The role of ultrasound and lymphoscintigraphy in the assessment of axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of death due to cancer in European women. Mammography screening programs aimed to increase the detection of early cancer stages were implemented in numerous European countries. Recent data show a decrease in mortality due to breast...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sciendo
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ultrasonography |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jultrason.pl/index.php/issues/volume-16-no-64/the-role-of-ultrasound-and-lymphoscintigraphy-in-the-assessment-of-axillary-lymph-nodes-in-patients-with-breast-cancer?aid=404 |
| Summary: | Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of death due to
cancer in European women. Mammography screening programs aimed to increase the
detection of early cancer stages were implemented in numerous European countries.
Recent data show a decrease in mortality due to breast cancer in many countries, particularly
among young women. At the same time, the number of sentinel node biopsy procedures
and breast-conserving surgeries has increased. Intraoperative sentinel lymph node
biopsy preceded by lymphoscintigraphy is used in breast cancer patients with no clinical
signs of lymph node metastasis. Due to the limited sensitivity and specificity of physical
examination in detecting metastatic lesions, developing an appropriate diagnostic algorithm
for the preoperative assessment of axillary lymph nodes seems to be a challenge.
The importance of ultrasound in patient qualification for sentinel lymph-node biopsy has
been discussed in a number of works. Furthermore, different lymphoscintigraphy protocols
have been compared in the literature. The usefulness of novel radiopharmaceuticals
as well as the methods of image acquisition in sentinel lymph node diagnostics have also
been assessed. The aim of this article is to present, basing on current guidelines, literature
data as well as our own experience, the diagnostic possibilities of axillary lymph
node ultrasound in patient qualification for an appropriate treatment as well as the role
of lymphoscintigraphy in sentinel lymph node biopsy. |
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| ISSN: | 2084-8404 2451-070X |