NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Researchers have developed a contrast agent that may allow MRI identification of breast cancer sentinel nodes, according to findings presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.
“We have a non-invasive method that may minimize surgical trauma,” lead author Dr. Martin W. Brechbiel, from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, said in a statement. “At the least, surgeons can acquire a set of images and have a feel, a road map... for what they need to do before the procedure begins.”
In the study, Dr. Brechbiel’s team created a nano-sized dendrimer-based contrast agent and then tested it in a murine model of breast cancer. Using MRI, the researchers were able to visualize lymphatic flow from the breast tissue to the nodal basin and identify the sentinel nodes.
Although the main role of this technique, at present, is to map the breast’s lymphatic drainage, Dr. Brechbiel believes that it could one day be used to detect metastatic spread.
“Cancerous cells can block normal filling of the node, and when that happens you can spot the aberration in flow,” he noted. “Ultimately, the technology could have the potential to replace surgery, though that’s not proven yet.”
MeSH Headings:Breast Neoplasms: Neoplasms: Neoplasms by Site: DiseasesCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
