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Lymphovenous Bypass Procedure Before Underarm Lymph Node Surgery in Preventing Lymphedema in Patients With Inflammatory or Locally Advanced Non-inflammatory Breast Cancer or Melanoma

Prophylactic Lymphovenous Bypass Procedure Following Axillary Lymphadenectomy: A Prospective Observational Study

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03941756
Enrollment
252
Registered
2019-05-08
Start date
2018-08-14
Completion date
2025-12-31
Last updated
2025-11-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anatomic Stage III Breast Cancer AJCC v8, Breast Inflammatory Carcinoma, Locally Advanced Breast Carcinoma, Melanoma

Brief summary

This pilot trial studies whether a procedure called lymphovenous bypass would prevent lymphedema (arm swelling) in patients with inflammatory breast cancer or non-inflammatory breast cancer that has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes or melanoma. The lymphovenous bypass procedure creates a path for lymphatic fluid to flow away from the arms. It is usually done after a diagnosis of lymphedema. In this study, giving lymphovenous bypass before underarm lymph node surgery may help prevent lymphedema from forming.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate the protective benefit to performing standard of care lymphovenous bypass (LVB) surgery at the time of standard of care axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for patients that are high risk for developing breast-cancer related lymphedema (LE) of the upper extremity. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the medical outcomes for patients that received the LVB surgery with those receiving standard surgery in whom the intervention could not be performed. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 groups. GROUP I: Patients receive indocyanine green intravenously (IV) and undergo lymphangiography, then undergo LVB at the time of ALND. GROUP II: Patients do not receive indocyanine green, undergo lymphangiography, nor undergo LVB at the time of ALND. After completion of study, patients are followed up at 2 weeks, and then at 6, 12, and 18 months.

Interventions

DRUGIndocyanine Green

Given IV

Undergo lymphangiography

Undergo LVB

Sponsors

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients greater than or equal to 18 years of age. * Patients willing to participate. * Patients able to complete informed consent. * Patients will be eligible for inclusion if they fall into one for two groups: * Patients with inflammatory breast cancer, and those with locally advanced non-inflammatory breast cancer that are undergoing ALND and are anticipated to receive radiation therapy * Or: Patients with a diagnosis of melanoma (including unknown primary) that will undergo ALND will also be eligible for inclusion in the study as a comparator group.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients taking anticoagulants within 7 days prior to surgery. * Patients that are known to be pregnant at the time of surgery. * Patients are available for follow-up less than 18 months or do not undergo measurements within the scheduled period. * Patients with body mass index (BMI) greater than 50.0.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Volumetric diagnosis of lymphedema18 monthsIf the limb volume change, meets the criteria for a diagnosis of lymphedema at any time (5 percent, change), then the patient receives a diagnosis of lymphedema.
Incidence of lymphedema18 monthsWill compare the incidence of lymphedema after mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection surgery between two surgical techniques.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026