The role of preoperative lymphoscintigraphy in sentinel lymph node identification among patients with breast cancer: a retrospective study.

Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of death from cancer among women worldwide. The principle of lymphoscintigraphy is to image radiotracers injected into the interstitial space and follow their transport through the initial lymphatics, the lymphatic vessels, and lymph nodes to the main lymphatic ducts, and finally to the liver. The objective of the study was to identify the role of preoperative lymphoscintigraphy in sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification among patients with breast cancer. A retrospective single-center study was conducted at King Khalid Hospital using the PACS system. The study included 72 adult female patients diagnosed with breast cancer between February and May 2025 who underwent lymphoscintigraphy before SLN biopsy. The results showed that 36.7% of patients were aged 51-70 years, and 56.7% had tumors in the right breast. Most patients (86.7%) had negative SLN results, while 13.3% were positive for metastasis. More than half of the patients (66.7%) had small tumors measuring 1-2 cm. Regarding surgical management, 66.7% underwent breast lumpectomy, 13.3% underwent mastectomy, and 20% had not yet undergone surgery. A weak correlation was observed between SLN results and the type of operation (P = 0.046), although the strength of association was low. There was also a weak and non-significant correlation between SLN status and tumor size (P = 0.227). We conclude that lymphoscintigraphy plays an important role in identifying sentinel lymph nodes and helps minimize postoperative complications.