Skin Staining After Injection of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide for Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection: A Retrospective...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Pathology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection is crucial for detecting lymph node metastasis in early breast cancer.
• Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) tracers offer high detection rates for SLN biopsy, comparable to radioisotopes.
• A known side effect of SPIO is skin staining around the injection site.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the incidence of skin staining following oncological breast surgery using SPIO.
• To assess the impact of two distinct SPIO injection protocols on the rate of skin staining.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of breast cancer patients undergoing SPIO-enhanced SLN detection between 2020-2022.
• Comparison of two injection protocols: retro-areolar (P1) vs. retro-tumoral (P2).
• Assessment of skin staining at 10 days post-surgery, with patient satisfaction evaluated at 6 and 12 months.

Main Results:

• 175 SLN procedures were analyzed; overall detection rate was 97.7%.
• Skin staining occurred in 23% of patients, more frequently after breast-conserving surgery (31.6%) than mastectomy (6.8%).
• Peritumoral injection (P2) significantly reduced staining risk in breast-conserving surgery compared to retro-areolar injection (P1).

Conclusions:

• SPIO injection is a safe technique for SLN biopsy in breast cancer patients.
• Skin discoloration was minimal after mastectomy, likely due to tissue removal.
• While skin staining can persist, patient satisfaction remains high; techniques like peritumoral injection may mitigate this side effect.