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Breast CancerNCT01427166

Non-Invasive Imaging for Cording in Breast Cancer Patients

A study testing Non invasive venous ultrasound in people with Breast Cancer, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

To date, the scientific literature has yet to provide sufficient evidence regarding the pathophysiology of cording. The objective of this protocol is to evaluate the utility of non invasive vascular imaging for assessing the pathophysiology of cording in a small study cohort of patients who were treated for breast… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
Conditions the study is for
Breast Cancer
What is being tested?
Non invasive venous ultrasound
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
5 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Aug 2011to Aug 2012
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Participants must be enrolled in Partners protocol # 2008P000540 "Prospective Analysis of Symptoms, Functionality and Quality of Life Questionnaires to Evaluate Lymphedema in Patients Following Treatment for Breast Cancer"
  • Confirmed case of cording by a medical provider (Physician, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant)
  • Participants must be at least 18 years of age
  • Life expectancy of greater than 1 year.
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  • Willingness to comply with required follow up Perometer measurements and clinical visits.

Who cannot join

  • Participants who are not enrolled or have been removed from Partners Protocol # 2008P000540 will be excluded from this trial.
  • Participants with known brain metastases should be excluded from this clinical trial because of their poor prognosis and because they often develop progressive neurologic dysfunction that would confound the evaluation of neurologic and other adverse events.
  • History of prior surgery or radiation to the head, neck, upper limb, or trunk.
  • Patients with a history of a different malignancy are ineligible except for the following circumstances. Individuals with a history of other malignancies are eligible if they have been disease-free for at least 5 years and are deemed by the investigator to be at low risk for recurrence of that malignancy. Individuals with the following cancers are eligible if diagnosed and treated within the past 5 years: cervical cancer in situ, and basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Evaluation of Non Invasive Imaging for Assessing the Pathophysiology of Cording in Patients Treated for Breast Cancer

To date, the scientific literature has yet to provide sufficient evidence regarding the pathophysiology of cording. The objective of this protocol is to evaluate the utility of non invasive vascular imaging for assessing the pathophysiology of cording in a small study cohort of patients who were treated for breast cancer. The hypothesis is that cording may have a vascular etiology

Read the detailed description

Cords are bands of tissue that are present in the axilla following breast cancer surgery and may extend across the antecubital fossa and into the forearm. Cords are often painful to patients and limit their shoulder range of motion.The proposed study design involves the recruitment of patients who are enrolled in Partners Protocol # 2008P000540, a prospective analysis of symptoms, functionality and quality of life questionnaire to evaluate lymphedema in patients following treatment for breast cancer. This protocol recruits newly diagnosed breast cancer patients prior to any treatment interventions. Subjects are required to undergo volumetric arm measurements and complete the Lymphedema Evaluation Following Treatment for Breast Cancer Questionnaire (LEFT-BC) which will allow for the evaluation of changes in functionality, upper extremity utilization (fear associated avoidance), and quality of life. Throughout treatment patients will be screened before and after each treatment event: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Following the conclusion of treatment for breast cancer, patients will be measured at least 2 times per year (every 4-7 months). If during these study visits the patient notes cording symptoms, the research staff administering the questionnaire will be alerted. At this point, they will notify a designated medical provider who will perform a physical examination of the area to confirm the presence of cording. Once the presence of cording is verified, the patient will be provided with the opportunity to enroll in the proposed trial. Due to the current limited knowledge on the nature of the condition, the patients arm and axilla will have to be imaged within 7 days of the physical exam confirmation. The patients will be asked to return to the vascular imaging lab located on the Massachusetts's General Hospital's main campus. They will undergo a venous duplex ultrasound, on a General Electric LOGIQ-9 unit with a Phillips-IU-22 probe.

Conditions
Breast Cancer
Being tested
Non invasive venous ultrasound
Keywords
Breast Cancer, Cording, Lymphedema, upper extremity cording, following treatment
Medical subject headings
Breast Neoplasms, Lymphedema

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Non invasive venous ultrasoundOther

    Subjects will undergo a venous duplex ultrasound, on a General Electric LOGIQ-9 unit with a Phillips-IU-22 probe

Study groups in NCT01427166
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Ultrasound imagingExperimentalCords that are present in the participant's axilla and/or arm will be imaged with an ultrasound
Receives: Other: Non invasive venous ultrasound

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. The pathophysiology of cording following treatment for breast cancer

    The cohort of 15 subject's images will be reviewed by the PI and a designated physician from the department of vascular medicine to determine if there is a vascular origin in the cords. Each image will be accessed for the following findings or involvement: Venous, lymphatic, fluid pockets, and striations on the cord.

    Measured: 7 days

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Cording and the onset of breast cancer related lymphedema

    Subjects will be measured every 4-7 months with a perometer to determine if breast cancer related lymphedema is present.

    Measured: 30 days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted1 Sep 2011 (estimated)
  2. Study startAug 2011
  3. Primary completionAug 2012
  4. Study completionAug 2012

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Diagnosis
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
5 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01427166
Sponsor's protocol ID
10-279
Other IDs
R01CA139118
Status last verified
Mar 2016
First submitted
25 Aug 2011
Last updated
16 Mar 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Non invasive venous ultrasound in people with Breast Cancer, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Mar 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

The pathophysiology of cording following treatment for breast cancer (time frame: 7 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Mar 2016.

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