Potential Role for Carbon Nanoparticles to Guide Central Neck Dissection in Patients With Papillary Thyroid Cancer

March 25, 2016 updated by: Wenbin Yu, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid cancer.

The most common site of PTC nodal metastases is the central neck, which has a reported rate of lymph node metastases as high as 50%~70%.

Central neck dissection has important value to ensure accurate clinical staging and surgical planning.

As a novel lymphatic tracer, carbon nanoparticles (CN) have been applied successfully in the detection of sentinel lymph nodes in breast and gastric cancers, while not been used as a lymphatic tracer for PTC. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether the use of CN facilitates the detection of lymph nodes, increases the number of metastatic lymph nodes removed, accurately reflects the metastatic condition of the central neck, and has the potential to protect the parathyroid glands.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

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Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

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Detailed Description

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. It is estimated that 96% of all new endocrine organ cancers will originate from the thyroid gland, resulting in approximately 63,000 new cases in 2014 in the US1. Among them, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid cancer, accounting for more than 90% of all thyroid cancers. The incidence of PTC has been increasing in recent years, largely because of advances in early detection with ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration biopsy1-4. The most effective treatment for PTC is the complete removal of the primary tumor and the metastatic regional lymph nodes, which is a prerequisite for other adjuvant therapies. Cervical lymph node metastases are quite common in PTC and have been reported to occur in 12-81% of patients with PTC5. The most common site of PTC nodal metastases is the central neck, which has a reported rate of lymph node metastases as high as 50%~70%5. Lymph node metastases in this area are difficult to identify preoperatively because the lymph nodes typically do not appear abnormal on preoperative imaging6,7.

Routine dissection of the central neck compartment is still controversial due to uncertain prognostic value of preserving clinically non-apparent lymph node metastasis1,8, central neck dissection has important value to ensure accurate clinical staging and surgical planning. According to previously published data, prophylactic central dissection has been suggested to improve disease-specific survival and to decrease local recurrence9,10 as well as post-treatment thyroglobulin levels9,11. Neck dissection also informs postoperative treatment, follow-up programs, assessment of recurrence risk, and prognosis12. However, routine neck dissection is controversial because of the uncertain effect on prognosis of clinically non-apparent lymph node metastases and because of complications, such as damage to the parathyroid glands, hypoparathyroidism, temporary/permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, and tracheal or esophageal injury, that may profoundly influence a patient's qual¬ity of life.

Methylene blue has been used in the detection of sentinel lymph nodes in thyroid cancer, but methylene blue can also stain parathyroid glands, thyroid tissue, and fat, which can make the anatomic boundaries unclear and thereby restrict the use of methylene blue in PTC. As a novel lymphatic tracer13,14, carbon nanoparticles (CN) have been applied successfully in the detection of sentinel lymph nodes in breast and gastric cancers, while not been used as a lymphatic tracer for PTC. Thus, investigators hypothesized that CN may have clinical value in thyroid cancer as a novel lymph node tracer to guide central neck dissection. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether the use of CN facilitates the detection of lymph nodes, increases the number of metastatic lymph nodes removed, accurately reflects the metastatic condition of the central neck, and has the potential to protect the parathyroid glands. In this study, investigators evaluated the clinical value of CN in acquiring a more accurate reflection of the central neck lymph node status and in guiding central neck dissection.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
140

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All patients were diagnosed with PTC by preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology,
  • Underwent the initial operation in our department, and had all tumors located in one lobe.
  • PTC with a tumor between 1 and 4 cm

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Nonthyroid cancer,
  • Previous thyroid or parathyroid surgery
  • Preoperative hypoparathyroidism or hypocalcemia
  • Pregnancy or lactation
  • Presence or suspicion of lateral neck lymph node metastasis,
  • Age under 18 years
  • Noncompliance with the follow-up protocol

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: carbon nanoparticles
0.1 ml of CN suspension was injected per spot into the tissue surrounding the tumor using a skin test syringe. Two or three randomly selected spots were injected slowly for each tumor, and the total amount injected was no more than 0.5 mL per lobe.
Drug: carbon nanoparticles
0.1 ml of CN suspension was injected per spot into the tissue surrounding the tumor using a skin test syringe. Two or three randomly selected spots were injected slowly for each tumor, and the total amount injected was no more than 0.5 mL per lobe.
Other Names:
  • normal saline

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
lymph node metastatic rates between the carbon nanoparticles and control group
Time Frame: one year
one year
total dissected lymph nodes less than 5mm between the carbon nanoparticles and control group
Time Frame: one year
one year
the number of metastatic lymph nodes with diameter < 5mm between the carbon nanoparticles and control group
Time Frame: one year
one year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Wenbin Yu, MD, Department of head neck

Publications and helpful links

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General Publications

Study record dates

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Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 18, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 25, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 31, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 31, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 25, 2016

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • BJ20161206

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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