PURPOSE Primary systemic therapy (PST) downstages up to 40% of initial documented axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases in breast cancer. The current surgical treatment after PST consists of breast tumor resection and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). This strategy, however, does not eliminate unnecessary ALND in patients with complete remission of axillary metastases. The aim of this study...

AIMS To evaluate the accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients at this institution, using combined technetium-99m ((99m)Tc) sulphur colloid and patent blue vital dye. METHODS From March 2007 to July 2008, 50 patients with a tumour of less than 3 cm and with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), followed by axillary lymph n...

Objective To explore the clinical value of indocyanine green (ICG) for the fluorescence-guided detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) during sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with early breast cancer. Methods This retrospective study included female patients with breast cancer. Patients were administered methylene blue and ICG using standard techniques. All SLNs that were collecte...

OBJECTIVE Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) as a staging procedure in multiple breast cancer is a controversial issue. We have aimed to evaluate the efficacy of sentinel node (SN) detection in patients with multifocal or multicentric breast cancer as well as the safety of its clinical application after a long follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHODS A prospective descriptive study was performed. Eight...

The aim of this study was to present two cases of severe anaphylaxis during sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Case 1: A 64-year-old-woman had two months earlier been diagnosed with breast ductal invasive carcinoma by first local excision. She was taken for further surgery with SLNB. At induction she received midazolam, fentanyl, propofol, atracurium, cefazolin and paracetamol. She was given a ...

BACKGROUND Aberrant lymphatic drainage is believed to contribute to the high recurrence rate of head and neck melanomas. The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical significance of unexpected lymphatic drainage patterns. METHODS A single institution retrospective analysis was performed of middle-aged and older men (mean age, 66.2 years; range, 41-87 years) who underwent successful ...

Research Assistant; Russell Mellor is Research Assistant; Peter Mortimer is Professor of Dermatological Medicine, Division of Cardiac and Vascular Sciences (Dermatology); Rodney Levick is Professor of Physiology, Division of Basic Medical Sciences (Physiology) all at St George’s, University of London *These authors contributed equally to this work Lymphoedema of the arm is acknowledged as a ser...

BACKGROUND In cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM) with clinically uninvolved regional lymph nodes, sentinel lymph node (SLN) status is the most powerful indicator of both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). However, no studies on the long-term survival and clinical follow-up of Korean patients with acral lentiginous MM (ALM) undergoing SLN biopsy (SLNB) have been published. O...

OBJECTIVE To examine opioid prescribing patterns after general surgery procedures and to estimate an ideal number of pills to prescribe. BACKGROUND Diversion of prescription opioids is a major contributor to the rising mortality from opioid overdoses. Data to inform surgeons on the optimal dose of opioids to prescribe after common general surgical procedures is lacking. METHODS We evaluated...