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CompletedNCT00463892Updated Nov 11, 2014

High-resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scans to Look for Spread of Melanoma to Nearby Lymph Nodes

A Phase 2 interventional study of High-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI scan in Melanoma, sponsored by Redwood Regional Medical Group. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2014-11-11.

Sponsored by Redwood Regional Medical Group · Phase 2, Interventional, and Diagnostic

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
200
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

The study is designed to see if a high-resolution MRI scan of lymph node areas near where a melanoma has been removed from the skin can pick up the spread of melanoma to those lymph nodes with a high degree of accuracy.

Read the detailed description

When a melanoma of the skin is diagnosed, there is some chance it can spread to nearby lymph nodes, and from there to other parts of the body. Currently, patients with melanoma at low risk for spreading to lymph nodes do not get the lymph nodes assessed except by a physical exam. Those at high risk for spreading to lymph nodes get one or more lymph nodes removed surgically to check for melanoma spread. But physical exam alone will often miss small areas of melanoma in lymph nodes; removal of lymph nodes by surgery is painful and can cause complications. Neither assessment tool is optimal.

This study is designed to see if use of very high-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI scans of lymph node areas near the primary melanoma site in the skin can accurately detect small areas of melanoma spread to those lymph nodes. If this turns out to be the case, in the future, MRI scans could potentially be an alternative for assessing lymph nodes, compared to physical exams alone or surgical removal of the lymph nodes.

In this study, patients with low risk melanoma will receive very high-resolution MRI scans of nearby lymph nodes every 6 months for 5 years of follow-up. If the MRI looks abnormal, the lymph nodes will be biopsied, and results from the biopsy compared to the results from the MRI.

Patients with high risk melanoma will get a baseline MRI of the nearby lymph nodes, and then one or more lymph nodes will be removed (usually by sentinel lymph node biopsy) regardless of the MRI results. Again, results from the biopsy will be compared to the results from the MRI. MRI's will still be repeated every 6 months to assess whether lymph nodes not removed at surgery develop any changes.

We plan to enroll 200 patients on this study and by the end of the study will have a measure of the sensitivity and specificity of high-resolution MRI scans in the detection of melanoma involvement of regional lymph nodes.

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Conditions studied

  • Melanoma

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Keywords

  • melanoma
  • lymph nodes
  • magnetic resonance imaging
  • screening
  • detection
03

In context

Melanoma

3,006 studies on the registry are indexed under Melanoma; 520 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 200 is above the median of 38 across 2,351 interventional studies indexed under Melanoma.

Browse Melanoma studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Redwood Regional Medical Group as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • history of invasive cutaneous melanoma stages 1-3 within 2 years of treatment of the melanoma by primary excision
  • eligible whether or not a sentinel lymph node biopsy or regional lymph node dissection has been performed
  • adequate renal function (creatinine 2 or less)
  • life expectancy 2 years of more

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • history of severe claustrophobia precluding MRI scans
  • known hypersensitivity or other contraindication to gadolinium contrast
  • known presence of metastatic melanoma at sites beyond regional lymph nodes (stage 4)
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
200 participants (estimated)

Interventions

  • ProcedureHigh-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI scan

    High-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI scan of regional lymph nodes every 6 months on study

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Assessment of the sensitivity and specificity of high-resolution MRI scans of regional lymph nodes compared to results from regional lymph node biopsy.

    Time frame: 5 years

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Redwood Regional Medical Group
    Sebastopol, California 95472, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 11, 2014, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00463892
Lead sponsor
Redwood Regional Medical Group
Responsible party
Peter Brett, M.D. (Physician, Redwood Regional Medical Group) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 20, 2007
Start date
Jun 2007
Primary completion
Nov 2011
Completion
Jun 2013
Last update
Nov 11, 2014

Study contacts

Peter Brett, M.D.
principal investigator · Redwood Regional Medical Group
David Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D.
principal investigator · Redwood Regional Medical Group

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2014. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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