Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026
The Application of 1% Methylene Blue Dye As a Single Technique in Breast Cancer Sentinel Node Biopsy
Published on: June 1, 2019
Node positive breast cancer: Concordance between baseline PET/CT and sentinel node assessment after neoadjuvant
Oscar Leopoldo Christin1, Jonathan Kuten2, Einat Even-Sapir3
1Department of Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Introduction:
Sentinel node biopsy for axillary staging in node positive patients after neoadjuvant treatment is controversial, mainly due to high false negative rates. We examined the concordance between the location of the hot nodes identified on PET-CT at presentation with the location of the sentinel nodes.
Materails And Methods:
Fifty-eight breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant treatment between January 2013 and September 2018 who had positive regional lymph nodes on PET/CT, and a SPECT/CT lymphoscintigraphy completed before sentinel node biopsy were included. Patient, tumor and treatment characteristics were collected. Images of PET/CT were compared to images of SPECT/CT lymphoscintigraphy post treatment and concordance between location of the hot nodes on PET/CT with the sentinel nodes visualized on SPECT/CT was assessed. Association between patient, tumor and treatment characteristics and concordance between the sentinel node and the hot nodes was determined.
Results:
Sentinel nodes were identified in 53 (91%) of the cases in surgery. In 25 (43%) patients, axillary nodes were positive after treatment. In 16 (28%; 95% CI 18, 40) the sentinel node was not one of the hot nodes seen on PET/CT at presentation. Twenty-three (40%) patients had excision of additional axillary nodes. In two patients with non-concordant sentinel nodes, the sentinel node was falsely negative.
Conclusions:
In node positive patients who undergo neoadjuvant treatment, the sentinel node visualized on lymphatic mapping is not necessarily one of the hot nodes identified on PET/CT at presentation. These findings underline the importance of marking the pathologically proven lymph node and excising it as well as the sentinel nodes after treatment.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
07:51The Application of 1% Methylene Blue Dye As a Single Technique in Breast Cancer Sentinel Node Biopsy
05:52Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping and Biopsy for Endometrial Cancer at Early Stage with Laparoscopy
06:37Multispectral Real-time Fluorescence Imaging for Intraoperative Detection of the Sentinel Lymph Node in Gynecologic Oncology
08:06Lymph Node Exam
The lymphatic system has two main functions: to return extracellular fluid back to the venous circulation and to expose antigenic substances to the immune system. As the collected fluid passes through lymphatic channels on its way back to the systemic circulation, it encounters multiple nodes consisting of highly concentrated clusters of...
10:28Gene Regulation and Targeted Therapy in Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis: Radiological Findings from Dual Energy CT and PET/CT
07:45Orthotopic Transplantation of Breast Tumors as Preclinical Models for Breast Cancer