Sentinel lymph nodes navigation surgery for stage I or IIA breast cancer patients

Abstract

10784 Background: We applied indigocarmine for sentinel lymph nodes staining for Stage I or IIA breast cancer patients. We compared patient survival between sentinel lymph nodes navigastion surgery group and ordinary surgery with axillary lymph nodes dissection group. Methods: Patients consisted of 160 histologically proven breast cancer women (Stage I: 108 cases, Stage II: 52 cases, 51.8 ± 11.1 years, SN group) and other 320 breast cacner women (Stage I: 187 cases, Stage II: 146 cases, 53.4 ± 9.7 years, non-SN group). All patients underwent partial resection of their breast with histologically proven cancer cells negative margin (SN group: May 2000–December 2003, non-SN group: January 1996–December 2003). Fifteeen minutes before surgery, 0.4% Indigocarmine (10 ml) was injected around the tumor by use of 24 gauge syringe. Sentinel lymph node (SN) was defined as the stained lymph node. Intra operative cytology and histopathological examination was performed for SN and one or two lymph nodes around the SN. When any cancer cells were found in either of SN or the lymph nodes around the SN, axillary lymph nodes dissection was performed. When all of SN and several lymph nodes around the SN were diagnosed as cancer cells negative, axillary lymph nodes dissection was omitted. Patient survival and disease free survival were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Results: About patients characteristics including age, diameter of the tumor, hormone receptor status, treatment after surgery, etc., no significant difference was found between two groups. We could find SN in 156 patients (97.5%) out of 160 cases in SN group. Four years patient survival was 97.6% (stage I, SN group), 96.6% (stage I, non SN group), and 96.6% (stage IIA, SN group), 93.5% (stage IIA, non SN group), respectively (no significant difference). Four years disease free survival was 97.6% (stage I, SN group), 95.4% (stage I, non SN group), and 82.5% (stage IIA, SN group), 86.4% (stage IIA, non SN group), respectively (no significant difference). Conclusions: Sentinel lymph nodes navigation surgery for stage I or IIA breast cancer patients by use of 0.4% Indigocarmine revealed comparable patient survival and disease free patient survival to ordinary surgery. No significant financial relationships to disclose.