Sentinel node biopsy is challenging every year with novel technologies. In some countries like Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Georgia and the Caucasians it’s so hard to find the technetium-99. So a novel technology from the United Kingdom was established nearly seven years ago from UCL; that technology is called the superparamagnetic iron oxide. We are here to share our expertise in the superparamagnetic iron oxide, the results of our patients with the Sentimag technology.
How does the technology work?
Superparamagnetic iron oxide is an iron based magnetic technology. The lymph nodes and the lymphatic vessels when you inject the paramagnetic iron oxide [?? 0:58], it enters the lymphatic vessels and it directly goes to the lymph nodes. With a magnetic tracer you easily find the sentinel lymph node with the magnetic tracer.
It’s a novel technology, it’s a challenging area so that the number of patients who were operated with this technology is not millions. So we have to see all the results, all the experts must come together and share our results together to see what we can change with this technology and how we can use it in further times.
What have you found so far?
The initial results were coming from the United Kingdom and the second trials were from Europe, the Central European Study for Sentimag. The success rate of the Sentimag device was 94% and in our study and in the Central European study the success rate of the device and the superparamagnetic iron oxide was 98%. That is exactly equal to the technetium-99 technology.
Do the prospects look good for use in the future?
Yes but unfortunately, or let me say thank God, the sentinel node biopsy will disappear in the future. Maybe in fifty years’ time I believe that sentinel node biopsy, axillary lymph node dissection or even surgery in breast cancer will disappear. This is a limited time that we will use to limit the axillary lymph node dissection; in order to increase the numbers of sentinel node biopsies we need these technologies.
Do you believe this is still worth investing in despite the potentially limited lifespan?
Yes, I believe, because the sentinel node biopsy axillary lymph node dissection, it’s my point of view, maybe I’m wrong but I believe and I want that these surgeries will disappear in the future.
