Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer: review on various methodological approaches.

Abstract

Radiocolloids were more successful than blue dye in sentinel lymph node detection. More sentinel lymph nodes were harvested with small colloids, but different sized radiocolloids were similarly successful. Sentinel lymph nodes having higher radiocolloid uptake tended to accumulate blue dye more frequently. Sentinel lymph nodes manifested higher count rates when a larger colloid was used. Frozen section was very successful in detecting macrometastatic disease in sentinel lymph nodes, but the technique failed in most of the micrometastates.