Sentinel node occult lesion localization technique for impalpable breast cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Mammographic screening facilitates early breast cancer detection, identifying many non-palpable malignancies.
• Accurate tumor removal and sentinel lymph node biopsy are critical for staging and managing these lesions.
• The Sentinel Node and Occult Lesion Localization (SNOLL) technique combines radioisotope peritumoral localization and lymphoscintigraphy for sentinel node mapping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of the SNOLL technique in a large cohort of women with non-palpable breast cancers.
• To assess the logistic advantages and clinical outcomes of SNOLL.
• To determine the efficacy of SNOLL in lesion localization and sentinel lymph node identification.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 450 female patients with non-palpable, asymptomatic invasive breast cancer who underwent SNOLL.
• Primary outcomes included successful lesion localization, re-excision rates, and excised tissue volume.
• Secondary outcomes assessed lymphoscintigraphy success and sentinel node positivity rates.

Main Results:

• SNOLL achieved successful initial tumor removal in 99.8% of cases.
• The re-excision rate was 15.1%, with a mean closest margin of 7.05 mm.
• Sentinel node identification and removal were successful in 99.6% of cases, with a 18.4% positivity rate.

Conclusions:

• The Sentinel Node and Occult Lesion Localization (SNOLL) technique is highly effective for precise localization of non-palpable invasive breast lesions.
• SNOLL facilitates simultaneous sentinel lymph node mapping, improving surgical management.
• The study supports SNOLL as an efficient and effective method for treating non-palpable breast cancers.