Modifications to Radical Prostatectomy: Feasibility Study

November 19, 2019 updated by: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

A Randomized Trial of Modifications to Radical Prostatectomy: Feasibility Study

This study aims to determine whether surgeons at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are able to randomize patients to test modifications of surgery to remove the prostate. Surgery to remove the prostate is known as a "radical prostatectomy". Surgeons know many things about the best way to do a radical prostatectomy. However, there is disagreement about some aspects of surgery. Two modifications of surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy) identified for this study include Irrigation, and Fascial Suturing.

Two aspects of the operation may vary, fascial suturing and urethral irrigation. For each aspect, surgeons will use their clinical judgment as to the best interests of the patient. In other words, if there are clear reasons to use or avoid a fascial suturing approach, the surgeon will act accordingly; similarly, if there is a clear reason to irrigate or avoid irrigating the urethra, the surgeon can make the appropriate clinical decision. If the surgeon is unsure as to which approach to take, then the randomization scheme will be followed.

All of the surgeons who are taking part in this study have used these techniques at different times. However, they are unsure as to the best approach. Sometimes, they use different treatments with different patients.

Irrigation. Cancer cells can spill during surgery and this can cause cancer to return ("recur"). Some surgeons believe that "irrigating" could help stop spilling of cancer cells. "Irrigating" means washing the surgical area with sterile water and sucking the water back up through a tube. As a result, surgeons vary as to how they irrigate. In this study, we will examine irrigation of the urethra. This is the part of the body that carries urine from the bladder to the penis.

Fascial suturing. Surgeons believe that what happens to the urethra can affect the risk of incontinence. This is when a patient cannot control urine, and drips or leaks urine. One idea is that additional stitches ("sutures") to the connective tissue ("fascia") could be helpful, but this is not known for sure.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

154

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 Locations

    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients scheduled for radical prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer with one of the consenting surgeons at MSKCC.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior treatment for prostate cancer: radiation, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy or focal therapy.

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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: urethral irrigation but no fascial suturing, QOL forms
The anterior two-thirds of the urethra is divided exposing a Foley catheter that was placed at the beginning of the procedure. Irrigation of the urethra may prevent spread of prostate cancer cells to tissue that is not removed during surgery. The urethra is irrigated with 60 cc of sterile water as it is withdrawn from the patient to 'wash' the urethra.
Cancer cells can spill during surgery and this can cause cancer to return ("recur"). Some surgeons believe that "irrigating" could help stop spilling of cancer cells. "Irrigating" means washing the surgical area with sterile water and sucking the water back up through a tube. As a result, surgeons vary as to how they irrigate. In this study, we will examine irrigation of the urethra. This is the part of the body that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. Quality of life are assessed for clinical evaluation approximately 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 months after surgery
Active Comparator: fascial suturing but no urethral irrigation, QOL forms
For patients undergoing fascial suturing only, after the initial placement of the suture through the urethra a second bite is taken deeply into the fascia of the lateral pelvic fascia.
Surgeons believe that what happens to the urethra can affect the risk of incontinence. This is when a patient cannot control urine, and drips or leaks urine. One idea is that additional stitches ("sutures") to the connective tissue ("fascia") could be helpful, but this is not known for sure. Quality of life are assessed for clinical evaluation approximately 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 months after surgery
Active Comparator: both urethral irrigation and fascial suturing, QOL forms
Quality of life are assessed for clinical evaluation approximately 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 months after surgery
Active Comparator: neither urethral irrigation nor fascial suturing, QOL forms
Quality of life are assessed for clinical evaluation approximately 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 months after surgery

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
To pilot a randomized trial of modifications to radical prostatectomy to determine:Proportion of patients accrued and Accrual rate
Time Frame: 1 year
1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Determine surgeon compliance with allocation
Time Frame: 1 year
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Andrew Vickers, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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.

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

June 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 4, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

May 4, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 25, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

June 26, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 21, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 19, 2019

Last Verified

November 1, 2019

More Information

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 Prostate Cancer

Subscribe