Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is a gold standard in staging of early breast cancer. Nowadays, routine mapping of lymphatic tract is based on two tracers: human albumin with radioactive technetium, with or without blue dye. Recent years have seen a search for new tracers to examine sentinel node as well as lymphatic network. One of them is indocyanine green (ICG) visible in infrared light. AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical usage of ICG in comparison with standard tracer, i.e. nanocoll, in SNB of breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the 1st Department of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznań, 13 female breast cancer patients have benn operated since September 2010. All these patients had sentinel node biopsy with nanocoll (human albumin with radioactive technetium), and with indocyanine green. The feasibility of this new method was assessed in comparison with the standard nanocoll. RESULTS: A lymphatic network between the place of injection of ICG and sentinel node was seen in infrared light. An area where a sentinel node was possibly located was confirmed by gamma probe. Sensitivity of this method was 100%. CONCLUSION: SNB using ICG is a new, promising diagnostics technique. This procedure is not without drawbacks; nevertheless it opens new horizons in lymphatic network diagnostics.