Surgical marker navigation system in breast conserving surgery and excision of non-palpable lesions: first Spanish single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Due to the establishment of screening mammography for breast cancer detection, the number of non-palpable lesions has increased. Thus, an optimal localization system is mandatory for the excision of non-palpable breast tumors. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to report the feasibility Surgical Marker Navigation (SMN) system Sirius Pintuition® for the excision of non-palpable breast tumors and non-palpable axillary lymph nodes. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery and lymph node excision guided by SMN between December 2022 and May 2023 was performed. RESULTS: A total of 84 patients underwent excision of non-palpable breast tumors (77; 91.7%) or non-palpable axillary lymph-nodes (7; 8.3%) using SMN. In total, 94 markers were placed, in 74 patients (88.1%) only one marker was placed, whereas in 10 patients (11.9%) two markers were placed to correctly localize the lesion in the operating room. Most markers were placed using ultrasonographic guidance (69; 82.1%). Seventy-seven patients underwent breast-conserving surgery (91.7%) and 7 (8.3%) lymph node excision. In 10 cases (11.9%), the marker was accidentally displaced during surgery due to the use of magnetized instruments, although the specimen could be removed. In sum, all the markers were removed from the patients, although the marker retrieval rate, as we defined it (percentage of patients in whom the initial excised specimen contained the marker divided by the total number of patients), was 88.1%. CONCLUSION: The use of Sirius Pintuition® SMN for non-palpable breast tumors and non-palpable lymph nodes is feasible, with a retrieval rate of 88.1%.

Intraoperative sentinel node biopsy, is it worth the wait?

INTRODUCTION: In our institution, the study of selective sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) is performed intraoperatively. The main objective of our study is to know the proportion of patients who benefits from the waiting of the results of SLNB. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients operated on our center between January 1st, 2018 and June 30, 2019 was carried out. We included women diagnosed with T1-T2 tumors, treated by lumpectomy and SLNB studied using OSNA method. RESULTS: Our study included 149 women. There were not statistically significant differences in terms of demographic data between the group treated with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and exclusively SLNB group. After analysis of SLN intraoperatively, there were performed 18 axillary lymphadenectomies. Only in six of this 18 cases, three or more sentinel nodes were founded. The location of the tumor, the presence of lymphovascular permeation and the total tumor load (TTL) showed statistically significant differences between groups. Only the TTL was established as the independent factor of the need for ALND. DISCUSSION: Obtaining a deferred result of the SLNB allowed reducing the time of anesthesia and occupation of the operating room, since in a high percentage of cases an additional procedure is not performed.

[A rare leak after mastectomy]. / Una fístula poco frecuente tras mastectomía.

Chylous leak is a rare complication after breast cancer surgery. We present the case of a patient with a chylous leak and discuss the management options.