MedPath

Lymph Node Removal in Treating Women Who Have Stage I or Stage IIA Breast Cancer

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Breast Cancer
Interventions
Procedure: axillary lymph node dissection
Radiation: whole breast irradiation
Registration Number
NCT00003855
Lead Sponsor
Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Brief Summary

RATIONALE: Surgery to remove lymph nodes in the armpit may remove cancer cells that have spread from tumors in the breast.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to determine the effectiveness of removing lymph nodes in the armpit in treating women who have stage I or stage IIA breast cancer.

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

Primary objectives:

Long term: To assess whether overall survival for patients randomized to Arm 2 (no immediate ALND) is essentially equivalent to (or better than) than that for patients assigned to Arm 1 (completion ALND).

Short term: To quantify and compare the surgical morbidities associated with SLND plus ALND versus SLND alone.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. After segmental mastectomy and sentinel lymph node dissection, patients are stratified according to age (50 and under vs over 50), estrogen receptor status (positive vs negative), and tumor size (no greater than 1 cm vs greater than 1 cm but no greater than 2 cm vs greater than 2 cm). Patients are randomized to one of two treatment arms.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
605
Inclusion Criteria

PLEASE NOTE: Patients registered to this study may undergo intra-operative or post¬operative randomization.

  1. Patient must be female.

  2. Patient must be at least 18 years of age.

  3. Patient's clinical stage must be documented as tumor size less than 5 cm, with no palpable nodes and no evidence of metastatic disease (T1 or T2 N0 M0; see appendices for staging criteria) and the tumor documented as amenable to lumpectomy.

  4. Patient must have a tissue diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma. Note: A patient can be registered to this study if they have a cytologic diagnosis suggestive of carcinoma from a fine needle aspiration (FNA) of a palpable or non-palpable breast lesion and the investigator believes the breast lesion is clinically suspicious for invasive breast carcinoma.

  5. Date of the patient's first tissue diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma or cytologic diagnosis of carcinoma must be no more than 60 days prior to the SLND.

  6. The patient who had BCT (segmental mastectomy) performed previously, and is now referred to the local investigator for SLND, is eligible if the BCT was less than or equal to 60 days prior to the SLND. NOTE: Copies of the operative and pathology reports must be submitted as part of the registration process.

  7. Patient must have ECOG/Zubrod status =2, as documented in patient's medical record.

  8. Patient must be available for follow-up.

  9. Patient of childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test within 14 days of beginning study interventions.

  10. Patient must have access to radiation therapy.

  11. A sentinel lymph node must be identified that contains metastatic breast cancer as documented by frozen section, touch prep, or H&E staining on permanent section.

    • NOTE: Patients with metastatic breast cancer identified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) are not eligible.
  12. Patient randomized to ALND must undergo ALND within 42 days of their SLND.

  13. A patient with a history of a previous malignancy is eligible for this study as long as the patient meets the following criteria for a cancer survivor. A cancer survivor is eligible provided that the following criteria are met:

    1. The patient has undergone potentially curative therapy for all prior malignancies,
    2. There has been no evidence of any prior malignancies for at least five years with no evidence of recurrence (except for effectively treated basal cell or squamous carcinoma of the skin, carcinoma in -situ of the cervix that has been effectively treated by surgery alone, or lobular carcinoma in-situ of the ipsilateral or contralateral breast treated by surgery alone), and
    3. The patient is deemed by their treating physician to be at low risk for recurrence from prior malignancies.
  14. Patient or the patient's legally acceptable representative must provide a signed and dated written informed consent prior to registration and any study-related procedures.

  15. Patient must provide written authorization to allow the use and disclosure of their protected health information. NOTE: This may be obtained in either the study-specific informed consent or in a separate authorization form and must be obtained from the patient prior to study registration.

Exclusion Criteria
  1. Patient is lactating (breastfeeding).
  2. Patient has been previously treated with chemotherapy, estrogen receptor antagonists (i.e., Tamoxifen) or selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs, i.e., Raloxifene) for this invasive breast cancer.
  3. Patient has a previously placed pre-pectoral breast implant. NOTE: A subpectoral implant is allowed.
  4. Patient has concurrent invasive bilateral breast malignancies.
  5. Patient has clinically and radiologically identified multi-centric disease that is not amenable to a single lumpectomy.
  6. Patient has had previous ipsilateral axillary surgery such as excisional biopsy of lymph node(s), treatment of hidradenitis.
  7. Patient has a medical contraindication to ALND or is considered a poor surgical risk due to a non-malignant systemic disease (cardiovascular, renal, etc.) that would preclude the treatment options.
  8. Patient who is noted to have matted nodes or gross extranodal disease at the time of SLND.
  9. Patient has three or more positive sentinel nodes by frozen section, touch prep, or H&E staining on permanent section.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Surgery + radiotherapywhole breast irradiationPatients undergo axillary lymph node dissection involving removal of at least level I and II nodes, followed by whole-breast radiotherapy (exclusive of a third supraclavicular field) 5 days a week for a maximum of 7 weeks. Patients may receive adjuvant systemic therapy at the discretion of the treating physician. Patients are followed up at 30 days, at 6, 12, 18, 30, and 36 months, and then annually for a total of 10 years.
Radiotherapywhole breast irradiationPatients undergo breast radiotherapy only. Patients may receive adjuvant systemic therapy at the discretion of the treating physician. Patients are followed up at 30 days, at 6, 12, 18, 30, and 36 months, and then annually for a total of 10 years.
Surgery + radiotherapyaxillary lymph node dissectionPatients undergo axillary lymph node dissection involving removal of at least level I and II nodes, followed by whole-breast radiotherapy (exclusive of a third supraclavicular field) 5 days a week for a maximum of 7 weeks. Patients may receive adjuvant systemic therapy at the discretion of the treating physician. Patients are followed up at 30 days, at 6, 12, 18, 30, and 36 months, and then annually for a total of 10 years.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Overall survivalUp to 10 years
MorbidityUp to 10 years
Disease-free survivalUp to 10 years
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (155)

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

🇺🇸

Palo Alto, California, United States

St. Vincent's University Hospital

🇮🇪

Dublin, Ireland

Geisinger Medical Center

🇺🇸

Danville, Pennsylvania, United States

Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

🇺🇸

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Simmons Cancer Center at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

McKay-Dee Hospital Center

🇺🇸

Ogden, Utah, United States

Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University

🇺🇸

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University

🇺🇸

Columbus, Ohio, United States

UPMC Cancer Center at Magee-Womens Hospital

🇺🇸

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

St. Vincent Doctors Doctors Hospital

🇺🇸

Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Loma Linda University Cancer Institute at Loma Linda University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Loma Linda, California, United States

Shasta Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

Redding, California, United States

St. Joseph Hospital Regional Cancer Center - Orange

🇺🇸

Orange, California, United States

Deaconess Hospital

🇺🇸

Evansville, Indiana, United States

Charles B. Eberhart Cancer Center at DeKalb Medical Center

🇺🇸

Decatur, Georgia, United States

Watson Clinic

🇺🇸

Lakeland, Florida, United States

Baptist Health Medical Center

🇺🇸

Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

St. Joseph's Regional Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Stockton, California, United States

Morton Plant Hospital

🇺🇸

Clearwater, Florida, United States

Summit Medical Center

🇺🇸

Oakland, California, United States

Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Huntington Cancer Center at Huntington Hospital

🇺🇸

Pasadena, California, United States

Lakeland Regional Cancer Center at Lakeland Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

Lakeland, Florida, United States

St. Luke's Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

Boise, Idaho, United States

Washington Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

Colton, California, United States

Martin Memorial Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Stuart, Florida, United States

Phoebe Cancer Center at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital

🇺🇸

Albany, Georgia, United States

Toledo Hospital

🇺🇸

Toledo, Ohio, United States

Baton Rouge General Regional Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Memorial Hospital Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

St. Mary's Medical Center

🇺🇸

Evansville, Indiana, United States

Woman's Hospital

🇺🇸

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Belleville Memorial Hospital

🇺🇸

Belleville, Illinois, United States

Surgical Oncology of Northeast Georgia

🇺🇸

Gainesville, Georgia, United States

DeCesaris Cancer Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Center

🇺🇸

Annapolis, Maryland, United States

Maine Medical Center

🇺🇸

Portland, Maine, United States

St. Elizabeth's Hospital

🇺🇸

Belleville, Illinois, United States

Easton Hospital

🇺🇸

Easton, Pennsylvania, United States

Fallon Clinic at Worcester Medical Center

🇺🇸

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Central Baptist Hospital

🇺🇸

Lexington, Kentucky, United States

Mount Nittany Medical Center

🇺🇸

State College, Pennsylvania, United States

St. Paul University Hospital

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

Williamsport Hospital

🇺🇸

Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States

University of Texas Medical Branch

🇺🇸

Galveston, Texas, United States

Kingston Hospital

🇺🇸

Kingston, New York, United States

Zale Lipshy University Hospital

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

St. Luke's Hospital Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States

West Virginia University Hospitals

🇺🇸

Morgantown, West Virginia, United States

Swedish Cancer Institute at Swedish Medical Center - First Hill Campus

🇺🇸

Seattle, Washington, United States

University of Texas - MD Anderson Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Houston, Texas, United States

Baylor University Medical Center - Houston

🇺🇸

Houston, Texas, United States

Sharp Memorial Hospital

🇺🇸

San Diego, California, United States

Carilion New River Valley Medical Center

🇺🇸

Christiansburg, Virginia, United States

UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

San Francisco, California, United States

Huntsman Cancer Institute

🇺🇸

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Baptist Hospital

🇺🇸

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Centennial Medical Center

🇺🇸

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Kaiser Permanente Medical Office - Mother Joseph Plaza

🇺🇸

Portland, Oregon, United States

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center

🇺🇸

Portland, Oregon, United States

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

🇺🇸

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Josephine Ford Cancer Center at Henry Ford Health System

🇺🇸

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Mobile Infirmary Medical Center

🇺🇸

Mobile, Alabama, United States

University of Colorado Cancer Center at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

🇺🇸

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Providence Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Mobile, Alabama, United States

CCOP - Mayo Clinic Scottsdale Oncology Program

🇺🇸

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Arkansas Cancer Research Center at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

🇺🇸

Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Mount Diablo Regional Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Concord, California, United States

Mercy San Juan Hospital

🇺🇸

Carmichael, California, United States

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Duarte, California, United States

Sonoma Valley Hospital

🇺🇸

Sonoma, California, United States

John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center

🇺🇸

Santa Monica, California, United States

CCOP - Christiana Care Health Services

🇺🇸

Newark, Delaware, United States

Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Alexian Brothers Medical Center

🇺🇸

Elk Grove Village, Illinois, United States

John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Alvin and Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital

🇺🇸

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

🇺🇸

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Genesys Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

Grand Blanc, Michigan, United States

Great Lakes Cancer Institute - McLaren

🇺🇸

Flint, Michigan, United States

Henry Ford Medical Center - West Bloomfield

🇺🇸

West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States

Spectrum Health - Blodgett Campus

🇺🇸

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Park Nicollet Clinic

🇺🇸

Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, United States

United Hospital

🇺🇸

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States

University of Mississippi Medical Center

🇺🇸

Jackson, Mississippi, United States

Keesler Medical Center - Keesler Air Force Base

🇺🇸

Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, United States

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital

🇺🇸

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

Ellis Fischel Cancer Center at University of Missouri - Columbia

🇺🇸

Columbia, Missouri, United States

Regional Cancer Center at Singing River Hospital

🇺🇸

Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States

Hulston Cancer Center at Cox Medical Center South

🇺🇸

Springfield, Missouri, United States

Fox Chase Virtua Health Cancer Program at Virtua Memorial Hospital

🇺🇸

Marlton, New Jersey, United States

Southern New Hampshire Medical Center

🇺🇸

Nashua, New Hampshire, United States

Louis Busch Hager Cancer Center at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital

🇺🇸

Cooperstown, New York, United States

Roswell Park Cancer Institute

🇺🇸

Buffalo, New York, United States

Fern Feldman Anolick Breast Center at Benedictine Hospital

🇺🇸

Kingston, New York, United States

New York Weill Cornell Cancer Center at Cornell University

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

Highland Hospital of Rochester

🇺🇸

Rochester, New York, United States

James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at University of Rochester Medical Center

🇺🇸

Rochester, New York, United States

Hope A Women's Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Asheville, North Carolina, United States

Blumenthal Cancer Center at Carolinas Medical Center

🇺🇸

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Tri-Health Good Samaritan Hospital

🇺🇸

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Good Samaritan Hospital

🇺🇸

Dayton, Ohio, United States

Miami Valley Hospital

🇺🇸

Dayton, Ohio, United States

Middletown Regional Hospital

🇺🇸

Middletown, Ohio, United States

Flower Hospital - ProMedica Health System

🇺🇸

Sylvania, Ohio, United States

St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center

🇺🇸

Toledo, Ohio, United States

UVMC Cancer Care Center at Upper Valley Medical Center

🇺🇸

Troy, Ohio, United States

Greene Memorial Hospital

🇺🇸

Xenia, Ohio, United States

Sacred Heart Hospital

🇺🇸

Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States

Abington Memorial Hospital

🇺🇸

Abington, Pennsylvania, United States

Baptist Cancer Institute at Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis

🇺🇸

Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Vanderbilt Medical Center

🇺🇸

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

John and Dorothy Morgan Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital

🇺🇸

Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States

Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh

🇺🇸

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island

🇺🇸

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital

🇺🇸

Yankton, South Dakota, United States

Medical City Dallas Hospital

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

Parkland Health and Hospital System

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

Baylor University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

Doctor's Hospital of Laredo

🇺🇸

Laredo, Texas, United States

Southwest Cancer and Research Center at University Medical Center

🇺🇸

Lubbock, Texas, United States

Joe Arrington Cancer Research and Treatment Center

🇺🇸

Lubbock, Texas, United States

Cottonwood Hospital Medical Center

🇺🇸

Murray, Utah, United States

Dixie Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

Saint George, Utah, United States

Cancer Center at the University of Virginia

🇺🇸

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital

🇺🇸

Fairfax, Virginia, United States

Inova Fairfax Hospital

🇺🇸

Falls Church, Virginia, United States

Carilion Health System - Cancer Center of Western Virginia

🇺🇸

Roanoke, Virginia, United States

Gundersen Lutheran Cancer Center at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center

🇺🇸

La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States

University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic at St. Luke's Medical Center

🇺🇸

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

🇦🇺

East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

CancerCare Manitoba

🇨🇦

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Cork University Hospital

🇮🇪

Cork, Ireland

Lutheran Medical Center

🇺🇸

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

Butterworth Hospital

🇺🇸

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Morristown Memorial Hospital

🇺🇸

Morristown, New Jersey, United States

St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers

🇺🇸

Beech Grove, Indiana, United States

Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

🇺🇸

Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States

Evanston Northwestern Health Care - Evanston Hospital

🇺🇸

Evanston, Illinois, United States

University of California Davis Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Sacramento, California, United States

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute

🇺🇸

Tampa, Florida, United States

St. Louis University Hospital Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

Spectrum Health Downtown Campus

🇺🇸

Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest University

🇺🇸

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

Norton Healthcare Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Comprehensive Cancer Center at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center

🇺🇸

Bronx, New York, United States

St. Francis Medical Center

🇺🇸

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Kaiser Permanente Medical Center

🇺🇸

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Seton Shivers Cancer Program at Brackenridge Hospital

🇺🇸

Austin, Texas, United States

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