Guiding breast-conserving surgery in patients after neoadjuvant systemic therapy for breast cancer: a comparison of radioactive seed localization with the ROLL technique.

BACKGROUND: Radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) with technetium-99 m colloid (ROLL-(99m)Tc) is commonly used to perform breast-conserving surgery in patients with nonpalpable breast tumors. Radioactive seed localization is a relatively new technique that localizes the tumor with a radioactive iodine-125 ((125)I) seed. The feasibility and outcome of these techniques after neoadjuvant systemic treatment has not been widely investigated. METHODS: All patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic treatment between 2007 and 2010 in the Netherlands Cancer Institute who underwent breast-conserving surgery with the ROLL-(99m)Tc technique (n = 83) or with (125)I seed localization (n = 71) were analyzed. The weight of the resected specimen, the margins, and the percentage of patients requiring a second surgical intervention as a result of positive margins were assessed. RESULTS: Patient and tumor characteristics and systemic treatment regimens were comparable between both groups. The median weight of the resected specimen (53 vs. 48 g), the median smallest margin (3.5 vs. 3.0 mm), and the risk for additional surgery for incomplete resections (7 vs. 8 %) did not differ significantly between patients treated with the ROLL-(99m)Tc technique and (125)I seed localization. CONCLUSIONS: The ROLL-(99m)Tc technique and (125)I seed localization demonstrate comparable results when used to perform breast-conserving surgery after neoadjuvant systemic treatment. Because (125)I seed localization does not require additional radiological localization shortly before surgery, it simplifies surgery scheduling. Therefore, we prefer (125)I seed localization to perform breast-conserving surgery after neoadjuvant systemic treatment.

SPECT/CT and a portable gamma-camera for image-guided laparoscopic sentinel node biopsy in testicular cancer.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of SPECT/CT and real-time intraoperative imaging with a portable γ-camera for laparoscopic sentinel node (SN) localization in stage I testicular cancer. METHODS: Ten patients with clinical stage I testicular cancer were studied between November 2006 and November 2010. Their mean age was 37 y (range, 25-50 y). The primary tumors were situated on the right side in 5 patients and on the left side in 5. After a funicular block with 2% lidocaine, an average dose of 80 MBq (range, 59-98 MBq) of (99m)Tc-nanocolloid in a volume of 0.2 mL was injected into the testicular parenchyma. Shortly after injection, a 10-min dynamic study was performed, followed by the acquisition of static planar images at 15 min and 2 h. SPECT/CT was performed at 2 h. After image fusion, SNs were visualized, and their exact anatomic location was determined. The SPECT/CT images were displayed in the operation room to guide SN detection using a laparoscopic γ-ray probe and a portable γ-camera. RESULTS: Lymphatic drainage to the retroperitoneum was seen in all patients. SPECT/CT identified interaortocaval or paracaval SNs in the 5 patients with right-sided tumors, one of whom had an additional SN adjacent to the testicular vessels. In all 5 patients with left-sided tumors, paraaortic SNs were visualized; a node along the testicular vessels was visualized in 2 of these 5. Twenty-six SNs were laparoscopically removed (range, 1-4 per patient). An SN contained metastases in 1 case. No recurrences developed in the 9 patients with a tumor-free SN during a median follow-up of 21 mo (range, 2-50 mo). CONCLUSION: SPECT/CT enables accurate anatomic localization of retroperitoneal SNs in patients with testicular cancer, facilitating their laparoscopic retrieval. Real-time image guidance by a portable γ-camera improves intraoperative SN detection and appears to identify (20%) additional SNs.