title: Radioactive seed localisation (RSL) in the treatment of non-palpable breast cancers: systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This systematic review compares the outcomes of radioactive seed localisation (RSL) versus standard wire-guided localisation (WGL) in the management of non-palpable breast cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a literature search of PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane database to identify clinical studies using RSL. Included studies examined invasive breast cancer and reported objective pathological outcome measurements. Quantitative data analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  197 papers were identified with eight being clinically relevant to our study. From these eight studies there was only one identified as being a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and four as cohort studies having a control WGL group and included in the quantitative analysis. This provided an overall combined odds ratio (OR) 0.51 (95% CI, 0.36-0.72; z = 3.88; p = 0.0001) for involved surgical margin status; OR, 0.47 (95% CI, 0.33-0.69; z = 3.96; p < 0.0001) for re-operation rates and mean difference (MD) -1.32 (95% CI, -2.32, -0.32; z = 2.58; p = 0.01) for operative time favouring RSL over WGL. In the case of volume of specimens excised, MD 1.46; (95% CI, -22.35, 25.26; z = 0.12; p = 0.90) showing no statistical significance for volume of tissue excised in specimens between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this systematic review demonstrate a statistically significant benefit of RSL over the gold standard of WGL in terms of involved margin status, re-operation rates and reduced operative time but no statistically significant difference with WGL in terms of volume of tissue excised in the treatment of non-palpable breast cancers. Adequately powered, multicentre RCTs are needed to validate these results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research Oncology, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK. muneer.ahmed@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Douek
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental / Q000379:methods*; D061646:Operative Time; D012086:Reoperation