Radioactive Seed Localization for Nonpalpable Breast Lesions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing localization techniques for impalpable breast cancer.
• Focus on radioactive seed localization (RSL), radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL), and wire-guided localization (WGL).
• Evaluation of efficacy, safety, and logistical outcomes in breast-conserving surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and safety of RSL against ROLL and WGL.
• To assess logistical outcomes associated with these localization methods.
• To determine the optimal localization technique for impalpable breast lesions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across Embase, Lilacs, Pubmed, Scielo, Web of Science, and clinicaltrials.gov.
• Inclusion of randomized clinical trials and cohort studies.
• Meta-analysis using random effect model; risk of bias and GRADE assessments performed.

Main Results:

• Radioactive seed localization (RSL) demonstrated superior surgical efficiency compared to wire-guided localization (WGL).
• RSL was found to be at least equivalent to radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL) in efficacy.
• RSL exhibited safety outcomes comparable to the established WGL technique.

Conclusions:

• Radioactive seed localization (RSL) is a superior method for intraoperative localization of impalpable breast lesions.
• RSL offers comparable safety to wire-guided localization (WGL).
• RSL presents a promising, effective, and safe alternative to existing localization techniques.