Localization of Point A in Cervical Cancer

April 18, 2007 updated by: Mackay Memorial Hospital

Localization of Anatomic Point A in Cervical Cancer Patients

Point A, the major critical point for dose specification of intracavitary brachytherapy, is defined as the crossing of uterine artery and ureter in treatment of cervical cancer. However, the currently advocated systems use hypothetical point A (HPA) to estimate the dosimetry of brachytherapy. This study is to localize anatomic point A (APA) of cervical cancer patients for reference of radiotherapy. We will use laparoscopic clipping technique to localize APA for cervical cancer patients during pelvic and paraaortic lymph node sampling. When these patients are receiving brachytherapy, orthogonal radiographs will be obtained after insertion of tandem and colpostats by using Henschke afterloading applicators.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Radiation therapy (RT), with a relevant integration of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT), is an important part in the treatment of cervical cancer. Even though concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) improves the control of locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis for locally advanced disease, the role of RT remains important and essential. ICBT is an essential component of RT and has been used to deliver a high localized dose to the primary cervical lesion and adjacent parametria with an attempt to minimize dose to nearby normal tissues. The conventional point-based dose prescription systems have been applied for decades. Incorporation of modern imaging techniques, namely computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) to ICBT, enable radiation oncologists to individualize treatment volumes but yet, not applicable for routine practice. Point A, since defined by Tod and Meredith in 1938 and revised in 1953, has been widely accepted as a sacrosanct reference point for dose prescription of ICBT. Point A was defined as a point 2 cm above the cervical os and 2 cm apart from os on the line perpendicular to uterine axis. It is a hypothetical point representing the crossover of the ureter and uterine artery, located in the paracervical triangle, and is considered as a critical point for radiation tolerance. This definition of point A provides an easy way to prescribe dose in ICBT and integrate with EBRT. However, its dosimetry according to orthogonal radiographs would depend solely on the applicator geometry but not the individual tumor volume or location. The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) report 38 proposed a set of guidelines for uniform reporting. Reporting of the dimensions of reference volumes still depends on the geometry of applied applicator and remains difficult for reporting of ICBT. Thus, point A is still used as a reference point for dose prescription and for correlating the treatment outcome in clinical trials. CCRT has been considered as a standard of care for locally advanced cervical cancer. To further dissect the patient population, which may have a benefit of less morbidity from CCRT, but not radical surgery plus subsequent RT, the sampling of pelvic and paraaortic lymph nodes prior to decision of intended surgery has been utilized by performing laparoscopy or laparotomy for stages IB and IIA. Moreover, this sampling procedure can also provide a pathological proof and delineation of lymph nodes at risk for an important reference of RT field design. During sampling procedures, we observed that the point crossing over the ureter and uterine artery could be visualized and marked by using hemoclips. Therefore, the anatomic position of point A could be visualized on the orthogonal films after closure of abdominal wound. In this study, we attempt to compare the location of and the radiation doses to anatomic point A (APA) and hypothetical point A (HPA) during fractionated ICBT.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

20

Phase

  • 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 Backup

  • Name: Men-Hao Wu, MD
  • Phone Number: 2301 886 2 28094661

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 104
        • Recruiting
        • Department of Radiation Oncology
        • Contact:
          • Kuo-Hwa Chang, MD
          • Phone Number: 2301 8862 28094661
        • Contact:
          • Men-Hao Wu, MD
          • Phone Number: 2302 886 2 28064661

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

Ages Eligible for Study

30 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female,
  • Carvical cancer proven by pathology,
  • Indicated for lymph node sampling

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient refuse lymph node sampling,
  • History of allergy to metal materials

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: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Distance difference between anatomiacal and hypothetical point A

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Difference from prescribed dose between anatomiacal and hypothetical point A

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Mackay Memorial Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yu-Jen Chen, MD,PhD, Mackay Memorial Hospital

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.

General Publications

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

November 1, 2006

Study Completion (Anticipated)

April 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 27, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 27, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

April 27, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 19, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 18, 2007

Last Verified

April 1, 2006

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MMH-I-S-260

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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