NCT05692141

The Value of Ultrasound Elastography for Differentiating Benign and Malignant Superficial Soft Tissue Masses

Status unknown Last updated 20 January 2023

What this trial tests

trial testing ultrasound in Ultrasound Therapy; Complications in 56 participants. Status unknown.

Timeline

1 February 2023

Primary endpoint
30 December 2023

30 December 2024

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Assiut University
Status	Status unknown
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	56
Start date	1 February 2023
Primary completion	30 December 2023
Estimated completion	30 December 2024

Drugs / interventions tested

• ultrasound

Conditions studied

• Ultrasound Therapy; Complications — all drugs for Ultrasound Therapy; Complications →

Sponsor

Assiut University

Who can join

Eligibility, any sex, with Ultrasound Therapy; Complications. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Ultrasonography has the advantages of being widely available, cost-effective, and allowing real-time dynamic examinations. Additionally, it is less time-consuming than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) \[1,2\]. Recently developed ultrasound elastography techniques provide valuable information about intrinsic tissue properties by evaluating tissue elasticity, which may contribute to the diagnosis \[3,4\]. Ultrasound elastography can quantify and qualify tissue elasticity and add important information to the findings obtained by conventional ultrasonography \[3,5-7\]. Superficial soft tissue masses frequently occur and primarily manifest as benign lesions (including lipoma and hemangioma) that typically do not require treatment. Although malignant masses are rare, prompt surgical resections are required following the confirmation of a diagnosis (8). Therefore, differentiating between benign and malignant masses is important to prevent delays in the treatment of the malignant masses and avoid unnecessary surgical treatments for the benign masses (9). As the most effective method, pathological diagnosis is typically obtained from a needle biopsy. However, it is an invasive maneuver that is uncomfortable for patients and impractical for all types of soft tissue masses (10). Ultrasound is the primary examination method for superficial soft tissue masses to confirm their size, location, and the association between the masses and the surrounding structures. Through observations of the borders of the tissue masses, internal echo characteristics, and internal blood flow signals, ultrasounds may provide a preliminary diagnosis that is inaccurate (11). Stiffness of the tissue structures may be accessed using ultrasound elastography (UE) (12), which is an effective tool for differentiating malignant and benign masses (13). The stiffness of a malignant tumor is typically higher compared with a benign tumor. Previously, the differential diagnosis was primarily based on palpations by the physicians, which was indirect and could be limited in patients with obesity, mass sizes and depths, and physicians' experiences.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.