Utility of Axillary Reverse Mapping (ARM) and Incidence of Metastasis in Arm Draining Lymph Nodes in Patients with Breast Cancer

Pramit Kumar; Parneet Singh; Hardik Veerwal; Bina Ravi; Manishi L. Narayan

doi:10.1055/s-0042-1744198

World Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Inhaltsverzeichnis

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · World J Nucl Med 2022; 21(01): 028-033
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1744198

Original Article

Utility of Axillary Reverse Mapping (ARM) and Incidence of Metastasis in Arm Draining Lymph Nodes in Patients with Breast Cancer

Autor*innen

Pramit Kumar

¹Department of Nuclear Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Parneet Singh

¹Department of Nuclear Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Hardik Veerwal

¹Department of Nuclear Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Bina Ravi

²Department of General Surgery and Integrated Breast Care Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Manishi L. Narayan

¹Department of Nuclear Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Objective Lymphedema of the upper limb is the most common complication in patients with breast cancer, who require axillary lymph node (LN) dissection. Proposition of identifying upper limb draining LN and preserving it, during axillary dissection can reduce significant postoperative morbidity, but it has the risk of inadequate oncological resection. This study was planned to find out metastatic rate in axillary reverse mapping (ARM) nodes in our population.

Materials and Methods Lymphoscintigraphy (LSG) was performed using intradermal injection of ^99mTc Sulfur Colloid into ipsilateral second and third interdigital web spaces of hand in patients with breast cancer. Planar, single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography images were acquired followed by intraoperative localization of arm draining LNs using Gamma Probe. All identified ARM nodes were dissected and sent for histopathological examination to confirm metastatic involvement.

Results Twenty eligible patients were prospectively analyzed. The identification rate of arm draining LN with LSG was 90% (18/20). Among 14 eligible patients included in the study, ARM node metastasis was seen in two patients. A total of 64 ARM nodes were dissected from 14 patients, 4/64 nodes (2 patients) were positive for metastases (6.25%). Of the six patients excluded from the study, in 1 patient ARM node could not be identified on Gamma Probe, in two cases, it could not be retrieved surgically, in next two cases ARM could not be identified on LSG and remaining one case was removed because of previous surgical intervention.

Conclusion In the current study, LSG showed the identification rate of 90% for ARM nodes in patients with carcinoma breast and metastatic involvement was seen in 6.25% (4/64) of these nodes in 2/14 (14.2%) patients, which is in agreement with previously published data. Oncological safety of preserving ARM nodes needs to be evaluated in the larger population.

Keywords

axillary lymph node dissection - axillary reverse mapping - breast cancer - lymphedema - lymphoscintigraphy - sentinel lymph node

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