Assessment of Blood Vessel Density in Kaposi's Sarcoma Lesions

Completed

Conditions studied: Kaposi's Sarcoma

In brief

The purpose of this study is to develop imaging techniques to determine the density of blood vessels and the amount of blood flow in Kaposi s sarcoma (KS) tumors. KS tumors depend on the formation of new blood vessels for their growth. Some experimental therapies for KS are directed at reducing the amount of blood vessels and blood flow in these lesions. Measurement of blood vessel density and blood flow in these lesions could be useful in evaluating the effectiveness of both standard and experimental treatments for this disease. Patients 18 years of age or older with Kaposi's sarcoma involving the skin may be eligible for this study. Participants will have photographs taken of their lesions and will undergo three imaging procedures (described below) at the beginning of the study (baseline) and then about once every 3 months or so while on the study (up to 2 years) to compare the test results over time. (Imaging may be done at more or less frequent intervals depending on the findings.) A small amount of blood (less than a tablespoon) will be drawn the day of each imaging procedure. Laser Doppler imaging This technique measures the amount of blood flow in KS lesions by scanning the lesions with a low-power laser beam. Each lesion takes about 3 minutes to scan. The imaging may be done before and after a blood pressure cuff around the arm is inflated for a short time (usually less than 30 seconds). Multi-spectral imaging This technique uses light to measure the total blood volume in each lesion and how much oxygen is in the blood. Oxygen is carried to the body s cells by a protein in red blood cells called hemoglobin. The light on the multi-spectral imaging instrument is absorbed differently depending on whether the hemoglobin has oxygen attached to it or not. It takes about 2 minutes to scan each lesion. Infrared thermal imaging This test uses a special camera to take digital infrared pictures of the skin. Images formed of the temperature of the KS lesions are used to assess blood flow in the lesions. This imaging takes about 1 minute per lesion. ...

Key facts

Study ID
NCT00026793
Run by
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
People needed
29
Starts
2001-04-23
Expected to finish
2017-12-20
Last updated by the study team
2020-07-08

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 100. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may not qualify if…

Where it is running

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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