title: 99mTc-Tetrofosmin pinhole-SPECT (P-SPECT) and radioguided sentinel node (SN) biopsy and in breast cancer axillary lymph node staging.
abstract: We compared 99mTc-Tetrofosmin P-SPECT with radioguided SN biopsy in 101 T1/T2 BC pts to predict axillary lymph node status. The day before surgery all pts underwent lymphoscintigraphy (LS) to mark the SN, following subdermal injection of 99mTc-colloidal sulphur surrounding the breast lesion. LS was combined with pre and intraoperative gamma probe. Previously, all pts had also undergone P-SPECT. ALND was performed in all cases. The SN(s) was detected in 97/101 cases (96%) by LS and gamma probe; in the 4 missed cases P-SPECT predicted lymph node status. In the 97 comparable cases, radioguided SN biopsy showed a slightly higher accuracy than P-SPECT (94.8% vs 93.8%), but a higher false-negative rate (14.3% vs 8.6%); P-SPECT had a higher NPV (95.2% vs 92.5%). The two procedures when combined achieved 100% accuracy. Radioguided SN biopsy alone had 100% accuracy only in pts with BC < 15 mm. P-SPECT had 3 false negative cases, 2 of which were micrometastatic SNs, and 3 false positives. P-SPECT identified 81.2% of cases with a single node, determined the exact number of nodes in 82.6% of cases with 1 to 3 node and correctly classified 93.7% of pts as having < or = 3 or > 3 metastatic nodes. Radioguided SN biopsy seems indicated in selected, early stage, small BC pts, while P-SPECT shows a high sensitivity independent of primary tumor size, giving additional important preoperative prognostic information. The two procedures combined provided a better axillary lymph node status prediction in T1/T2 carcinomas, and could thus improve ALND pt selection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spanu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dettori
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chessa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porcu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cottu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Solinas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falchi
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Solinas
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Scanu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nuvoli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Madeddu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001365:Axilla / Q000601:surgery; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C078700:technetium tc-99m tetrofosmin