High-resolution, hand-held camera for sentinel-node detection.
BACKGROUND
The imaging probe (IP) is a high-resolution (HR), 1-in(2) field-of-view hand-held gamma camera. We used it to detect breast cancer sentinel node (SN).


METHODS
We divided 120 T1 breast cancer patients, who underwent Anger camera lymphoscintigraphy (ACL), in two subgroups of 60 patients who were age, body mass index, and cancer size matched: subgroup A (SA) and B (SB). SN was detected with a common gamma probe (GP) in SA, with IP plus GP in SB.


RESULTS
Surgeons removed radioactive nodes without exceeding four nodes. Eighty-two (82) SNs were taken off in SA and 105 in SB (p<0.01). Of SA, 22 of 60 patients and 36 of 60 patients of SB showed more than 1 node, and 3 of them showed 3 nodes and 1 showed 4 nodes. Thirteen (13) patients resulted N(+) (21.6%) in SA. Ten (10) patients of SA showed an invasion on the hottest nodes and 3 on the second nodes. In the SB, 18 patients (25%) showed invasion. Sixteen (16) invasions were on hot, 4 on second, and 1 on the third node. Withdrawal time of SN was 11.25+/-4.7 minutes for SA and 7.4+/-2.8 minutes for SB (p<0.025).


CONCLUSIONS
SN biopsy with IP is fast and discovers more SNs and more invasions than ACL.
Scopinaro
Francesco
F
Department of Radiological Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. francesco.scopinaro@uniroma1.it
Tofani
Anna
A
di Santo
Gianpaolo
G
Di Pietro
Barbara
B
Lombardi
Augusto
A
Lo Russo
Marzia
M
Soluri
Alessandro
A
Massari
Roberto
R
Trotta
Carlo
C
Amanti
Claudio
C
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid
D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid