The goal of this clinical trial is to demonstrate that there is no difference (non-inferiorty) in the 2 year recurrence-free survival (RFS) between 2 different surgical approaches for clinical Stage III melanoma. Following 6 weeks of standard neaodjuvant immunotherapy, patients will undergo either selective index lymph node resection (ILN) (identified at baseline as the largest affected lymph node) or the standard of care therapeutic lymph node dissection (TLND). The secondary aims are to assess if patients who are managed without TLND will have a reduction in surgical complications (less wound problems \& lymphoedema), an improved quality of life, at a lower healthcare utilisation.
The standard treatment under current guidelines for patients who have melanoma that has spread to the lymph nodes (Stage III disease) is a 'therapeutic lymph node dissection' or 'TLND'. This is the removal of all of the lymph nodes in the affected area, such as in the armpit, neck or groin. TLND surgery Several clinical trials over the past 10 to 15 years have shown that treatment with immune system boosting drugs (known as immunotherapy) can help the body to better identify and attack the tumour cells. This is now used routinely for tumour that has spready beyond the lymph nodes (Stage IV disease) in melanoma and many other cancers. When immunotherapy is given before TLND surgery (known as neoadjuvant therapy) the body can launch an increased immune response against the tumour cells to reduce or remove the amount of tumour before surgery. Neoadjuvant therapy for melanoma is typically given over 6 weeks before surgery. Patients may have further drug therapy and /or radiotherapy after TLND surgery to minimise the risk of recurrence. At surgery after neoadjuvant immunotherapy, the removed lymph node tissue is examined by a pathologist who will then classify the amount of tumour cells left in the lymph nodes. Recent clinical trials have shown that 46-70% of patients have less than 10% of melanoma cells left in the lymph nodes. This is called a 'major pathological response' or 'MPR'. After 5 years, approximately 70% of patients having an MPR do not have a recurrence of melanoma. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy is now standard care for Stage III melanoma in Australia and other countries. Both immunotherapy and TLND surgery have side effects. Some of these are of short duration and some last many months. Some of the side effects from immunotherapy include general nausea, diarrhoea, skin rash but also diabetes, thyroid or liver problems. Surgery may result in some pain, wound infection, wound breakdown, or short and long term lymphoedema - where fluid doesn't drain properly from the arms or legs, depending on where the original lymph node surgery was done. A recent small clinical trial of 99 patients tested if patients who have neoadjuvant therapy can omit the need for TLND surgery, without changing the risk of recurrence. Patients in this study had the largest affected (index) lymph node marked with a clip under ultrasound or X-ray guidance before neoadjuvant therapy. After 6 weeks of neoadjuvant immunotherapy, the index lymph node was removed in a minor operation and the pathological response classified. Sixty-one percent of patients had an MPR and did not have any further surgery. After 2 years, 93% of these patients did not have a recurrence of melanoma. Patients without an MPR had TLND surgery and between 63 and 75% had no recurrence by 2 years. This recent trial was too small to provide sufficient evidence for a change in standard treatment after neoadjuvant immunotherapy for patients having an MPR. We therefore plan to conduct a trial that is large enough to test if the new approach of index lymph node resection is not worse than the current standard care with TLND as measured by the number of people without melanoma recurrence within 2 years. This type of trial is known as a 'non-inferiority' trial. If index node resection is no worse than TLND, we also need to assess if there is a difference in the side effects or each type of surgery and in the quality of life experienced by patients. We also need to examine if there is any difference in the costs to patients and to the healthcare system for either surgery and the long term outcomes. This is a randomised trial which means people are put into one of two groups by chance (randomly, or like tossing a coin). For patients who have an MPR to neoadjuvant therapy, half will have index lymph node removal with no further surgery and half the current standard of TLND surgery. Patients who do not have an MPR will have the standard TLND. All patients will have regular appointments with their surgeon to check for signs if the melanoma has returned and the study team will follow progress for up to 10 years.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
1,500
The largest lymph node affected with melanoma
Removal of all nodes in the melanoma affected lymph node basin
Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre
Los Angeles, California, United States
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGCalvary Mater Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
RECRUITINGMelanoma Institute Australia
Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, Australia
RECRUITINGFiona Stanley Hospital
Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGSan Maria della Misericordia Hospital
Perugia, Italy
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGThe Royal Marsden
London, United Kingdom
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGRecurrence free survival
The proportion of patients with a major pathological response (MPR) alive and disease-free from the time of surgery to the end of 2 years follow up
Time frame: 2 years
The rate of escalation to a therapeutic lymph node dissection (TLND) in the ILN arm due to isolated nodal recurrence in the ILN nodal basin
Proportion of patients with a major pathological response (complete pathological response or near complete pathological response) in the index lymph node arm who have disease recurrence involving the same lymph node basin requiring complete dissection
Time frame: 2 years
The salvage rate with surgery, radiotherapy or new systemic therapy post operatively for disease recurrence in each surgical arm with a major pathological response (complete pathological response or near complete pathological response)
Proportion of patients requiring any additional treatment for any disease recurrence following a complete or near complete pathological response
Time frame: 2 years
Distant metastasis free-survival
Proportion of patients with distant metastases from randomisation to the date of first distant metastases diagnosis in each surgical arm, following a major pathological response (complete pathological response or near complete pathological response)
Time frame: 2 years
Overall survival
Proportion of patients who die, from the date of randomisation to the date of death from any cause
Time frame: 10 years
Surgery-related adverse events
Surgical related adverse events using CTCAE version 5.0
Time frame: 2 years
Surgery-related adverse events
Surgical related adverse events using Clavien-Dindo scale
Time frame: 3 weeks, 12 weeks and 48 weeks post surgery
Patient-rated quality of life QLQ C30
Baseline EUROQOL QLQ-C30,scores compared to scores reported over the duration on study
Time frame: 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks
Patient-rated quality of life EQ 5D5L
Baseline EQ-5D-5L compared to scores reported over the duration on study
Time frame: 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks
Patient-rated quality of life FACT-M
Week 6 FACT-M scores compared to scores reported over the duration on study
Time frame: 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks
Concordance of metabolic response with pathological response
The PET results correlated with the pathological response
Time frame: week 6
Concordance of metabiolic response with RECIST response
The PET results correlated with the CT response
Time frame: week 6
Concordance of metabolic response with circulating ctDNA
The PET results correlated with the volume of circulating tumour DNA in the blood
Time frame: week 6
Health-related economic costs
Comparison of the health-related costs related to each surgical procedure and its outcomes
Time frame: 2 years
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