Blue dye alone as an intraoperative method of axillary sentinel lymph node detection in invasive breast cancer

Abstract Aims - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of blue dye alone as a detection method for intraoperative axillary sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy, which is an important prognostic indicator in invasive breast cancer. Methods - Retrospective study of 99 patients who underwent SLN biopsy for invasive breast cancer between April 2011 to April 2012 in a district general hospital. Blue dye only was used for detection of sentinel lymph nodes and on average, 4 nodes were sampled. Data was collected from operation notes and histopathology reports. A literature search was performed, and results compared with dual technique i-e blue dye plus radio isotope. Results - SLN detection rate with blue dye alone at our institution was 78%. Varying degrees of success have been reported with blue dye alone in the literature, with rates varying from 60% to over 90%. However, with a combination technique, using blue dye and radioisotope, evidence consistently shows detection rates to be over 90%.