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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
The Application of 1% Methylene Blue Dye As a Single Technique in Breast Cancer Sentinel Node Biopsy
Published on: June 1, 2019
Sentinel lymph node dissection for breast cancer: how many nodes are enough and which technique is optimal?
Amy Woznick1, Marianne Franco, Philip Bendick
1Department of General Surgery, William Beaumont Hospital, 3577 West 13 Mile Road, Suite #201, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA.
Background:
Controversy exists in sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in breast cancer regarding the appropriate number of nodes to remove and the best technique for identification of the SLNs.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review from January of 1999 to January of 2004 was performed for all patients undergoing a SLN biopsy examination who had at least 1 positive SLN.
Results:
We identified 167 patients. A mean of 4.4 SLNs were removed per patient. All of the positive SLNs were identified by node 6. Radiotracer used alone identified 19 positive nodes (11.4%) and blue dye used alone identified 14 positive nodes (8.4%).
Conclusions:
Our data show that 100% of positive SLNs are found by 6 nodes removed, thereby supporting the concept that the SLN dissection may not be complete by removing only 1 or 2 nodes or only the hottest node. The use of blue dye or radiotracer alone can contribute to the overall false-negative rate.
