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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Mrs
Sairanne
Wickers
sairanne.wickers@nhs.net
Mrs
Sairanne
Wickers
sairanne.wickers@nhs.net
Malignant neoplasm of breast
This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.
Permanent tattooing is the most common method of skin marking for patient positioning during a radiotherapy treatment course. 3-6 tattoos of green/blue colour, approximately 1-2 mm in diameter are applied near to the treatment site with permanent Indian tattoo ink and a lancing needle. Once the radiotherapy course is complete, they are defunct of purpose and are linked to poor body image and act as a constant reminder of cancer diagnosis and treatment. These radiotherapy alignment tattoos can be very difficult to see on dark skin tones, potentially reducing the accuracy.
Non-permanent ink and micropigmentation technology (a hand held medical device that implants non-permanent pigment) are widely used in the medical field. One example is applying pigment to the reconstructed nipple areola following mastectomy and breast reconstruction. These inks are not permanent and need to be periodically reapplied when used for cosmetic correction, as they fade. The non-permanent inks are available in a range of natural skin tones and are visible on darker skin tones.
Pen marks may be used instead of the permanent radiotherapy tattoos but can spread and fade during a treatment course and make the radiotherapy less accurate. Using pen marks instead of tattoos can also impact the ability of a patient to wash easily during the many weeks of a treatment course. For these reasons, an alternative to permanent tattoos is not routinely offered to patients.
This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of using non-permanent ink for patient alignment marks during radiotherapy, evaluated with the standard imaging that is acquired to verify accurate positioning during the treatment course. Patients will be randomised 1:1 to permanent or non-permanent skin marks. Important secondary outcomes will be the impact on body image, and the duration (months) for the non-permanent marks to become invisible.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Interventional type: Radiotherapy;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
< 18 years Patients without capacity to provide informed consent Unable to attend additional trial follow up appointments Previous permanent radiotherapy tattoos to the chest If unwilling to have standard of care (permanent tattoos)
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
The study is sponsored by University College London and funded by Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) .
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 53081
You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
