title: 99mTc-dextran lymphoscintigraphy can detect sentinel lymph node in breast cancer patients.
abstract: The aim of this study was to retrospectively determine the accuracy and feasibility of using99mTc-dextran (DX) lymphoscintigraphy for the localization of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in breast cancer patients. The relevant factors affecting lymphoscintigraphy were also investigated. In this study, 235 breast cancer patients underwent99mTc-DX lymphoscintigraphic imaging and examination by a γ-probe method in combination with blue dye staining to detect SLNs. The detection results were considered in combination with rapid frozen pathology results to determine whether SLN metastasis was positive or negative. SLNs were identified in 191 patients by γ-probe detection among the 202 patients that tested positive by lymphoscintigraphic imaging, a coincidence rate of 94.6%. This suggested that lymph node metastasis had occurred and could be detected using lymphoscintigraphy. The axillary status of the breast cancer patients was also predicted using lymphoscintigraphy and the false-negative rate, sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value were 13.3% (4/30), 90.7% (39/43), 23.4% (45/192) and 13.5% (21/155), respectively. The age of the patient, menstrual status, tumor location, tumor size, pathological type, preoperative biopsy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were unrelated to the success of lymphoscintigraphy (P>0.05).99mTc-DX lymphoscintigraphy is able to exactly determine the location of SLN in breast cancer patients, and can be used for guiding γ-probe methods and sentinel lymph node biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Linlin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Fangni
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, Beihai People's Hospital, Behai, Guangxi 536000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xuehui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Dangsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhongqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Liyan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guoyou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xiao
keywords: lymphatic metastasis; sentinel lymph node biopsy; γ probe method