Dergiler / Turkish Journal of Cancer / 2001 / Cilt: 31 - Sayı: 1
Detection of metastases in the sentinel lymph nodes of primary breast cancer patients by lymphatic mapping and intraoperative gamma probe: Initial experience
- Sayfa
- 27–34
- DOI
- —
Özet
Detection of metastases in the sentinel lymph nodes of primary breast cancer patients by lymphatic mapping and intraoperative gamma probe: Initial experience
Abstract
This study documents our initial experience for visualisation of sentine! lymph nodes (SLNs) with lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative detection of SLN with the handheld gamma probe in patients with primary breast cancer. Fourteen women with palpable breast cancer had peritumoral injection of 99mTc labeled nanocolloid in four different regions. 1mCi of 99mTc labeled nanocolloid in 0.8 mi saline were divided into four equal portions. Thirty minutes' dynamic images and static images, every 30 minutes for 3 hours, were obtained. After intraoperative identification and resection of the SLN(s), all the patients underwent full axillary dissection. We were able to visualise and localise the SLN(s) in all patients. An average of 30.1 lymph nodes (range 19-44) were harvested. Metastatic involvement of the axillary nodes was found in only 4 of the 14 patients in this series (28.6%). in one of these 4 patients with axillary involvement, the sentine! lymph node was the only involved node. in the other three patients, metastases were also found in lymph nodes other than the SLN. Our initial experience is promising that SLNs can be accurately localised with our technique of combination lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative gamma probe. The SLN was predictive of the presence or absence of LN metastasis in all patients. If our future results accumulate to give the same success rate with no or very infrequent false evaluations, we might then proceed to targeting only the SLN as a reliable predictor of the axillary LN status.