Lymphatic mapping for breast cancer: experience at The Ohio State University

Though not yet the standard of care, lymphatic mapping is becoming more widely utilized by surgeons who care for women with breast cancer. The purpose of this study is to report the early experience of lymphatic mapping at a large NCI designated cancer center.

Beginning in 1997, selected newly diagnosed breast cancer patients at our institution have undergone lymphatic mapping. Blue dye and radiolabelled colloid were used as mapping agents. Patients were entered into a prospective database which recorded demographics, mapping characteristics and pathologic correlation.

In total, 352 patients were entered into the study, and 312 (89%) had an identifiable sentinel lymph node at the time of definitive surgery. Eight surgeons contributed to the database, four of whom performed more than 30 lymphatic mapping procedures. 149 patients underwent complete axillary lymphadenectomy either as part of a validation study (68) or because of metastasis disease to the sentinel node (81). The false negative rate was 4%. The surgeon's experience with the procedure was the only independent predictor of the ability to localize a sentinel node.

Sentinel lymphadenectomy at our institution is an accurate means of predicting the status of the draining nodal basin. Experience with the technique correlates with successful localization, but patient selection and an institutional commitment to the procedure are also critical for success.