Julie Kepple

Intraoperative Subareolar Radioisotope Injection for Immediate Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Objective:To determine the identification of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer patients after intraoperative injection of unfiltered technetium-99m sulfur colloid (Tc-99) and blue dye. Background:SLNB guided by a combination of radioisotope and blue dye injection yields the best identification rates in breast cancer patients. Radioisotope is given preoperatively, without local anesthesia, whereas blue dye is given intraoperatively. We hypothesized that, because of the rapid drainage noted with the subareolar injection technique of radioisotope, intraoperative injection would be feasible and less painful for SLN localization in breast cancer patients. Methods:Intraoperative injection of Tc-99 and confirmation blue dye was performed using the subareolar technique for SLNB in patients with operable breast cancer. The time lapse between injection and axillary incision, the background count, the preincision and ex vivo counts of the hot nodes, and the axillary bed counts were documented. The identification rate was recorded. Results:Ninety-six SLNB procedures were done in 88 patients with breast cancer employing intraoperative subareolar injection technique for both radioisotope (all 96 procedures) and blue dye (93 procedures) injections. Ninety-three (97%) procedures had successful identification; all SLNs were hot; 91 (of 93 procedures with blue dye) were blue and hot. The mean time from radioisotope injection to incision was 19.9 minutes (SD 8.5 minutes). The mean highest 10 second count was 88,544 (SD 55,954). Three of 96 (3%) patients with failure of localization had previous excisional biopsies: 1 circumareolar and 2 upper outer quadrant incisions that may have disrupted the lymphatic flow. Conclusion:Intraoperative subareolar injection of radioisotope rapidly drains to the SLNs and allows immediate staging of the axilla, avoiding the need to coordinate diagnostic services and a painful preoperative procedure.

Botulinum Toxin Infiltration for Pain Control After Mastectomy and Expander Reconstruction

Introduction:We hypothesized botulinum toxin (BT) infiltration of the chest wall musculature after mastectomy would create a prolonged inhibition of muscle spasm and postoperative pain, facilitating tissue expander reconstruction. Methods:An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved prospective study was conducted of all patients undergoing mastectomy with tissue expander placement during a 2-year period. Study patients versus controls had 100 units of diluted BT injected into the pectoralis major, serratus anterior, and rectus abdominis insertion. Pain was scored using a visual analog scale of 0 to 10. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for continuous variables and the χ2 test for nominal level data to test for significance. Results:Forty-eight patients were entered into the study; 22 (46%) with and 26 (54%) without BT infiltration. Groups were comparable in terms of age (55 ± 11 years versus 52 ± 10 years; P = 0.46), bilateral procedure (59% versus 61%; P = 0.86), tumor size (2 ± 2 cm versus 2 ± 3 cm; P = 0.4), expander size and volume (429 ± 119 mL versus 510 ± 138 mL; P = 0.5). The BT group did significantly better with pain postoperatively (score of 3 ± 1 versus 7 ± 2; P < 0.0001), during initial (score of 2 ± 2 versus 6 ± 3; P = 1.6 × 10−6), and final expansion (1 ± 1 versus 3 ± 2; P = 0.009). Volume of expansion per session was greater thus expansion sessions required less in the BT group (5 ± 1 versus 7 ± 3; P = 0.025). There was a significant increase in narcotic use in control patients in the first 24 hours (17 ± 10 mg versus 3 ± 3 mg; P < 0.0001), initial as well as final expansion periods (P = 0.0123 and 0.0367, respectively). One expander in the BT group versus 5 in the control group required removal (P = 0.13). There were no BT-related complications. Conclusion:Muscular infiltration of botulinum toxin for mastectomy and tissue expander placement significantly reduced postoperative pain and discomfort without complications.

Stage migration with sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer

BACKGROUND Axillary staging provides the single most important piece of prognostic information in breast cancer patients. This retrospective study was performed to document the phenomenon of stage migration. METHODS Of 392 patients, 5 (1%) failed identification of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) and therefore underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Four patients (80%) had metastatic lymph nodes, 302 (77%) patients had negative SLNs, 47 (15%) underwent ALND, 85 (22%) had positive SLNs, 11 (13%) received adjuvant radiation treatment to the axilla, and 74 (87%) underwent completion ALND. RESULTS The median (quartiles) follow-up period was 29 months (19-46 mo). Twenty of 392 (5%) patients had disease relapse; 2 of which were local (.5%) and the rest were systemic. Earlier relapse was related significantly to lymph node status, tumor grade, and tumor size. SLN-negative patients who did not receive ALND had a relapse rate of 2.3% (6 of 256) compared with 0% in those who were truly negative based on confirmatory ALND. SLN-positive patients who did not receive ALND had a 9% (1 of 11) relapse rate. DISCUSSION The stage-matched pattern of relapse between SLN biopsy and ALND patients revealed lower relapse rates in SLN biopsy-staged patients, documenting the stage migration phenomenon.