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RecruitingNCT06149637Updated Oct 29, 2024

Lateral Cervical Node Dissection in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.

An interventional study of Traditional neck dissection approach and Anterior neck dissection approach in Thyroid Cancer, sponsored by Centro de Excelencia en Enfermedades de Cabeza y Cuello. Recruiting at 1 site in Colombia. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 99 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-10-29.

Sponsored by Centro de Excelencia en Enfermedades de Cabeza y Cuello · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Aug 2025, 1 year 1 month ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Aug 2023; still recruiting 3 years 2 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
62
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 99 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The objective of this study is to compare shoulder and neck morbidity and the effectiveness of cervical lateral nodal dissection in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and lateral metastases between the anterior and posterior approaches to the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM)

Read the detailed description

The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased in recent decades, being responsible for 586,000 cases worldwide, ranking ninth in incidence in 2020. The rapid increase of thyroid cancer, particularly papillary thyroid cancer, has been largely attributed to the increasing use of ultrasound, along with increased use of other imaging modalities.

Similarly, analyzing the pattern of lymph node dissemination of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma, Eskander et al., 2 reviewed all the pertinent literature up to 2011 (a total of 1,145 patients and 1,298 neck dissections) and reported an overall metastasis rate in patients taken to to surgery of 53.1%, 15.5%, 70.5%, 66.3%, 7.9% and 21.5% in levels IIa, IIb, III, IV, Va and Vb, respectively. For the Thus, the primary surgical treatment for lateral neck disease generally includes lateral neck dissection in conjunction with total thyroidectomy. Lymph node dissection should be performed in patients with biopsy-proven metastatic lateral cervical nodes. Jugular nodes located at levels II, III, and IV are the lateral neck compartments most commonly affected by CBDT and should be included in all therapeutic lateral neck dissections. Level V, which represents the posterior triangle of the neck, is affected less frequently. However, the Vb level must be dissected along with the other levels, and careful visualization and dissection of the spinal accessory nerve is paramount. Level V can be approached by an anterior approach by retracting the sternocleidomastoid muscle posteriorly, or by dissecting the posterior triangle behind the muscle sternocleidomastoid to the trapezius muscle. The precise extent of the neck dissection is a decision made based on the volume and location of the disease. The ATA recommends complete lymph node dissection (CLND), including levels II and V, for most patients with clinically evident lateral neck metastatic disease, although nuances regarding the extent of level V dissection are not clarified, in relation to whether level V should be included. Regarding the difference between the surgical techniques, the posterior approach to the sternocleidomastoid muscle involves a longer incision, where the dissection proceeds from the anterior edge of the trapezius muscle in a medial direction that includes the lymphatic contents of the supraclavicular fossa. The upper margin of this area presents the greatest risk of damage to the spinal accessory nerve. Furthermore, during the dissection of this region, several supraclavicular branches of the cervical plexus can be found. Some branches of the deep cervical plexus follow a course similar to that of the accessory nerve and may confuse the novice surgeon. In the case of the anterior approach, the incision is made up to the anterior edge of the ECM and once the accessory nerve has been identified at its insertion in the sternocleidomastoid, its course is traced superiorly to the posterior belly of the digastric. However, the effect of the anterior approach on the lymph node count and the risk of future recurrence at level V is uncertain. With these differences in terms of the approach in these two techniques, a greater length of skin incision, and greater dissection of the accessory nerve can be observed. and of the deep cervical plexus given the similar course to the XI nerve in the posterior approach, the question arises as to whether the surgical approach influences the patient's morbidity.

The main objective of the present study was to compare the morbidity and effectiveness measured in terms of lymph node count of emptying levels II to V by the anterior versus the posterior route in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer with lateral metastases.

02

Conditions studied

  • Thyroid Cancer

Keywords

  • neck dissection
  • shoulder disfunction
  • randomized clinical trial
03

In context

Thyroid Neoplasms

802 studies on the registry are indexed under Thyroid Neoplasms; 216 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 62 is above the median of 51 across 507 interventional studies indexed under Thyroid Neoplasms.

Browse Thyroid Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Centro de Excelencia en Enfermedades de Cabeza y Cuello is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 99 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Patients ≥ 18 years.
  2. Patients with macroscopic lymph node involvement identified by physical examination, imaging or intraoperatively in lateral neck.
  3. Patients with microscopic nodal involvement confirmed by FNAB (definition by the pathologist of suspected or confirmed metastatic papillary carcinoma according to the Bethesda criteria)
  4. Candidates for lateral lymph node dissection due to suspected or confirmed disease metastatic lymph nodes as defined by the treating surgeon.
  5. Patients requiring or not requiring thyroidectomy and/or central dissection concomitant with the dissection

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients with a history of previous neck dissection
  2. Histological confirmation of medullary or anaplastic carcinoma
  3. Previous spinal nerve injury
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
62 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Traditional neck dissection approach

    Traditional neck dissection approach

    Procedure: Traditional neck dissection approach

  • Experimental
    Anterior neck dissection approach

    Anterior neck dissection

    Procedure: Anterior neck dissection approach

Interventions

  • ProcedureTraditional neck dissection approach

    .1. A transverse cervical incision is made with horizontal extension towards the affected side. 2. It is dissected through the subplatysmal plane, the posterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle is dissected along its entire length. 3. Identification and dissection of the spinal nerve at Erb's point. 4. Level V nodes are dissected up to the spinal nerve without identifying or dissecting it 5. The jugular chain nodes are identified and the left level IV nodes are dissected with special attention to ligate the lymphatics of this level 6. Identification and dissection of level III nodes 7. Identification and dissection of level IIA and IIB ganglia with identification and preservation of the accessory nerve.

  • ProcedureAnterior neck dissection approach

    1. A transverse cervical incision is made with horizontal extension towards the affected side. 2. It is dissected through the subplatysmal plane, the anterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle is dissected along its entire length. 3. Level V nodes are dissected up to the spinal nerve without identifying or dissecting it 4. The jugular chain nodes are identified and the left level IV nodes are dissected with special attention to ligate the lymphatics of this level 5. Identification and dissection of level III nodes 6. Identification and dissection of level IIA and IIB nodes with identification and preservation of the accessory nerve.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Shoulder dysfunction

    (SPADI shoulder pain and disability questionnaire, validated in Spanish) Minimun score 0, maximun 100, a higher score means higher disability

    Time frame: 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year

  2. Cervical disconfort

    The Cervical Disability Index (IDC) validated in Spanish Minimun score 0, maximun 50, a higher score means higher disability

    Time frame: 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year

  3. Complications

    Temporary or permanent accessory nerve injury measured in the physical examination by limitation of the lateral range of movement of the shoulder less than 50% * Bleeding defined by the treating surgeon by physical examination * Wound infection: infection in the first 30 days after surgery, diagnosed with at least one of the following criteria: presence of purulent discharge from the surgical wound, presence of microorganisms isolated by taking a culture of wound discharge , presence of at least one of the signs and symptoms of inflammation (pain, redness, edema, heat). * Chylous fistula defined as milky discharge from the cervical drain with a triglyceride count higher than the serum. * Mortality * Re Operation before 30 days

    Time frame: 30 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total lymph node count.

    Total number of resected and compromised lymph nodes according to the histopathology report

    Time frame: 30 days

  2. Surgical time

    Surgical time in minutes according to the surgical report

    Time frame: 30 days

  3. Lateral lymph node recurrence

    Number of participants with presence of tumor in the neck lymph nodes detected during follow-up by physical examination or imaging 6 months or more after primary surgery and confirmed cytopathologically.

    Time frame: 5 years

  4. Dynamic response

    Number of participants with excellent, incomplete biochemical, incomplete structural or undetermined response according to the ATA classification.

    Time frame: 5 years

  5. Overall and disease-free survival

    Overall and disease-free survival measured from the day of surgery until recurrence or termination of follow-up.

    Time frame: 5 years

  6. Length of postoperative hospital stay.

    Length of postoperative hospital stay.

    Time frame: 30 days

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Hospital Alma Mater de Antioquia
    Medellin, Antioquia 050010, Colombia
    • Alvaro Sanabria, MD · Contact · alvarosanabria@gmail.com · 573138175170
    • Carlos Garcia, MD · Sub investigator
    • Juan G Sanchez, MD · Sub investigator
    • Carlos Betancour, MD · Sub investigator
    • Yessica Trujillo, MD · Sub investigator
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 29, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06149637
Lead sponsor
Centro de Excelencia en Enfermedades de Cabeza y Cuello
Collaborators
Hospital Alma Mater de Antioquia, Hospital San Vicente Fundación, Clinica Las Vegas- Grupo QuironSalud
Responsible party
Alvaro Sanabria (Primary Researcher, Centro de Excelencia en Enfermedades de Cabeza y Cuello) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 29, 2023
Start date
Aug 1, 2023
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 31, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 29, 2024

Study contacts

Alvaro Sanabria, MD
Contact
alvarosanabria@gmail.com
3138175170
Alvaro Sanabria
principal investigator · Universidad de Antioquia

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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