[The lymphotropic marking and biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes in T1 tumors--a new approach to the staging of axillary lymphatic metastasis in breast cancer].

It is the purpose of the study to assay the possibility of demonstrating axillary lymph status through marking and biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes. Preoperative lymphotropic marking of sentinel lymph nodes is performed in 48 female patients presenting mammary gland carcinoma, measuring up to two centimeters. Drimaren 0.5 ml (in 18 cases), Mitoxantrone (17 cases) or Patent Blue (13 cases) each are perineoplastically injected in two points. Intraoperatively, in 34 patients blue stained lymph nodes (from Patent Blue and Mitoxantrone mainly) are identified, and compared with the results of axillary dissection. Metastases in sentinel nodes are documented in seven instances. In the remainder (30) which are histologically negative, lymph node metastasis II level is discovered in one case (false negative = 3.3 per cent). As shown by the initial observations perioperative marking of lymph nodes with Patent Blue and Mitoxantrone contribute to demonstrate sentinel nodes, and by biopsy study of the latter it is possible to judge about the pattern of lymph metastasizing of mammary gland carcinoma.