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The Application of 1% Methylene Blue Dye As a Single Technique in Breast Cancer Sentinel Node Biopsy
Published on: June 1, 2019
21.8K
Breast Cancer Sentinel Node Detection: An Alternative Solution for Centers Lacking Nuclear Technology.
Mahmoud A Alhussini1, Ahmed T Awad1, Mohamed H Ashour2
1Surgical Oncology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt, Alexandria, Egypt.
Breast Care (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 11, 2016
Summary
Methylene blue (MB) dye is a safe and effective alternative for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in breast cancer patients. This study confirms MB
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is standard for staging breast cancer.
- Combined radioisotope and blue dye techniques are common for SLN detection.
- Limited radioisotope technology prompted investigation of alternative tracers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of methylene blue (MB) for SLN detection in breast cancer.
- To assess the safety and accuracy of MB as an SLN tracer.
Main Methods:
- 144 breast cancer patients underwent SLN detection using 2 ml of 1% MB.
- Standard axillary lymph node dissection followed MB injection.
- Safety and accuracy of MB for SLN identification were analyzed.
Main Results:
- MB achieved a 93.15% identification rate for SLNs.
- The sensitivity of the MB dye technique was 96.3%, with a false negative rate of 3.7%.
- The accuracy and negative predictive value were high at 98.5% and 97.6%, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Methylene blue (MB) is a safe, reliable, and cost-effective tracer for SLN detection.
- MB offers an accurate alternative to traditional methods in resource-limited settings.
- This study supports MB as a viable option for SLN biopsy in breast cancer care.
