Combined procedure of marking axillary positive node with iodine-125 seed and sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

To present our initial experience in the combined procedure of intraoperative detection of axillary positive node marked with I seed (ML) and sentinel node biopsy (SLN) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), in breast cancer patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Prospective study, January 2017 - March 2019, 16 breast cancer patients T1-3N1. TNM stage: IIA: 3, IIB: 10, IIIA: 3. Histological type ductal invasive: 14. Molecular subtype: luminal A: 3, luminal B: 9, HER2: 3, basal like: 1. The ML was marked 227±36 days before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n: 10), or 1-6 days before surgery, on previously identified node by ultrasound visibility marker, hydrogel (n: 3) or three dimensional-3D (n: 3). Axillary lymphadenectomy was undertaken in 10 patients.

RESULTS

ML and SLN were identified in the surgery in 93.7% (15/16) of the cases, in 33.3% (5/15) ML was not among SLN, and in only one patient (1/5) was there a discrepancy between the result of ML and SLN (macrometastases vs. negative 0/2). Median number of lymph nodes SLN: 2.2±0.9 (range 1-3) and AD: 13.5±5.2 (range 7-23). In all cases, histopathological analysis of ML, I seed and/or marker within, correctly predicted axillary status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In all patients the I radioactive seed was recovered.

CONCLUSIONS

Placing of I seeds is a feasible technique for intraoperative location of axillary positive node combined with SLN. The histopathological result of ML allows the axillary status to be determined after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.