A phase II prospective, randomized control trial assessing the impact of "invisible ink" ultra-violet (UV) tattoo ink versus conventional black tattoo ink for radiotherapy treatment localization on the quality of life of breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy. The effect of tattoo type on quality of life will be measured objectively using the externally validated body-image satisfaction (BIS) scale as the primary outcome of interest, with secondary endpoints including: accuracy/reproducibility of radiotherapy setup using the invisible ink tattoos, resource impact requirements, and clinical feasibility. A sample size of 60 patients is planned (30 per study arm) with an anticipated accrual period of 18 months.
Breast cancer patients ages 18-60 who are planned for adjuvant radiotherapy and who meet all inclusion/exclusion criteria will be offered voluntary participation in this trial. Recruitment will be open for approximately 18 months; it is anticipated that 1-2 patients will be recruited per week until the planned sample size is met. Participants will be stratified into three groups depending on their self-reported baseline Body-image satisfaction (BIS) score and will then be randomly allocated to receive conventional dark ink or UV fluorescent tattoos using permutated block randomization (4 patients per block) to ensure balance of BIS baseline average between study arms. The investigators focus is to improve the current tattooing technique for breast cancer patients by introducing an alternate method that takes the patient's psychological perceptions of tattooing into account while first and foremost, continuing to guarantee that the current standard of accuracy in treatment delivery is maintained or improved. The investigators goal of decreasing the psychological effect of permanent radiotherapy tattoos aligns with CancerCare Manitoba's mission to improve the outcomes and quality of life for Manitobans with cancer.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
7
The use of UV tattoo ink results in a tattoo that is visible only under an ultraviolet light. Conventional black tattoo ink is replaced with UV ink for the application of radiotherapy "dot" tattoos. Handheld UV flashlights are used to make the tattoos visible for use during radiotherapy treatment set-up.
CancerCare Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Change in Body-image scale score
Mean BIS scores at each time point will be calculated along with standard deviation and will be compared using the student t-test.
Time frame: Day 0, Week 3, Week 12
Set-up Accuracy
Set-up accuracy will be assessed using orthogonal image sets from fractions 1, 2, 3 \& one day treatment week 2 for each participant. Pre-imaging couch angle, vertical, longitudinal and lateral positions will be compared to the post-imaging values and evaluated based on our departmental couch adjustment tolerances for image-guided radiation therapy.
Time frame: Radiation Treatment week 1 (fractions 1, 2, 3) and Treatment week 2 (one fraction)
Resource Requirements (Tattooing procedure length)
The average time(Min) it takes to complete the tattooing procedure during simulation will be collected and compared between the two arms.
Time frame: Day 0 Simulation appointment, Radiation Treatment week 1 (fractions 1, 2, 3) and Treatment week 2 (one fraction)
Resource Requirements (Treatment set-up procedure length)
The average time(Min) it takes to complete daily treatment set-up will be collected and compared between the two arms.
Time frame: Day 0 Simulation appointment, Radiation Treatment week 1 (fractions 1, 2, 3) and Treatment week 2 (one fraction)
Radiation Therapist Evaluation Survey of UV Tattoo Method
Clinical practicability will be evaluated qualitatively through feedback from radiation therapists through a survey measuring their satisfaction with the UV tattooing method.
Time frame: Week 13
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