Prospective Evaluation of Targeted Axillary Dissection (TAD) (TAD)

March 22, 2026 updated by: Susan Kesmodel, MD, University of Miami

TAD: Prospective Evaluation of Targeted Axillary Dissection After Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy in Patients With Breast Cancer With Advanced Nodal Disease at Diagnosis

The purpose of this research is to evaluate how to manage the axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer. The investigators will determine if a sampling of the lymph nodes under the arm will give the information necessary to determine if fewer lymph nodes can be removed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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.
20

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

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 33136
        • University of Miami

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women or men greater than or equal to 18 years.
  • Histologically confirmed invasive adenocarcinoma of the breast.

  • Clinical T0-4 N2-3 M0 at diagnosis (American Joint Committee on Cancer, 7th Edition)

    • Assessment for cN2 disease will be performed by clinical exam and imaging. Patients should have pathologic level 1 and/or 2 axillary lymph nodes which are fixed/matted on physical exam.
    • Cross-sectional imaging will be used to identify advanced nodal disease involving the axilla, infraclavicular, supraclavicular, and internal mammary regions, cN3 disease.
  • Patients must have biopsy proven involvement of the axillary lymph nodes.
  • Receipt of standard multiagent chemotherapy +/- targeted therapy based on tumor subtype.
  • Candidate for surgical management of breast cancer.
  • Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of allergic reactions or hypersensitivity to radioactive lymph node mapping agents or blue dye.
  • Pregnancy.

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: Targeted Axillary Dissection (TAD)
During standard of care (SoC) surgery to remove breast cancer, study participants will undergo a sampling of lymph nodes in the axilla first and then complete removal of axillary lymph nodes under the arm.
Procedure: Axillary Dissection
A surgical procedure that opens the armpit (axilla) to identify, examine, or remove lymph nodes. Axillary dissection will be performed during SoC breast cancer surgery.

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
False Negative Rate
Time Frame: Up to 2 weeks
The false negative rate of targeted axillary dissection after neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) in study participants. A false negative event will be defined as a case where the specific node (either the clipped node or the sentinel lymph node, depending on the analysis) does not show metastasis even though residual disease is identified in the other axillary nodes. The false negative rate will be computed as the number of false negative events divided by the total number of pathologically node-positive patients.
Up to 2 weeks

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
Sentinel Lymph Node Identification Rate
Time Frame: Day 1 (Day of Surgery)
The sentinel lymph node identification rate is the number of study participants with at least one sentinel lymph node divided by total number of study participants.
Day 1 (Day of Surgery)
Clipped Lymph Node Identification Rate
Time Frame: Day 1 (Day of Surgery)
The clipped lymph node identification rate is the number of study participants with at least one clipped lymph node removed divided by the total number of study participants with clipped lymph nodes.
Day 1 (Day of Surgery)
Accuracy Rate of Imaging Studies
Time Frame: Up to 2 weeks
The accuracy rate of imaging studies in determining response in the breast and axilla will be calculated as the sum of true responders on imaging and true non-responders on imaging divided by total number of study participants.
Up to 2 weeks
Pathologic Complete Response (pCR)
Time Frame: Up to 2 weeks
The number of participants with pCR will be reported. The percentage of patients with pCR will be calculated as the number of patients with a pCR divided by the total number of study participants. PCR is defined as the lack of all signs of cancer in tissue samples removed during surgery.
Up to 2 weeks
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events
Time Frame: Up to 3 weeks
Number of participants experiencing treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs). AEs will be assessed by and assigned severity and treatment attribution by the treating physician using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE), Version 5.0.
Up to 3 weeks

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.
University of Miami

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: Susan Kesmodel, MD, University of Miami

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.
March 1, 2022

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.
February 11, 2026

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.
February 11, 2026

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).
August 7, 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.
August 7, 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.
August 10, 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.
March 25, 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.
March 22, 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.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 20201540
  • NCI-2021-11060 (Registry Identifier: NCI Clinical Trials Reporting Program (NCI CTRP))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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.

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