A clinical feasibility study of a photoacoustic finder for sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer patients: A prospective cross-sectional study
Abstract
The sentinel lymph node (SLNb) is generally performed using radioisotopes, blue dyes, or both to improve false negative rate. However, ionizing radiation is involved in a gamma probe with radioisotopes and the blue dye detection relies on native visual inspection by an operator. To overcome these limitations, we developed the photoacoustic finder (PAF), a highly sensitive, non-radioactive detector that uses only blue dye and a photoacoustic signal to detect SLNs. A total of 121 patients with breast cancer were enrolled, and 375 lymph nodes were excised using conventional SLNb. The PAF was used to measure the signal from the excised lymph nodes. We compared the SLN detection rates of each method (gamma probe, visual inspection, and PAF) and conducted a non-inferiority test. The PAF detected 87 % of SLNs, comparable to the gamma probe (85 %) and superior to visual inspection (73 %). Non-inferiority tests confirmed PAF's performance was not inferior to visual inspection (p < 0.001) or the gamma probe (p < 0.015). Using the dual-modal method (gamma probe + visual inspection) as the gold standard, PAF showed a sensitivity of 0.81 and specificity of 0.63. This study demonstrates that PAF, using only blue dye, offers a non-inferior alternative to the standard dual-modal SLN detection method with radioactive materials, opening new avenues for radiation-free SLNb in the future.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 121 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Ferulic acid regulates the AKT/GSK-3β/CRMP-2 signaling pathway in a middle cerebral artery occlusion animal model
- Novel Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Parameters Quantify the Exposure–Effect Relationship of Levofloxacin against Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli
- Photochemical behavior of levofloxacin
- Correlation Between Dissolution Profiles of Salt-Form Drugs in Biorelevant Bicarbonate Buffer and Oral Drug Absorption: Importance of Dose/ Fluid Volume Ratio
- Evaluation of the synergistic potential and mechanisms of action for de novo designed cationic antimicrobial peptides
- Synthesis of [11C]levofloxacin
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.