title: Tattooing breast cancers treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In breast carcinomas treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, intraoperative identification of residual tumors may be difficult. A well-tolerated, low-diffusion charcoal suspension has been designed to tattoo breast tumors. In this study, we investigated whether this tattooing technique is efficient for localizing the tumor after treatment with chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a series of 109 patients with large breast tumors, a 4% or 10% charcoal suspension was injected at the time of the initial biopsy before preoperative chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tolerance was good. After three or four cycles of chemotherapy, 91 patients underwent conservative treatment, and the surgical specimen was examined intraoperatively. The charcoal was detected in 94% of the cases. The charcoal was seen in the nodule or at the periphery in the surgical specimen without any acute inflammatory reaction or diffusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of these results, this micronized charcoal suspension at a defined granulometry and a concentration of 10% seems to be ideal for tattooing breast carcinomas over a period of 3 months in patients in whom neoadjuvant chemotherapy is planned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Institut Gustave-Roussy, rue Camille Desmoulins, 94800 Villejuif, France. mathieu@igr.fr
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonhomme-Faivre
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rouzier
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seiller
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barreau-Pouhaer
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Travagli
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D001365:Axilla / Q000601:surgery; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002606:Charcoal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004058:Diffusion; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010316:Particle Size; D013535:Suspensions; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D013535:Suspensions; D002606:Charcoal; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008727:Methotrexate