Minimal sentinel node procedure for staging early XXXX .

@entity1 @entity0 @entity75 @entity5 @entity1600 @entity189 @entity3 @entity1558 @entity456
AIMS AND BACKGROUND: @entity1600 ( @entity1600 ) has recently been evaluated as a new staging technique for early @entity0 . To minimize the extent of surgery, the feasibility of eradicating primary @entity1558 and the relative sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) under regional anesthesia was evaluated in this study. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A selected population of 76 @entity1 with suspected operable @entity0 and no clinically palpable lymph nodes was enrolled in the study. Intra- and perilesional administration of a radiotracer was performed. Lymphoscintigraphy was carried out to confirm the drainage pathway and locate the SLN. The following day, after inducing a nervous block induction of the ipsilateral intercostal nerves, we performed the surgical procedure with the help of a hand-held gamma-detecting probe. In case the @entity75 was diagnosed as @entity189 by frozen section, the SLN and the remaining axillary lymph nodes (non-SLNs) were removed. The status of SLN and non-SLNs was compared. RESULTS: The primary breast lesion was located and excised in all cases (identification rate: 100%). Lymphoscintigraphy positively identified SLNs in 40/45 (89%) @entity1 ; in five @entity1 no lymphatic drainage was detected. In 38 cases an average of 1.5 SLNs and 14 non-SLNs per @entity1 were removed and pathologically analyzed; the remaining two @entity1 showed SLNs in the internal mammary chain, which were not excised. Twenty-nine percent of the @entity1 showed @entity3 in the lymph nodes examined. Of all @entity1 with affected nodes, 55% had @entity5 cells only in the SLN. No false negatives (skip metastases) were found. No immediate or long-term anesthesia-related complications (e.g., @entity456 , intravascular injection) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the feasibility of single radiotracer administration for both @entity75 and SLN localization as well as the usefulness of @entity1600 in staging early @entity0 . Regional anesthesia resulted in easy management and good @entity1 compliance. This time-saving procedure allowed the completion of the whole surgical plan, reducing the recovery time without modifying the effectiveness of surgery.
