Sentinel lymph node biopsy in early breast cancer surgery – Working with the risks of vital blue dye to reap the benefits

Identification of the sentinel lymph node in the SNAC-1 trial

“…White et al . confirmed this and reported a low rate of severe anaphylactic reactions ranging from 0.06% to 0.4% . Thus, there is merit in the use of patent blue in a combined technique, which could outweigh concerns about allergic reactions.…”

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as the sole method for sentinel node biopsy detection in patients with breast cancer

“…Certain drawbacks, such as limited access to 99m Tc in most parts of the world, owing to lack of availability and complicated legislation regulating the handling and disposal of radioactive material, in combination with the allergic reactions associated with blue dye, have motivated research for novel SNB detection techniques, such as use of indocyanine green (ICG) or microbubbles with contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography.…”

Hypersensitivity reactions in the anesthesia setting/allergic reactions to anesthetics

“…The extensive use of the triarylmethan dyes patent blue V and isosulfan blue in lymphatic mapping for sentinel node biopsy has been incriminated in a significant number of cases of hypersensitivity reactions [22][23][24][25]. Sensitization may originate from the widespread use of these dyes in cosmetics and other everyday life objects.…”