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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
The Application of 1% Methylene Blue Dye As a Single Technique in Breast Cancer Sentinel Node Biopsy
Published on: June 1, 2019
Safety and technical success of methylene blue dye for lymphatic mapping in breast cancer
Shaheen Zakaria1, Tanya L Hoskin, Amy C Degnim
1Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN, USA.
Background:
We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of methylene blue dye (MBD) for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in breast cancer.
Methods:
A total of 398 patients undergoing 401 SLN biopsy procedures with MBD were retrospectively reviewed and divided into 3 groups based on dye concentration and location of dye injection. Technical success and complication rates were compared.
Results:
Overall technical success of SLN biopsy was 99.7%. Technical success of SLN mapping with MBD was lowest in the group receiving full strength dye in a peritumoral location (74%) and highest in the group that received very dilute MBD (1.25 mg/mL) in the subareolar location (92%, P = .004). The complication rate was highest in the first group (21%) and lowest in the latter (2%, P = .0003).
Conclusions:
Dilute MBD (1.25 mg/mL) successfully maps SLNs with very few complications.
