Radioactive seed localization of nonpalpable breast lesions is better than wire localization.

BACKGROUND

The current study sought to validate radioactive seed localization (RSL) as an alternative to wire localization (WL) to facilitate the operative excision of nonpalpable breast lesions.

METHODS

One hundred consecutive patients underwent preoperative WL and the next 100 RSL. Margins were considered negative if > or =2 mm from in situ and invasive disease.

RESULTS

RSL resulted in 100% retrieval of the seeds and lesions. Sixty-eight percent of patients underwent RSL at least 1 day before surgery. RSL resulted in a 35% relative improvement in the rate of negative margins in the first specimen (P = 0.01) and a 62% relative improvement in the rate of reoperation for positive margins (P = 0.01). The sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification rate was 100% in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

RSL is effective and safe, and this procedure significantly improved the rate of negative margins in the first specimen and the rate of reoperation for positive margins compared to WL. We highly favor RSL over WL.