Role of Indocyanine Green for Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early Breast Cancer

Introduction: Breast cancer is a significant health concern, and the accurate identification of lymph node involvement is crucial for appropriate staging and treatment planning. One technique that has gained wide spread acceptance is sentinel lymph node biopsy. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is effective for accurately assessing pathological nodal staging and identifying the presence of metastasis in the axillary lymph nodes. This study evaluates role indocyanine green for sentinel lymph node biopsy in early breast cancer. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted at Department of surgery, MGM Medical College & Hospital, Chatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra, India. A total of 18 patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer were enrolled. ICG was injected peritumorally, and SLNs were identified using a near-infrared fluorescence imaging system. Observation & Results: In the present study, majority of cases were aged > 60 years i.e. 10 (55%) followed by 7 (39%) cases from 41 to 60 years. The mean age was 61 years. In 18 cases, only 1 (6%) male case was found and the rest 17 (94 %) were females. ICG successfully identified SLNs in 16(89%) of cases. The average number of SLNs identified per patient was 2.1. Frozen report was found positive in 6 (37 %) cases and negative in 10 (63 %) cases. Conclusion: Indocyanine green is a viable and effective option for sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer, with a favorable safety profile and high detection rates. Its adoption could simplify Sentinel lymph node mapping and potentially reduce the need for more invasive procedures like axillary lymph node dissection.