Oncological outcomes and locoregional recurrence after fluorescence guided surgery for axillary staging in early breast cancer: A single UK center experience
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: • Use of Indocyanine green (ICG) as a tracer for sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with node negative early breast cancer. • Detection of ICG fluorescence using a camera with wavelength filters. • Comparable sentinel lymph node detection rates between ICG and radioisotope. • Low axillary recurrence rates after sentinel lymph node biopsy using ICG. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an established standard technique for staging the axilla in clinically node-negative breast cancer patients. This study evaluates the efficacy of a dual tracer technique combining Indocyanine Green (ICG) fluorescence and blue dye for SLNB in early breast cancer patients at a single institution (Perth Royal Infirmary, Scotland). Over an eight-month period, 139 patients with clinically node-negative invasive breast cancer underwent SLNB, achieving a sentinel lymph node identification rate of 98.5 %. Among the identified nodes, a node positivity rate of 19.7 % was observed. With a median follow-up of 42 months, axillary recurrence was recorded in only 0.9 % of patients, alongside local and distant recurrences of 1.8 % and 5.5 %, respectively. The findings suggest that the ICG and blue dye technique maintains a low axillary recurrence rate comparable to traditional methods, while also addressing logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This technique offers a promising alternative to radioisotope-based methods and opens new possible routes for non-radioactive axillary staging techniques. Further long-term outcomes are anticipated as the use of ICG as a sole tracer is integrated into routine practice.
Institutions: NHS Tayside, University of Dundee
Language: English
Subfield: Cancer Research
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,740
OpenAlex ID: W4409150056