Paper
21 May 2001 In-vivo detection of tumor-infiltrated axillary lymph nodes with a handheld beta-sensitive probe: a phantom study
Raymond R. Raylman, Jamal Derakhshan
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Sentinel node biopsy utilizing Technetium-99m-labeled sulfur colloid is rapidly becoming a standard part of the surgical treatment of breast cancer. Although this method is effective in identifying sentinel lymph node(s) in the axilla, the non-tumor-specific nature of colloids necessitates removal of the node(s) for subsequent analysis. Tumor-specific radiotracers, such as positron-emitting Fluorine-18-labeled Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), have been used with positron emission tomography (PET) to successfully stage breast cancer. Thus, the use of FDG with a handheld probe optimized for detection of beta particles could perhaps help identify cancer-infiltrated nodes during axillary dissection. In this study the ability of a new solid-state beta-sensitive probe to identify tumor- infiltrated lymph nodes was investigated in a phantom study. The axilla and tumor-infiltrated lymph nodes were simulated with gelatin phantoms containing FDG concentrations commonly reported from PET studies. FDG uptake in the organs of a patient was simulated with an anthropomorphic torso phantom. Following examination by the handheld probe, a PET image of the phantom was acquired. The results demonstrated that the probe was capable of identifying lymph nodes containing as little as 10 (mu) l of tumor. This amount of simulated tumor was too small to be detected by the PET scanner. This method, therefore, may be useful in intraoperatively identifying some tumor-infiltrated axillary lymph nodes not detected with PET; potentially increasing the efficiency of axillary dissection. Future clinical trials must be performed to assess the utility of this new technique.
© (2001) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Raymond R. Raylman and Jamal Derakhshan "In-vivo detection of tumor-infiltrated axillary lymph nodes with a handheld beta-sensitive probe: a phantom study", Proc. SPIE 4244, Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems XI, (21 May 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.427838
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KEYWORDS
Lymphatic system

Tumors

Positron emission tomography

Breast cancer

Sensors

Cancer

Breast

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