Study on the Efficacy of Sentinel Lymph Node Identification by Radionuclide Method (Tc 99) Versus Combined Method (Radionuclide and Vital Stain) in the Staging of Breast Carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: Sentinel node biopsy is the gold standard for axillary assessment of patients with breast cancer without axillary metastases on clinical and radiological examination. Internationally accepted biopsy methods currently use a radioactive tracer (Te) or different variations of vital stain, or the combination of the two. Due to the high cost of technical and organizational difficulty related to the radioactive material, as well as the disadvantages of using the vital stain method, great effort is being made to find alternative solutions. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the exclusive use of vital stain versus the radioactive isotope, and the need to use the combined method. A second goal was the comparative analysis of the radioactive method and intraoperative assessment of suspicious (non-sentinel) lymph nodes.

Keywords

• sentinel lymph node
• radionuclide
• vital stain