The role of lymphoscintigrams in breast cancer – a retrospective audit from Beaumont Hospital

Introduction: Lymphoscintigram scans have been used, along with the technetium-99m and blue dye injection, to locate sentinel lymph node(s) in breast cancer patients undergoing surgery at Beaumont Hospital. However, the value of lymphoscintigrams for accurately identifying potentially malignant lymph nodes in the clinical setting remains controversial.

Aim of study: To evaluate the role of pre-operative lymphoscintigrams in female breast cancer patients at Beaumont Hospital. Methods: Hospital database records of 100 breast cancer patients’ lymphoscintigrams, from August 2015 to November 2017, were evaluated retrospectively. These findings were correlated with histology results and operative reports of ‘hot and/or blue’ lymph nodes.

Results: The mean number of nodes on lymphoscintigrams and histology reports was 2.42 and 2.63, respectively. Some 6% of patients (n=6) had negative lymphoscintigram scans but were found to have malignant lymph nodes on histological assessment.

Conclusion: Lymphoscintigraphy did not enhance the accuracy of detecting sentinel lymph nodes in this study. Given these findings, further randomised controlled trials are recommended to guide eventual elimination of lymphoscintigrams at Beaumont Hospital.