Quantitative Microvasculature Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection and Monitoring

January 30, 2026 updated by: Mayo Clinic
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a breast ultrasound method for the diagnosis of breast cancer. Diagnostic procedures, such as breast ultrasound, may help find and diagnose breast cancer, and may help measure a patient's response to earlier treatment. The purpose of this research is to test the effectiveness of a new investigational breast ultrasound method to detect an abnormality in the breast, and assess response to breast cancer treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

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.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Determine the diagnostic performance of the proposed method in a population of pre-biopsy patients with suspicious breast masses and correlate the proposed method results with pathology as the gold standard.

II. Assess and predict the response to preoperative chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients using the proposed method and compare the results to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as control and surgical pathology for pathological complete response (PcR).

III. Determine the diagnostic performance of the proposed method in identifying metastatic axillary lymph node in patients with suspected or known breast cancer lesions; correlate the results with pathology as the gold standard.

OUTLINE:

AIM 1: Participants undergo a breast ultrasound over 15 minutes.

AIM 2: Participants undergo breast ultrasounds over 15 minutes before starting the chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy, 2 months after start of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy, and after the completion of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy before surgery. Participants may also undergo breast ultrasounds at 2 weeks after start of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy and 1 month after start of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy .

AIM 3: Patients with suspicious breast masses or known breast cancer who are scheduled for axillary lymph node biopsy undergo ultrasound over 15 minutes at the same visit of the breast mass study.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
550

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Recruiting
        • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Azra Alizad, M.D.

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

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Volunteers for Aim 1 are without a history of mastectomy or implants, and at least a single suspicious breast mass that is scheduled for biopsy. Volunteers for Aim 2 have biopsy proven breast cancer and are scheduled for chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • AIM 1: Patient volunteers, ages >= 18 with suspicious breast masses scheduled for breast biopsy, or at least two weeks or more after breast biopsy
  • AIM 2: Patient volunteers, ages >= 18 who have biopsy proven breast cancer and are going under neoadjuvant chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy had their baseline MRI and/or ultrasound

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with breast implants or any condition that does not allow proper use of ultrasound (US)

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
Observational (ultrasound)

AIM 1: Participants undergo a breast ultrasound over 15 minutes.

AIM 2: Participants undergo breast ultrasounds over 15 minutes before starting the chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy, 2 months after start of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy, and after the completion of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy before surgery. Participants may also undergo breast ultrasounds at 2 weeks after start of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy and 1 month after start of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy.

AIM 3: Patients with suspicious breast masses or known breast cancer who are scheduled for axillary lymph node biopsy undergo ultrasound over 15 minutes at the same visit of the breast mass study.
Procedure: Ultrasound
Undergo breast ultrasound

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Specificity of ultrasound in detection of breast cancer
Time Frame: Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
Will be reported including 95% confidence intervals derived from the cross-validation procedure.
Up to study completion, an average of 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Accuracy in prediction of treatment response
Time Frame: Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
Morphological parameters of the lesion's microvasculature will be assessed at each visit. Correlation between changes in the morphological parameters and the clinical measure of lesion size will be assessed. Analyses will be done by time periods separately, change from pre-chemotherapy to halfway through chemotherapy and again from pre to post-chemotherapy. The diagnostic accuracy estimates will be reported along with 95% confidence interval. Univariate associations between changes in microvasculature parameters assessments during a time period with the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment for change in the same time period will be assessed using logistic regression, reporting the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Multi-variable logistic regression will be used to assess independent associations of change in assessments with MRI assessment for change. T-tests will be used to compare microvasculature information between chemotherapy responders and non-responders.
Up to study completion, an average of 1 year

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Specificity of ultrasound in prediction of NUMMA parameters - tortuosity
Time Frame: Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
The diagnostic accuracy of the NUMMA parameters, such as tortuosity will be assessed using an automated quantification tool. Logistic regression models will examine these collective parameters as predictors of metastatic axillary lymph node in breast cancer patients. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (area under the curve) will be examined for univariate and multivariable models. Statistical evaluation of the performance of 2 dimensional (D) and 3D images will be performed with the McNemar's test separately for metastatic and reactive lymph nodes.
Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
Specificity of ultrasound in prediction of NUMMA parameters - vessel diameter
Time Frame: Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
The diagnostic accuracy of the NUMMA parameters, such as vessel diameter will be assessed using an automated quantification tool. Logistic regression models will examine these collective parameters as predictors of metastatic axillary lymph node in breast cancer patients. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (area under the curve) will be examined for univariate and multivariable models. Statistical evaluation of the performance of 2 dimensional (D) and 3D images will be performed with the McNemar's test separately for metastatic and reactive lymph nodes.
Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
Specificity of ultrasound in prediction of NUMMA parameters - numbers of vessel segments
Time Frame: Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
The diagnostic accuracy of the NUMMA parameters, such as numbers of vessel segments will be assessed using an automated quantification tool. Logistic regression models will examine these collective parameters as predictors of metastatic axillary lymph node in breast cancer patients. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (area under the curve) will be examined for univariate and multivariable models. Statistical evaluation of the performance of 2 dimensional (D) and 3D images will be performed with the McNemar's test separately for metastatic and reactive lymph nodes.
Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
Specificity of ultrasound in prediction of NUMMA parameters - vessel density
Time Frame: Up to study completion, an average of 1 year
The diagnostic accuracy of the NUMMA parameters, such as vessel density will be assessed using an automated quantification tool. Logistic regression models will examine these collective parameters as predictors of metastatic axillary lymph node in breast cancer patients. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (area under the curve) will be examined for univariate and multivariable models. Statistical evaluation of the performance of 2 dimensional (D) and 3D images will be performed with the McNemar's test separately for metastatic and reactive lymph nodes.
Up to study completion, an average of 1 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.
Mayo Clinic

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

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.
  • Principal Investigator: Azra Alizad, M.D., Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

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.
September 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 29, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
November 29, 2027

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 10, 2021

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 11, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

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 16, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
February 3, 2026

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.
January 30, 2026

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.
January 1, 2026

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.
  • 19-003028 (Other Identifier: Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board)
  • NCI-2021-01733 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))
  • R01CA239548 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

Clinical Trials on Breast Neoplasm

Clinical Trials on Ultrasound

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings