The effectiveness of IC-GREEN for fluorescence imaging of lymph nodes and delineation of lymphatic vessels during lymphatic mapping in adults with cervical and uterine cancer has been established based on a study of another formulation of indocyanine green for injection. Below is a description of the FILM Study (NCT 02209532).
The study was a randomized, prospective, multi-center, open-label study in patients with early stage uterine or cervical cancer and no known regional nodal or metastatic disease by standard clinical evaluation. Indocyanine green and a blue dye comparator were injected into the cervix of patients at the beginning of the operative procedure.
A total of 176 patients were randomized to receive either indocyanine green followed by blue dye or blue dye followed by indocyanine green. A total of four 1 mL injections of a 1.25 mg/ml solution of indocyanine green for a total dose of 5 mg were administered interstitially into the cervix at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions with a superficial (1 mm to 3 mm) and a deep (1 cm to 3 cm) injection at each position.
Lymphatic mapping was performed intraoperatively using a fluorescence imaging device and standard light, followed by excision of tissues identified by indocyanine green, blue dye, or the surgeon's visual and palpation examination. The resected tissues were evaluated by histopathology to confirm presence of lymph nodes. The efficacy of indocyanine green in the detection of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes during lymphatic mapping procedures was determined by the number of histology-confirmed lymph nodes detected by indocyanine green and/or the blue dye comparator.
The mean age of the 176 patients was 63 years (range: 31 to 88 years); distribution by race and ethnicity was 79% White, 4% Black or African American, 3% Asian, 13% Hispanic/Latino and 1% other.
Table 1 shows the distribution of resected, confirmed lymph nodes detected by indocyanine green or blue dye in the modified intent-to-treat population (mlTT). Among the confirmed lymph nodes identified, 93% were identified using indocyanine green, and 43% were identified using blue dye, a difference of 50% [95% confidence interval 39% to 60%].
Table 1: Distribution of Resected, Confirmed Lymph Nodes Detected by Indocyanine Green or Blue Dye (BD)Analysis Population | Nodes (n) | All Lymph Nodes Detected with Indocyanine Green | All Lymph Nodes Detected with BD | Lymph Nodes Detected with Indocyanine Green Only | Lymph Nodes Detected with BD Only | Lymph Nodes Detected with Neither |
mlTT | 513 | (476/513) 93% | (220/513) 43% | (262/513) 51% | (6/513) 1% | (31/513) 6% |
Table 2 shows the number of patients with at least one resected, confirmed lymph node and the number of patients with at least one bilateral lymph node pair detected by indocyanine green or blue dye. With indocyanine green, approximately 97% of patients had at least one resected, confirmed lymph node detected and 73% had at least one bilateral lymph node pair detected, compared with 68% and 28%, respectively, with blue dye (p-values for each analysis <0.0001).
Table 2: Distribution of Patients with at Least One Confirmed Unilateral Lymph Node/ Bilateral Pair Detected by Indocyanine Green or Blue Dye (BD)*: patients with at least one resected confirmed lymph node detected unilaterally **: patients with at least one resected confirmed lymph node detected bilaterally |
Analysis Population | Patients (n) | Patients with All Lymph Nodes Detected with Indocyanine Green | Patients with All Lymph Nodes Detected with BD | Patients with Lymph Nodes Detected with Indocyanine Green only | Patients with Lymph Nodes Detected with BD only | Patients with Lymph Nodes Detected with Neither |
mlTT Unilateral* | 172 | (167/172) 97% | (118/172) 68% | (51/172) 30% | (2/172) 1% | (3/172) 3% |
mlTT Bilateral** | | (126/172) 73% | (49/172) 28% | (79/172) 46% | (2/172) 1% | (44/172) 26% |