Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early Breast Cancer Using Patent Blue Dye as a Single Identification Method: Experience of an Academic Center

Abstract

Introduction Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has become the standard of care in the assessment of metastatic spread to axillary lymph nodes in cases with early breast cancer. The use of single or dual method for identification of the sentinel nodes was an area of much research that concluded that dual method using both dye and radiolabeled tracer has a preference given higher identification rates. Methods In this study we assessed our experience with SLNB using patent blue dye in the period 2019-2023 in patients with early breast cancer eligible for SLNB treated in Suez Canal University Hospitals. The primary outcome was to estimate the identification rate and percentage of upstaging and need for axillary dissection (AD) following SLNB. Results A total of 128 patients were included and successful identification of SLN was attained in 122 patients (95.3%). 95 of them showed negative nodes while metastatic deposits was identified in 27 patients ( 22.1%) that necessitated completion axillary clearance in 16 ( 13.1%). Conclusion SLNB is a reliable method even in the setting allowing only single method of identification giving patients with early breast cancer the chance to avoid unnecessary axillary clearance and its future morbidity.