Ultra-Low Dose of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in Patients with Breast Cancer

BackgroundSentinel lymph node (SLN) status is pivotal for treatment decision-making in patients with breast cancer. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO) have been shown to be equivalent to the dual technique with technetium(99m) (Tc-99) and blue dye (BD) for SLN detection. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of detecting SLNs using an ultra-low dose of SPIO.MethodPatients planned for breast conserving surgery and SLN biopsy were included. An intradermal injection of 0.1 mL SPIO was administered at the areolar border up to 7 days before surgery. Tc-99/BD was administered according to clinical routine. SLNs were detected during surgery using a handheld magnetometer. All nodes with a magnetic and/or radioactive signal, as well as blue or clinically suspicious nodes, were harvested and analyzed.ResultsIn 50 patients, SPIO was injected a median of 4 days before surgery. At least one SLN was found in all patients with both methods. A total of 98 SLNs were removed; 90 were detected using SPIO and 88 using Tc-99/BD. Of the 90 SLNs detected by SPIO, 80 were Tc-99/BD positive (concordance 89%). Histopathological analysis classified 16 patients with tumor cells deposit and 9 with macro-metastasis > 2mm, where one SLN was identified only by the radioactive technique and one only by the magnetic technique.DiscussionSLN detection using 0.1 mL ultra-low dose SPIO injected intradermally was successful in all patients. A future analysis will determine whether the approach using an ultra-low dose of SPIO injected intradermally will minimize skin staining and MRI artefacts.

Automated summary

This study aimed to determine the feasibility of detecting sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in breast cancer patients using an ultra-low dose of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO). SPIO was injected intradermally 4 days before surgery, and SLNs were detected using a handheld magnetometer during surgery. The results showed that SLNs were successfully detected in all patients using the ultra-low dose of SPIO.