title: Sentinel lymph node biopsy in pregnant patients with breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is currently not recommended in pregnant patients with breast cancer due to radiation concerns.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve pregnant patients with breast cancer received low-dose (10 MBq on average) lymphoscintigraphy using (99m)Tc human serum albumin nanocolloids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sentinel lymph node (SLN) was identified in all patients. Of the 12 patients, 10 had pathologically negative SLN. One patient had micrometastasis in one of four SLN. One patient had metastasis in the SLN and underwent axillary clearance. From the 12 pregnancies, 11 healthy babies were born with no malformations and normal weight. One baby, whose mother underwent lymphatic mapping during the 26th week of gestation, was operated on at the age of 3 months for a ventricular septal defect and at 43 months was in good health. This malformation was suspected at the morphological US examination during week 21, well before lymphoscintigraphy, and was confirmed a posteriori by a different observer based on videotaped material. No overt axillary recurrence appeared in the patients with negative SLNs after a median follow-up of 32 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our experience supports the safety of SLNB in pregnant patients with breast cancer, when performed with a low-dose lymphoscintigraphic technique.
authors: Division of Senology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.
authors: Oreste
authors: O
authors: Gentilini
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Cremonesi
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Toesca
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Colombo
authors: Fedro
authors: F
authors: Peccatori
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Sironi
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Sangalli
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Rotmensz
authors: Guido
authors: G
authors: Pedroli
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Viale
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Veronesi
authors: Viviana
authors: V
authors: Galimberti
authors: Aron
authors: A
authors: Goldhirsch
authors: Umberto
authors: U
authors: Veronesi
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Paganelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*