Comparative Analysis of Postoperative Complications of Sentinel Node Identification Using the SentiMag® Method and the Use of a Radiotracer in Patients with Breast Cancer

Abstract

(1) Background: The purpose of the study was a retrospective, comparative assessment of complications of the surgical sentinel node biopsy (SNB) procedure in breast cancer using the radiotracer method and the SentiMag® method on groups of patients after 3.5 years of use. (2) Methods: The material was a group of 345 patients with primary surgical breast cancer who underwent the SNB procedure with the use of a radiotracer in combination with wide local excision (WLE), simple amputation (SA) with SNB and an independent SNB procedure in the period from May 2018 to January 2021 in the Department of Oncological Surgery. Of the patients who were monitored in the Hospital Outpatient Clinic, 300 were enrolled. The analyzed group was compared in terms of the occurrence of the same complications with the group of 303 patients also operated on in our center in the period from January 2014 to September 2017, in which SN identification was performed using the SentiMag® method. (3) Results: The most common complications found were sensation disorders in the arm, which occurred in 16 (14.1%) patients using the radiotracer method, SentiMag®-11 (9.9%). By comparing the complication rate between the methods with the radiotracer (n = 300) and SentiMag® (n = 303), no significant differences were found. (4) Conclusions: Sentinel node (SN) identification using the radiotracer method and the SentiMag® method are comparable diagnostic methods in breast cancer, with a low risk of complications.

The Application of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in Clinically Node-Negative Breast Cancer Patients: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…No severe allergic reactions were reported in any of the currently published trials; this can partly be explained by the exclusion of patients with hypersensitivity to iron or dextran compounds and those with pacemakers or metal implants. Dermopigmentation is the most frequently reported complication, with a rate of up to 20% in the injection site, similar to what is found after the injection of blue dye [ 23 , 28 , 48 , 49 ]. Skin staining after SPIO injection is a concern as well, even though several reports showed that most patients did not consider it an upsetting problem [ 21 , 25 ].…”

Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in Breast Cancer: An Innovative Technique

“…This method does not imply a loss of information since the scintigraphic examination can be replaced by one using the magnetic detector; in this way, there would be a complete elimination of the exposure to ionizing radiation both to the healthcare team and the patient [ 18 ]. This will also reduce the time required for the patient’s diagnostic procedure, thus decreasing their psychological stress, which is already of considerable importance, since they are faced with a malignant pathology [ 19 ] ( Table 5 ).…”

The Role of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Breast Cancer Patients Who Become Clinically Node-Negative Following Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy: A Literature Review

“…However, some issues related to this context (i.e., high costs, few centers with nuclear medicine facilities, potential allergic reactions to the tracer, etc.) have required new tracers to be studied, such as indocyanine green (ICG), superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO), and carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) [79][80][81][82].…”