Fluorescence diagnostics of metastatic lesion of regional lymph nodes upon surgical treatment of breast cancer

We have performed intraoperative fluorescence diagnostics of 60 patients for metastases of breast cancer to regional lymph nodes. All the patients were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of 50 patients, which were surgically treated at the first stage. The second group consisted of ten patients, which underwent combined treatment. At the first stage, they received from two to four courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and, at the second stage, the surgical intervention was performed. The intraoperative fluorescence diagnostics was performed using the preparation alasens (precursor of protoporphyrin IX in the human organism). The occurrence of fluorescence of alasens-induced protoporphyrin IX was determined visually and using the local fluorescence spectroscopy method. Altogether, 498 lymph nodes were examined: 408 in the first group and 90 in the second one. For the first group, the sensitivity of the method was found to be 87.2%, and its specificity, 94.8%; in the second group, these parameters were determined to be 77 and 78%, respectively. The first experience of the application of the intraoperative fluorescence diagnostics of metastatic lesion of lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer has shown its high efficiency and application potential.