surgeon will then use a special hand-held instrument for measuring radioactivity to help find the sentinel lymph nodes before and after the operation begins. During the operation, the surgeon will also visually inspect the lymph nodes to see if they are blue (stained by the blue dye and India Ink). These 2 techniques (the radioactive material and the dye and ink) will help the surgeon identify the sentinel nodes by their blue color and their level of radioactivity.
During your hospitalization or at your first clinic visit, your doctor will tell you whether or not cancer was found in the lymph nodes that were removed during surgery.
You will be taken off study if intolerable side effects occur. You will be considered off study after your first doctor's visit after the surgery.
This is an investigational study. Up to 20 patients will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.
Study Design
Allocation: Non-Randomized, Control: Uncontrolled, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment
Conditions
Cervical Cancer
Intervention
Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, Intraoperative Lymphatic Mapping
Location
U.T.M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston
Texas
United States
77030
Status
Recruiting
Source
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Results (where available)
Links
- Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00631241
- Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Positron-emission Tomography
An imaging technique using compounds labelled with short-lived positron-emitting radionuclides (such as carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15 and fluorine-18) to measure cell metabolism. It has been useful in study of soft tissues such as CANCER; CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM; and brain. SINGLE-PHOTON EMISSION-COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY is closely related to positron emission tomography, but uses isotopes with longer half-lives and resolution is lower.
Tomography, Emission-computed, Single-photon
A method of computed tomography that uses radionuclides which emit a single photon of a given energy. The camera is rotated 180 or 360 degrees around the patient to capture images at multiple positions along the arc. The computer is then used to reconstruct the transaxial, sagittal, and coronal images from the 3-dimensional distribution of radionuclides in the organ. The advantages of SPECT are that it can be used to observe biochemical and physiological processes as well as size and volume of the organ. The disadvantage is that, unlike positron-emission tomography where the positron-electron annihilation results in the emission of 2 photons at 180 degrees from each other, SPECT requires physical collimation to line up the photons, which results in the loss of many available photons and hence degrades the image.
Cardiac-gated Single-photon Emission Computer-assisted Tomograph...
Tomography using single-photon emitting RADIONUCLIDES to create images that are captured in times corresponding to various points in the cardiac cycle.
Tomography, Emission-computed
Tomography using radioactive emissions from injected RADIONUCLIDES and computer ALGORITHMS to reconstruct an image.
Tomography, Spiral Computed
Computed tomography where there is continuous X-ray exposure to the patient while being transported in a spiral or helical pattern through the beam of irradiation. This provides improved three-dimensional contrast and spatial resolution compared to conventional computed tomography, where data is obtained and computed from individual sequential exposures.
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