Better ultrasound checks to find cancer in lymph nodes

In vivo Evaluation of Lymph Nodes Using Quantitative Ultrasound

NIH-funded research Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11262613

This project uses a special type of ultrasound during biopsies to help tell if lymph nodes in people with breast cancer have cancer spread or are benign.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionWeill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11262613 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you have breast cancer and are having an ultrasound-guided lymph node biopsy, researchers will capture extra echo-signal data with the usual clinical scanner. They will apply quantitative‑ultrasound methods to look for patterns that indicate metastasis versus lymphoma or benign changes. The supplement expands the work to multiple Weill Cornell clinical sites so the findings apply to patients from different neighborhoods and socio-economic groups. Researchers will link patients' zip code data to public area-level information to understand how local factors relate to test performance.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with breast cancer who are undergoing medically required ultrasound-guided lymph node biopsies at participating Weill Cornell sites.

Not a fit: People without breast cancer, those not having ultrasound-guided lymph node biopsies, or patients treated outside the participating sites are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors detect lymph node metastases more accurately during routine scans, enabling faster and more precise staging and treatment decisions.

How similar studies have performed: Previous pilot work by the same teams produced encouraging results using quantitative ultrasound to detect lymph node metastases, but wider testing with standard clinical scanners is still underway.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.