Lymphoscintigraphy and Sentinel Nodes
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CONTINUING EDUCATION Lymphoscintigraphy and Sentinel Nodes Valeria M. Moncayo1, John N. Aarsvold1,2, and Naomi P. Alazraki1,2 1Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and 2VA Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia Learning Objectives: On successful completion of this activity, participants should be able to describe (1) generic fundamentals of lymphoscintigraphy procedures of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) protocols; (2) specific injection and imaging components of SLNB protocols used in the management of patients with breast cancer, melanoma, and head and neck malignancies; and (3) specific indications of breast cancer, melanoma, and head and neck malignancies that suggest inclusion of a SLNB in the management of a patient. Financial Disclosure: The authors of this article have indicated no relevant relationships that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict of interest. CME Credit: SNMMI is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing education for physicians. SNMMI designates each JNM continuing education article for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. For CE credit, SAM, and other credit types, participants can access this activity through the SNMMI website (http://www.snmmilearningcenter.org) through June 2018. the goal. We discuss SLN procedures that include lymphoscintigraphy It has been validated that sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) shows in the setting of malignancies to the skin, breast, and head and neck. whether a patient’s breast cancer or melanoma has spread to re- gional lymph nodes. As a result, management of patients with these cancers has been revolutionized. SLNB has replaced axillary lymph LYMPHOSCINTIGRAPHY IN SLN PROCEDURES node dissection (ALND) as the staging modality of choice for early breast cancer and has replaced complete lymph node dissection as Lymphoscintigraphy for identifying and localizing SLNs has the staging modality of choice for melanoma in patients whose emerged over the past 2 decades as the staging modality of choice for SLNBs indicate no metastases. Recently concluded multicenter, breast cancers and melanomas that are clinically node-negative (1–3). randomized trials for breast cancer with 5- to 10-y outcome data SLNs are regional nodes that directly receive lymph drainage from have shown no significant differences in disease-free survival rates the primary tumor. If the first lymph node draining a tumor is neg- or overall survival rates between SLNB and ALND groups but have ative for malignant cells, there is a high probability that the remaining shown significantly lower morbidity with SLNB than with ALND. The lymph nodes in the relevant primary and subsequent basins will also lowest false-negative rates (5.5%–6.7%) were seen in studies that be negative (4). Removing only SLNs eliminates the need for a full used preoperative lymphoscintigraphy and dual mapping during lymphadenectomy, reduces associated adverse effects, and usually surgery. To assess the survival impact of SLNB in melanoma, the results in a better quality of life. There may be several SLNs in Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial I was performed. Melanoma-specific survival rates were not different between sub- a patient, as there may be drainage in multiple directions from the jects randomized to SLNB with lymphadenectomy for nodal metas- primary lesion. In the case of multiple nodes, the nodes that dem- tasis on biopsy and subjects randomized to observation with lym- onstrate significant radiotracer uptake may all or individually also phadenectomy for nodal relapse. However, the 10-y disease-free accumulate metastatic cells; therefore, these should be surgically survival rates were better for the SLNB group than for the observa- removed and tested for metastatic cells. tion group, specifically among patients with intermediate-thickness Cabanas, a urologist, introduced SLN biopsy (SLNB) in the melanomas or thick melanomas. management of penile cancer (5). In the 1990s, Morton et al. de- Key Words: lymphoscintigraphy; sentinel lymph node; breast cancer; veloped and applied SLNB in the management of patients with mel- melanoma anoma and breast cancer. These protocols used a dye that stains lymph J Nucl Med 2015; 56:901–907 vessels and sentinel nodes blue to make them visible (3). Also in the DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.114.141432 1990s, Alex et al. introduced SLNB based on radiotracer techniques. These radiotracer techniques depend on detecting the radiotracer g emissions using a g-counting probe or a g camera (2). Lymphoscin- tigraphy is the dynamic or static imaging of the transit of radiotracer from tumors to SLNs. The imaging often allows a surgeon to easily Lymphoscintigraphy refers to planar or tomographic imaging identify and perform a biopsy of SLNs. of a radioisotope in lymphatics, usually 99mTc. Identification and During the years since the initial demonstrations of SLNB localization of all sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) for surgical biopsy is protocols, many investigative studies have supported the use of SLNB as a highly reliable method for screening axillary and extraaxillary nodes in early (stages I and II) breast cancer. In the management of Received Mar. 3, 2015; revision accepted Apr. 23, 2015. early breast cancer, SLNB has replaced the more invasive axillary For correspondence or reprints contact: Valeria M. Moncayo, Division of lymph node dissection (ALND). In melanoma, lymphoscintigraphy Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University Hospital, 1364 Clifton Rd. NE, 1st provides a means of localizing SLNs to a specific regional drainage Floor, #D118, Atlanta, GA 30322. area or to multiple regional drainage areas. SLNB has undergone E-mail: [email protected] refinement and improvement since the first protocols were reported. Published online Apr. 30, 2015. COPYRIGHT © 2015 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular SLNB is now widely accepted and used in breast cancer and Imaging, Inc. melanoma (6) and has been evaluated for potential application to other LYMPHOSCINTIGRAPHY AND SENTINEL NODES • Moncayo et al. 901 malignancies. We discuss SLNB primarily in the context of breast SLNs, particularly internal mammary SLNs, a protocol should include cancer and melanoma but also remark on its status for head and neck peritumoral injections (14). Administering peritumoral injections malignancies. requires more information about the exact location of the tumor than Evidence of the attention to, enthusiasm for, and indeed success does administering superficial injections. Also, if there has been an of this procedure in aiding management of various cancers is excisional biopsy, or if there is a prosthesis, care must be taken not to apparent from a Google search for “sentinel1node” that generated inject into the dead space of a seroma or into the prosthesis (10,15). over 500,000 hits and from a PubMed search for “(sentinel) AND node” that generated over 10,000 investigative and educational Imaging publications on SLN topics in peer-reviewed journals. In melanoma, depending on the location of the primary tumor, imaging must cover all possible drainage sites. For example, if the Procedure for SLN Lymphoscintigraphy primary tumor is on a patient’s trunk, imaging of the left and right The SLNB procedure requires minimal to no preparation on the axillary and neck regions as well as the left and right pelvis and part of the patient. Some centers use topical lidocaine and prilocaine inguinal regions must be performed (Fig. 1). For extremity tumors, cream (EMLA; AstraZeneca) to reduce the pain of needle puncture. imaging of the axillary and antecubital regions (upper-extremity Patients who are encouraged to use the cream are instructed on tumors) or of the inguinal and popliteal regions (lower-extremity where and how to apply it to unbroken skin. They are asked to do tumors) must be performed. For head and neck squamous cell this a minimum of 30 min before the procedure (7). At the clinic, carcinoma, the entire head and neck must be imaged. In particular, patients wear a gown after removal of all jewelry and clothing that all locations distal to the tumor must be imaged, as lymph drain- might negatively affect the lymphoscintigraphy image. age is generally caudad. Also, for head and neck SLN procedures, After lymphoscintigraphy, the physician responsible for the practitioners should always keep in mind that many structures in injection and imaging procedure communicates directly with the the head and neck are small and vital. Drainage across the body surgeon, and the communications are documented. At the time of midline is common after injections in the trunk and in the head surgery, the surgeon has access to the images. and neck (Fig. 2) (16). In addition, for some indications SPECT or Radiopharmaceuticals and Injection Parameters SPECT/CT may be preferred. Radiopharmaceuticals used for lymphoscintigraphy include All aspects of the imaging procedure, including skin marking, 99mTc-pertechnetate–labeled colloids (particles range from 3 to should be performed with the patient positioned as during surgery. 5,000 nm and are often filtered to a narrow size range) and Dynamic Imaging. In melanoma patients, dynamic imaging 99mTc-tilmanocept (Lymphoseek; Navidea [mannosyl diethylene- begins as soon as the injections are complete. Particularly for head triaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) dextran]).