الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Axillary lymph node dissection has long been the standard surgical procedure as part of treatment for invasive breast cancer. The presence or absence of axillary metastasis is still the single most powerful predictor of outcome, despite the arability of numerous other biological and genetic markers. Careful axillary dissection is also therapeutic. Axillary dissection, however, is accompanied by considerable morbidity and there is a correlation between the number of node excised and the severity of postoperative discomfort. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been developed during recent years to stage the axilla. Three different methods have been used to identify the sentinel node in patients with breast cancer: 1. The blue dye (visual guided). 2, Probe guided. 3. Combined visual guided and probe guided. The purpose of this study and our objectives were to improve dye- only lymphatic mapping of the breast by using methylene blue dye in an alternative site of injection of the blue dye. Between January 2002 to April 2004, 50 patients with operable breast cancer, clinically node-negative axilla underwent lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy followed by modified radical mastectomy or conservative breast surgery and complete axillary dissection. |