Microbubbles for sentinel node detection in vulvar cancer

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Intradermal Microbubbles technique for sentinel lymph node detection in early-stage vulvar cancer: first clinical results

• IRAS ID

  87400

• Contact name

  Nithya Ratnavelu

• Sponsor organisation

  Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust

• ISRCTN Number

  N/A

• Research summary

  It is important for patients diagnosed with early stage cancer of the vulva to undergo surgical staging to ascertain if the disease has spread to the groin lymph nodes. Assessing the groins can be performed by surgically removing all of the groin nodes, which can lead to more complications (infection, wound breakdown and lymphoedema) or by removing the sentinel node (the node which drains the tumour first). Various techniques for identifying the sentinel node include injecting radiolabelled isotope or blue dye around the tumour and visualising the sentinel node intraoperatively. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound using sulphur gas- containing 'Microbubbles' has been similarly used in patients with breast cancer with good effect. We propose to ascertain the accuracy of Microbubbles in identifying the sentinel node in patients with early stage vulvar cancer as it woulkd provide a quicker, less painful and cost-effective method which could potentially also allow sentinel lymph node retrieval under local anaesthetic.

• REC name

  North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  12/NE/0019

• Date of REC Opinion

  21 Feb 2012

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion