Comparison Trial of Open-tip Pulsed Needle Biopsy and Conventional Core Biopsy in Axillary Lymph Nodes

NCT ID: NCT04500262

Last Updated: 2023-06-01

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

479 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-07-13

Study Completion Date

2025-03-31

Brief Summary

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The aim of the study is to compare performance and safety of a newly developed 14-gauge open-tip pulsed biopsy needle with a conventional 14-gauge core biopsy needle for sampling of radiologically indeterminate or suspicious axillary lymph nodes in women with radiologically suspected breast cancer.

This is a Sponsor-initiated multicentre randomised trial. At the time of radiological breast cancer diagnosis women with ultrasonically abnormal lymph nodes undergo axillary sampling using the NeoNavia biopsy system or a common CNB device. This is in accordance with clinical routine and current clinical guidelines. The NeoNavia biopsy system is approved for use in the axillary lymph nodes.

Detailed Description

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It is the standard of care in the United Kingdom for women with suspected or confirmed breast cancer to undergo ultrasound of the ipsilateral axilla prior to surgery in order to detect nodal metastatic disease. Women with invasive breast cancer and normal axillary ultrasound will then undergo operative sentinel lymph node biopsy. This is usually at the same time as the surgical removal of the breast cancer by wide local excision or mastectomy but may be done as a separate procedure before (e.g. where neoadjuvant chemotherapy is planned) or after (e.g. if a non-operative diagnosis of invasive breast cancer was not made prior to surgery). Women who are found to have a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (i.e. have axillary metastatic disease) normally undergo axillary node clearance (ANC) at a subsequent operation. This policy may change in the future, as evidence from the American Z0011 study suggests that women with low volume axillary metastatic disease do as well with no further axillary surgery plus standard adjuvant treatment as those that undergo ANC.

Women who have abnormal lymph nodes on axillary ultrasound undergo tissue sampling with core needle biopsy (CNB), usually 14 Gauge (14G) under local anaesthetic or with fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Women with proven axillary nodal metastases will then usually undergo axillary node clearance at the same operation as surgical removal of the primary tumour.

The number of women who need to undergo more than one operation can therefore be minimised by maximising the number of women with axillary metastatic disease in whom this diagnosis is made preoperatively.

Meta-analyses of published studies and more recent studies suggest that ultrasound has a sensitivity of \~60% and specificity of \~80% for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes. Although no randomised comparisons of 14G core needle biopsy (CNB) and FNAC have been performed, several studies have suggested that CNB is more accurate. Ultrasound-guided biopsy of nodes subsequently proven at surgery to contain metastases has a sensitivity of \~80% and a specificity of 100% and is more likely to be positive in those women with a higher nodal burden. Numerous studies suggest that increasing the volume of tissue removed may increase the diagnostic yield.

Recently a new biopsy device indicated for the use in breast and axillary lymph nodes (NeoNavia biopsy system, NeoDynamics, Sweden) has become available. It incorporates a pneumatic needle insertion mechanism that is intended to provide better control of needle progression and enable stepwise insertion without noticeable deformation or displacement of surrounding tissue as visualized under ultrasound. Furthermore a new method of tissue acquisition is employed that has pre-clinically shown a significantly higher sampling yield compared to CNB. These characteristics indicate that the device could be well suited for axillary lymph node biopsies. Initial clinical results indicate that in axillary lesions deemed "technically difficult", i.e. where prior US-guided biopsies with CNB or FNA had yielded non-diagnostic histology results, the NeoNavia device performed successfully, thereby significantly altering clinical management.

Conditions

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Breast Cancer

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Open-tip pulsed needle biopsy

Biopsy procedure using the NeoNavia biopsy system. The needle used in this study is of the same outside diameter as a standard biopsy needle used in the breast or axilla (14-gauge) but does not have a notched trochar like a conventional spring-loaded device. It does not have a redundant portion of needle beyond the sampling zone and takes full circumference cylindrical cores.

A pneumatic system powered by a floor-standing base unit connected via a handheld driver to the biopsy device provides impulses to the needle, allowing the operator to advance the needle through tissue with little manual force (NeoNavia biopsy system, NeoDynamics, Sweden).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Open-tip pulsed needle biopsy (NeoNavia Biopsy System)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Ultrasound-guided biopsy using 14G open-tip pulsed biopsy needle

Conventional core needle biopsy (CNB)

Standard of care core needle biopsy used currently in clinics for biopsy procedures

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Core needle biopsy (CNB)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Ultrasound-guided biopsy using standard of care core needle biopsy

Interventions

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Open-tip pulsed needle biopsy (NeoNavia Biopsy System)

Ultrasound-guided biopsy using 14G open-tip pulsed biopsy needle

Intervention Type DEVICE

Core needle biopsy (CNB)

Ultrasound-guided biopsy using standard of care core needle biopsy

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Women in screening and symptomatic clinics aged 18 years or older with breast masses scored as 1 of the following:

* M3, M4 or M5 (mammographically uncertain, suspicious or highly suspicious of malignancy)
* MRI5 (highly suspicious of malignancy on MRI)
* U3, U4 or U5 (ultrasonically uncertain, suspicious or highly suspicious of malignancy)
* have histologically proven breast cancer
* who have ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes which are described as indeterminate or suspicious for metastatic disease and indicated for biopsy, as determined by individual breast unit criteria
* are able to give informed consent for the study

Exclusion Criteria

* Previous ipsilateral axillary surgery
* Target lymph node not suitable for needle biopsy due to its close proximity to critical structures such as major blood vessels
* Unable to give written informed consent in English
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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NeoDynamics AB

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Sarah Vinnicombe, Dr

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Locations

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Basildon University Hospital

Basildon, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Cambridge, , United Kingdom

Site Status TERMINATED

Thirlestaine Breast Centre, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation

Cheltenham, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Darlington Memorial Hospital

Darlington, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

University Hospital of North Durham

Durham, , United Kingdom

Site Status TERMINATED

Western General Hospital, Lothian NHS Trust

Edinburgh, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Northwick Park Hospital

Harrow, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

High Wycombe Hospital

High Wycombe, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Hull, , United Kingdom

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

St James's University Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Leeds, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

King Edward VII's Hospital, BARTS Health NHS Trust

London, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Manchester, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

North Manchester General Hospital

Manchester, , United Kingdom

Site Status RECRUITING

Southend University Hospital

Southend, , United Kingdom

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

The Royal Marsden, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Sutton, , United Kingdom

Site Status WITHDRAWN

Royal Cornwall Hospital

Truro, , United Kingdom

Site Status WITHDRAWN

Countries

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United Kingdom

Central Contacts

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Kai-Uwe Schässburger, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

+46(0)8 522 79 664

Facility Contacts

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Jessica Eades

Role: primary

Sarah Vinnicombe, Dr

Role: primary

Bob Kent

Role: primary

Melanie Smith, Dr

Role: primary

Mia Morgan, Dr

Role: primary

Chin Lian NG, Dr

Role: primary

Joanna Wieczorek, Dr

Role: primary

Nisha Sharma, Dr

Role: primary

Tamara Suaris, Dr

Role: primary

Gillian Hutchinson, Dr

Role: primary

Alison Darlington, Dr

Role: primary

Tania Mercado, Dr

Role: primary

References

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Topps AR, Barr SP, Pikoulas P, Pritchard SA, Maxwell AJ. Pre-operative Axillary Ultrasound-Guided Needle Sampling in Breast Cancer: Comparing the Sensitivity of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and Core Needle Biopsy. Ann Surg Oncol. 2018 Jan;25(1):148-153. doi: 10.1245/s10434-017-6090-1. Epub 2017 Oct 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Britton PD, Provenzano E, Barter S, Gaskarth M, Goud A, Moyle P, Sinnatamby R, Wallis M, Benson JR, Forouhi P, Wishart GC. Ultrasound guided percutaneous axillary lymph node core biopsy: how often is the sentinel lymph node being biopsied? Breast. 2009 Feb;18(1):13-6. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2008.09.003. Epub 2008 Nov 7.

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Giuliano AE, Hunt KK, Ballman KV, Beitsch PD, Whitworth PW, Blumencranz PW, Leitch AM, Saha S, McCall LM, Morrow M. Axillary dissection vs no axillary dissection in women with invasive breast cancer and sentinel node metastasis: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2011 Feb 9;305(6):569-75. doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.90.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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POSNOC - A Trial Looking at Axillary Treatment in Early Breast Cancer (POSNOC). ClinicaltrialsGov n.d. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02401685 (accessed February 18, 2019)

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Alvarez S, Anorbe E, Alcorta P, Lopez F, Alonso I, Cortes J. Role of sonography in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer: a systematic review. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2006 May;186(5):1342-8. doi: 10.2214/AJR.05.0936.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Houssami N, Ciatto S, Turner RM, Cody HS 3rd, Macaskill P. Preoperative ultrasound-guided needle biopsy of axillary nodes in invasive breast cancer: meta-analysis of its accuracy and utility in staging the axilla. Ann Surg. 2011 Aug;254(2):243-51. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e31821f1564.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21597359 (View on PubMed)

Joh JE, Han G, Kiluk JV, Laronga C, Khakpour N, Lee MC. Indications for axillary ultrasound use in breast cancer patients. Clin Breast Cancer. 2012 Dec;12(6):433-7. doi: 10.1016/j.clbc.2012.09.009. Epub 2012 Oct 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Leenders MW, Broeders M, Croese C, Richir MC, Go HL, Langenhorst BL, Meijer S, Schreurs WH. Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer. To do or not to do? Breast. 2012 Aug;21(4):578-83. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2012.05.008. Epub 2012 Jun 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22717665 (View on PubMed)

Rattay T, Muttalib M, Khalifa E, Duncan A, Parker SJ. Clinical utility of routine pre-operative axillary ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology in patient selection for sentinel lymph node biopsy. Breast. 2012 Apr;21(2):210-4. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2011.09.014. Epub 2011 Oct 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Garcia-Ortega MJ, Benito MA, Vahamonde EF, Torres PR, Velasco AB, Paredes MM. Pretreatment axillary ultrasonography and core biopsy in patients with suspected breast cancer: diagnostic accuracy and impact on management. Eur J Radiol. 2011 Jul;79(1):64-72. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2009.12.011. Epub 2010 Jan 4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Rao R, Lilley L, Andrews V, Radford L, Ulissey M. Axillary staging by percutaneous biopsy: sensitivity of fine-needle aspiration versus core needle biopsy. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 May;16(5):1170-5. doi: 10.1245/s10434-009-0421-9. Epub 2009 Mar 5.

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PMID: 19263171 (View on PubMed)

Rautiainen S, Masarwah A, Sudah M, Sutela A, Pelkonen O, Joukainen S, Sironen R, Karja V, Vanninen R. Axillary lymph node biopsy in newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer: comparative accuracy of fine-needle aspiration biopsy versus core-needle biopsy. Radiology. 2013 Oct;269(1):54-60. doi: 10.1148/radiol.13122637. Epub 2013 Jun 14.

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Ganott MA, Zuley ML, Abrams GS, Lu AH, Kelly AE, Sumkin JH, Chivukula M, Carter G, Austin RM, Bandos AI. Ultrasound Guided Core Biopsy versus Fine Needle Aspiration for Evaluation of Axillary Lymphadenopathy in Patients with Breast Cancer. ISRN Oncol. 2014 Feb 4;2014:703160. doi: 10.1155/2014/703160. eCollection 2014.

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van Wely BJ, de Wilt JH, Francissen C, Teerenstra S, Strobbe LJ. Meta-analysis of ultrasound-guided biopsy of suspicious axillary lymph nodes in the selection of patients with extensive axillary tumour burden in breast cancer. Br J Surg. 2015 Feb;102(3):159-68. doi: 10.1002/bjs.9663. Epub 2014 Oct 29.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Lee J, Bishop B, Allen S. NeoNavia biopsy system: Our experience of a new device for more precise ultrasound-guided percutaneous core biopsy of axillary lymph nodes. Breast Cancer Res 2017;19(suppl 1):18.

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Abe H, Schmidt RA, Sennett CA, Shimauchi A, Newstead GM. US-guided core needle biopsy of axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer: why and how to do it. Radiographics. 2007 Oct;27 Suppl 1:S91-9. doi: 10.1148/rg.27si075502.

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Abe H, Schmidt RA, Kulkarni K, Sennett CA, Mueller JS, Newstead GM. Axillary lymph nodes suspicious for breast cancer metastasis: sampling with US-guided 14-gauge core-needle biopsy--clinical experience in 100 patients. Radiology. 2009 Jan;250(1):41-9. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2493071483. Epub 2008 Oct 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Related Links

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29519406/

Schässburger et al. High velocity pulse biopsy device enables controllable and precise needle insertion and high yield tissue acquisition. Phys Med. 2018 Feb;46:25-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2017.12.014. Epub 2018 Jan 30.

Other Identifiers

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NEODOC- 2021668610-221

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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