Localization of the Sentinel Lymph Node in Breast Cancer by Combined Lymphoscintigraphy, Blue DYE and Intraoperative Gamma Probe

2000 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Villa ◽  
Marco Gipponi ◽  
Ferdinando Buffoni ◽  
Carlo Vecchio ◽  
Pietro Bianchi ◽  
...  

Axillary lymph node status represents the most important prognostic factor in patients with operable breast cancer. A severe limitation of this technique is the relatively high rate of false negative sentinel lymph nodes (>5%). We studied 284 patients suffering from breast cancer; 264 had T1 tumors (16 T1a, 37 T1b and 211 T1c), while 20 had T2 tumors. All patients underwent lymphoscintigraphy 18-h before surgery. At surgery, 0.5 mL of patent blue violet was injected subdermally, and the sentinel lymph node (SN) was searched by gamma probe and by the dye method. The surgically isolated SN was processed for intraoperative and delayed examinations. The SN was successfully identified by the combined radioisotopic procedure and patent blue dye technique in 278/284 cases (97.9%). Analysis of the predictive value of the SN in relation to the status of the axillary lymph nodes was limited to 191 patients undergoing standard axillary dissection irrespective of the SN status. Overall, 63/191 (33%) identified SNs were metastatic, the SN alone being involved in 37/63 (58.7%) patients; a positive axillary status with negative SN was found in 10/73 (13.7%) patients with metastatic involvement. In T1a-T1b patients the SN turned out to be metastatic in 9/53 patients (17.0%). In 7/9 patients the SN was the only site of metastasis, while in 2/9 patients other axillary lymph nodes were found to be metastatic in addition to the SN. None of the 44 patients in whom the SN proved to be non-metastatic showed any metastatic involvement of other axillary lymph nodes. Our results demonstrate a good predictive value of SN biopsy in patients with breast cancer; the predictive value was excellent in those subjects with nodules smaller than 1 cm.

Author(s):  
Vaibhav Shrivastava ◽  
Sanjay Singh ◽  
Sanjay Singh ◽  
Aklesh Kumar Maurya ◽  
Aklesh Kumar Maurya ◽  
...  

Background: Breast malignancies are the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality among women. As the size of the primary breast cancer increases, some cancer cells are shed into cellular spaces and transported via the lymphatic network of the breast to the regional lymph nodes, especially the axillary lymph nodes. Objective of the study was to determine the accuracy of USG and US-FNAC in detecting lymph node metastasis in a clinically lymph node negative CA Breast patient.Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 40 consecutive patients with biopsy proven breast cancer with clinically negative axilla, who had attending the OPD or IPD in our department of surgery, Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, Allahabad, during the period of 2014 to 2015. All of these patients were planned to undergo surgery (breast conservation or modified radical mastectomy with axillary clearance).Results: Sensitivity of the study = 97.77%, specificity = 25%, positive predictive value =92.01%, negative predictive value =50%, diagnostic accuracy =90%.Conclusions: Using axillary ultrasound and selective US-FNAC is a rapid, non-morbid method of staging the axilla in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and should become a routine part of patient care because it can spare many patients particularly those who are undergoing axillary dissection.


2008 ◽  
Vol 51 (spe) ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
Benedita Andrade Leal de Abreu ◽  
Adriana de Morais Santos ◽  
Lívia de Almeida Soares ◽  
Antônio Ricardo dos Santos ◽  
Idna de Carvalho Barros ◽  
...  

Biopsy of the sentinel lymphnode (SLNB), the first lymphnode to receive lymphatic drainage from the primary tumor, accurately predicts the axillary lymph node status and, when negative, obviates the need for axillary lymphadenectomy (AL). The aim of this study was, to verify the SLN localization in breast cancer through preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative gamma-probe, as well as to demonstrate the benefits of such techniques in preventing complications of AL. Medical records of 228 patients with breast carcinoma, who were underwent SLN localization and, radioguided surgery, from March 2005 to December 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. Data regarding age, tumor characteristic, breast involved, type of surgery, radiopharmaceutical drainage pattern, axillary assessment (SLNB or AL) and number of lymph nodes dissected were collected. It was ascertained that radioguided surgery is a selective method of axillary assessment in breast cancer, which makes this technique a safe alternative to radical assessment of total dissection of axillary lymph nodes and its subsequent complications.


2000 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Galli ◽  
Lauretta Massaza ◽  
Luca Chiappo ◽  
Adriana Paduos ◽  
Giorgio Rosso

At the Surgery Department of Biella 46 patients were enrolled in a study on the sentinel lymph node (SN) in the period from 1 January 1999 to 30 September 1999. The aim of the study was to determine, on the basis of our own experience, the percentages of accuracy and concordance, and compare them with case series abroad and in Italy; in addition, we sought to establish a possible correlation between certain features of breast cancer and positivity of the axilla. The method utilized was lymphoscintigraphy and gamma probe. Fifteen cases with positive axillary lymph nodes and 12 cases with positive sentinel lymph nodes were found; there were no false positive and three false negative results. No migration of the tracer was observed with lymphoscintigraphy in two cases. The percentage of concordance obtained was 93.2% in the complete series and 96.5% in the subseries that excluded the learning curve. Comparing the percentage of concordance of our case series with those abroad and in Italy, an average overlapping percentage was obtained. The percentage of accuracy obtained in our study was 95.7%, which is slightly higher than the average of percentages of the case series abroad and in Italy.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1126-1126
Author(s):  
Celin Chacko ◽  
Beatriu Reig ◽  
Tova Koenigsberg

1126 Background: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) of axillary lymph nodes(ALNs) in patients with breast cancer and to determine factors that influence accuracy of ultrasound-guided FNA. Methods: Retrospective review of patients with breast cancer who had FNA of ALNs as well as sentinel lymph node excision or complete axillary dissection. Patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. 55 axillary FNAs in 54 patients were included in the final analysis. Pathology reports were reviewed for size of the primary tumor, FNA results, number of positive ALNs, and greatest tumor size in ALNs. FNA was performed if a suspicious lymph node was identified. Surgical sentinel lymph node biopsy or full axillary dissection were the reference standard. Micrometastases (< 0.2 mm) and isolated tumor cells in the lymph node were included in the negative group. Atypical and nondiagnostic FNA results were considered negative cytologic results. Significance was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Size of the primary cancer ranged from 0.3 mm to 8.5 cm. The sensitivity of FNA was 73%, with positive predictive value of 97% and negative predictive value of 52%. The NPV of FNA for primary tumors <1 cm, 1.1-2, 2.1-5 and >5 cm is 100%, 36%, 50% and 66% respectively. Correlation of primary tumor size with sensitivity of FNA was not statistically significant. The sensitivity of FNA for lymph nodes with metastatic deposit < 5mm, 6-10mm, 11-15mm, 16-20mm, and 21mm+ is 0%, 57%, 59%, 89%, and 100%, which is statistically significant (p = 0.007). The number of positive ALNs at axillary dissection is not correlated to the sensitivity of FNA. The sensitivity of FNA for 1-3, 4-9 and 10+ positive ALNs is 78%, 64% and 80%. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that FNA of suspicious axillary lymph nodes is valuable even in small tumors, which differs from the literature. The overall negative predictive value of FNA is 52%, so sentinel lymph node biopsy is essential after negative FNA. Sensitivity of FNA increases with the size of the metastatic deposit in the lymph node, but is not correlated to the number of positive ALNs found at dissection.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 757
Author(s):  
Sanaz Samiei ◽  
Renée W. Y. Granzier ◽  
Abdalla Ibrahim ◽  
Sergey Primakov ◽  
Marc B. I. Lobbes ◽  
...  

Radiomics features may contribute to increased diagnostic performance of MRI in the prediction of axillary lymph node metastasis. The objective of the study was to predict preoperative axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer using clinical models and radiomics models based on T2-weighted (T2W) dedicated axillary MRI features with node-by-node analysis. From August 2012 until October 2014, all women who had undergone dedicated axillary 3.0T T2W MRI, followed by axillary surgery, were retrospectively identified, and available clinical data were collected. All axillary lymph nodes were manually delineated on the T2W MR images, and quantitative radiomics features were extracted from the delineated regions. Data were partitioned patient-wise to train 100 models using different splits for the training and validation cohorts to account for multiple lymph nodes per patient and class imbalance. Features were selected in the training cohorts using recursive feature elimination with repeated 5-fold cross-validation, followed by the development of random forest models. The performance of the models was assessed using the area under the curve (AUC). A total of 75 women (median age, 61 years; interquartile range, 51–68 years) with 511 axillary lymph nodes were included. On final pathology, 36 (7%) of the lymph nodes had metastasis. A total of 105 original radiomics features were extracted from the T2W MR images. Each cohort split resulted in a different number of lymph nodes in the training cohorts and a different set of selected features. Performance of the 100 clinical and radiomics models showed a wide range of AUC values between 0.41–0.74 and 0.48–0.89 in the training cohorts, respectively, and between 0.30–0.98 and 0.37–0.99 in the validation cohorts, respectively. With these results, it was not possible to obtain a final prediction model. Clinical characteristics and dedicated axillary MRI-based radiomics with node-by-node analysis did not contribute to the prediction of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer based on data where variations in acquisition and reconstruction parameters were not addressed.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Min Young Lee ◽  
Eunjung Kong ◽  
Dong Gyu Lee

This study aimed to determine whether bypass circulation was present in lymphedema and its effect. This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study. Patients who underwent unilateral breast cancer surgery with axillary lymph node dissection were recruited and underwent single-photon emission tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT). SPECT/CT was performed to detect the three-dimensional locations of radio-activated lymph nodes. Patients with radioactivity in anatomical locations other than axillary lymph nodes were classified into a positive group. All patients received complete decongestive therapy (CDT). Exclusion criteria were as follows: History of bilateral breast cancer surgery, cervical lymph node dissection history, and upper extremity amputation. The difference in the upper extremity circumference (cm) was measured at four points: Mid-point of the upper arm, elbow, and 10 and 15 cm below the elbow. Twenty-nine patients were included in this study. Fifteen patients (51.7%) had bypass lymphatic systems on the affected side, six (20.7%) had a bypass lymphatic system with axillary lymph nodes on the unaffected side, and 11 (37.9%) showed new lymphatic drainage. The positive group showed significantly less swelling than the negative group at the mid-arm, elbow, and 15 cm below the elbow. Bypass lymphatic circulation had two patterns: Infraclavicular lymph nodes and supraclavicular and/or cervical lymph nodes. Changes in lymph drainage caused by surgery triggered the activation of the superficial lymphatic drainage system to relieve lymphedema. Superficial lymphatic drainage has a connection through the deltopectoral groove.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaokai Ma ◽  
Shishuai Wen ◽  
Baofeng Liu ◽  
Dumin Li ◽  
Xiaolong Wang ◽  
...  

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between upper extremity lymphatics and sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in breast cancer patients.Methods. Forty-four patients who underwent axillary reverse mapping (ARM) during axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) with SNL biopsy (SLNB) between February 2017 and October 2017 were investigated. ARM was performed using indocyanine green (ICG) to locate the upper extremity lymphatics; methylene blue dye was injected intradermally for SLN mapping.Results. ARM nodes were found in the ALND fields of all examined patients. The rate of identification of upper extremity lymphatics within the SLNB field was 65.9% (29 of 44). The ARM nodes were involved in metastases arising from primary breast tumors in 7 of the patients (15.9%), while no metastases were detected in pathologic axillary lymph node-negative patients. Lymphatics from the upper extremity drained into the SLNs in 5 of the 44 patients (11.4%); their ARM-detected nodes were found to be in close proximity to the SLNs.Conclusions. The ARM nodes and SLNs are closely related and share lymphatic drainage routes. The ARM procedure using fluorescence imaging is both feasible and, in patients who are SLN negative, oncologically safe. ARM using ICG is therefore effective for identifying and preserving upper extremity lymphatics, and SLNB combined with ARM appears to be a promising surgical refinement for preventing upper extremity lymphoedema.Clinical Trial Registration. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrial.gov:NCT02651142.


2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 960-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Gerber ◽  
Annette Krause ◽  
Heiner Müller ◽  
Dagmar Richter ◽  
Toralf Reimer ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: We studied the prognostic and predictive value of immunohistochemically detected occult tumor cells (OTCs) in lymph nodes and bone marrow aspirates obtained from node-negative breast cancer patients. All were classified as distant metastases-free using conventional staging methods. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 484 patients with pT1-2N0M0 breast cancer and 70 with pT1-2N1M0 breast cancer and a single affected lymph node participated in our trial. Ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes and intraoperatively aspirated bone marrow were examined. All samples were examined for OTCs using monoclonal antibodies to cytokeratins 8, 18, 19. Immunohistological findings were correlated with other prognostic factors. The mean follow-up was 54 ± 24 months. RESULTS: OTCs were detected in 180 (37.2%) of 484 pT1-2N0M0 patients: in the bone marrow of 126 patients (26.0%), in the lymph nodes of 31 patients (6.4%), and in bone marrow and lymph nodes of 23 (4.8%) patients. Of the 70 patients with pT1-2N1MO breast cancer and a single involved lymph node, OTCs were identified in the bone marrow of 26 (37.1%). The ability to detect tumor cells increased with the following tumor features: larger size, poor differentiation, and higher proliferation. Tumors of patients with OTCs more frequently demonstrated lymph node invasion, blood vessel invasion, higher urokinase-type plasminogen activator levels, and increased PAI-1 concentrations. Patients with detected OTCs showed reduced disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OAS) rates that were comparable to those observed in patients who had one positive lymph node. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors revealed that OTCs, histological grading, and tumor size are significant predictors of DFS; OTCs and grading of OAS. CONCLUSION: OTCs detected by simultaneous immunohistochemical analysis of axillary lymph nodes and bone marrow demonstrate independent metastatic pathways. Although OTCs were significantly more frequent in patients with other unfavorable prognostic factors, they were confirmed as an independent prognostic factor for pT1-2N0M0, R0 breast cancer patients.


2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (29) ◽  
pp. 4746-4751 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Fuster ◽  
Joan Duch ◽  
Pilar Paredes ◽  
Martín Velasco ◽  
Montserrat Muñoz ◽  
...  

Purpose To evaluate the utility of positron emission tomography (PET) and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose in the initial staging of large primary breast tumors. Patients and Methods This prospective study was approved by the ethics committee, and all patients gave their informed consent before enrollment. Sixty consecutive patients with large (> 3 cm) primary breast cancer diagnosed by clinical examination and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were entered onto the study. The mean age was 57 ± 13 years. Chest computed tomography (CT), liver ultrasonography, bone scan, and PET/CT were performed in all patients. All findings were histologically confirmed, and/or at least 1 year of follow-up was required. Correlation between parameters was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results Primary tumor was identified by both PET/CT and MRI in all patients. Multifocal and/or multicentric tumors were found in 19 patients by MRI. Axillary lymph node metastases were found in 20 of 52 patients. Extra-axillary metastatic lymph nodes were also found in three patients. One patient showed an infiltrated lymph node in the contralateral axilla. The sensitivity and specificity for PET/CT to detect axillary lymph nodes metastases were 70% and 100%, respectively. PET/CT diagnosed all extra-axillary lymph nodes. The overall sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT in detecting distant metastases were 100% and 98%, respectively; whereas the sensitivity and specificity of conventional imaging were 60% and 83%, respectively. PET led to a change in the initial staging in 42% of patients. Conclusion PET/CT underestimates locoregional lymph node staging in large primary breast cancer patients. PET/CT is a valuable tool to discard unsuspected extra-axillary lymph nodes and distant metastases.


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