The primary aim of this prospective, multicentre study is to determine whether the involved node can be marked using black carbon dye and successfully identified at the time of surgery. The secondary aims are to determine the concordance between the tattooed node and sentinel node, migration of black dye into other nodes, and false-negative rate of tattooed node (in patients undergoing ALND after NACT).
Pretreatment evaluation of axillary lymph nodes and marking of biopsied nodes in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer is becoming routine practice. Tagging of biopsied axillary lymph nodes with metal markers, similar to what is done for suspicious breast lesions, is being adopted in clinical practice. The need to mark a positive axillary lymph node becomes especially relevant in cases where neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is anticipated so that these nodes may be identified at the time of surgery. Measures that improve both the accuracy of nodal evaluation after NACT and the ability to assess treatment response are desirable in order to tailor therapies for breast cancer treatment. The investigators sought to test tattooing of biopsied axillary lymph nodes with a sterile black carbon suspension.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
200
Tattooing (marking) of biopsied node with carbon dye at the time or at a separate session of fine needle aspiration or core biopsy or separate visit under ultrasound guidance. The dye will be injected in the cortex of the node and the perinodal tissue under ultrasound guidance. Patients will undergo standard (routine) armpit surgery and may receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy as planned by the clinical team. This could be removal of a few lymph glands (sentinel node biopsy) or removal of all the lymph glands (axillary lymph node dissection) in the armpit. The surgeon will try to identify and remove the tattooed lymph gland at the time of planned armpit surgery.
Study Officials
Fuzhou, Fujian, China
RECRUITINGIdentification rate of tattooed node
Proportion of patients in whom tattooed node/s were identified.
Time frame: 12 months
Concordance of tattooed node and sentinel node
Concordance rate: defined as the percent of patients in whomthe tattooed nodeis the sentinel node.
Time frame: 12 months
Migration of black dye into other nodes
The number of black nodes at the time of sentinel node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection.
Time frame: 12 months
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