New method for detecting breast cancer metastasis

In order to facilitate understanding, we first come to understand that knowledge of breast cancer surgery.

For breast cancer patients, the ability to judge their own risk as soon as possible whether the cancer is very important.

At present, the prevailing treatment of breast cancer in the world of radical surgical method There are basically two, one for modified radical mastectomy, and the other is called breast-conserving surgery. The former want to remove the entire breast and to the ipsilateral axillary lymph node dissection can be simple as “clean armpit”; the latter will keep the breast, only cut breast cancer on the part must also clean armpit. Axillary lymph nodes should be removed in two ways, which has brought the issue of complications, such as surgery on the axillary blood vessels and lymphatic vessels may lead to injury or stimulation of ipsilateral upper extremity blood and lymph return affected, surgery may be intrusive to the part of the nerve and so on, making some patients upper extremity lymphedema after surgery, activity detrimental, numbness, pain and dysfunction, because it is difficult to restore upper extremity edema, therefore, be one of the most serious complications.

Therefore, surgeons have started to research can not be granted to those who already have the transfer of the personnel to do axillary dissection, there is no transfer had not cleaned. How to determine whether there is move? Here produced such a concept – sentinel lymph node.

A new molecular test can quickly determine whether the sentinel lymph node metastasis

Sentinel lymph node is, by definition, like, like sentinels guarding the breast around the outward transfer of the vast majority of tumor cells have to go through it, there are very few circumstances will cross it directly to the next stop.

As a result, we can by examining the sentinel lymph node to determine whether to make further axillary dissection. If the sentinel lymph node metastasis of tumor cells, and we call it positive, they continue to do cleaning; if there is no transfer of (negative) do not clean, thus avoiding unnecessary surgery.

So, how to determine sentinel lymph node has not been transferred it? Current conventional approach is adopted during surgery by means of isotope tracing to find it, and then immediately made the pathological examination, which we call fast-frozen section HE staining pathological examination. However, surgery is used to guide the next step in this fast-pathological examination was not 100% accurate, can only achieve about 90%. New molecular testing that the genetic test BLN Genetic Analyzer, that is, scholars are looking for a better alternative to the traditional method or frozen as a supplement.

New method of freezing than the traditional method of high sensitivity

So this new approach is really better, more accurate?

This method is through genetic testing (ie, at the molecular level of detection) of the ways to identify whether there is lymph node metastasis. It is the theoretical premise that breast tissue is rich in mammaglobin and cytokeratin 19 molecule, these two molecules in normal lymph nodes in the non-existent or very rare, then once found these two molecules in the lymph nodes appeared to believe that an转移.

Specific detection methods used for the PCR technology, which is a widely used technique in the laboratory. The innovation is that it is the first time molecular detection technologies for intraoperative pathological diagnosis. Some media said the technology was pioneered real-time intraoperative pathological diagnosis of the first of its kind (before the pathological diagnosis to be two days after the surgery to get), but this understanding is not very accurate. Intraoperative frozen section of traditional surgery are also at the same time get the results, the waiting time is 30 minutes. The real advantage of this technology lies in its sensitivity than the traditional method of freezing a higher sensitivity can mean more find another job that may exist metastasis to avoid misdiagnosis and intraoperative pathological found to accept the transfer of re-operation . At the same time, the specificity of this new approach than the traditional method of somewhat less frozen, which is slightly higher false positive rate, which means be mistaken for the transfer to accept the unnecessary increased the proportion of axillary dissection, and this is carried out sentinel lymph node biopsy runs counter to the original intent may be at risk.

In fact, the appearance of any innovation is always associated with advantages and disadvantages of the two wings, in practical applications will enrich our understanding of it, so it can eventually replace the intraoperative frozen method is still used both at the same time complement each other, all still need to be more and more clinical trials to test.

In fact, the reverse thinking about, we have painstakingly accurate judgments to find a way to reduce the axillary surgery, axillary surgery for the reduction of the complications brought about, in fact right axillary surgery itself can be improved, making complications does not appear, or never less appear, this is also an idea to solve the problem. In fact, we are doing breast cancer surgery lymphedema situation has occurred rarely, and occurred less than 0.5%, and further improve the surgical method should be said that one can try to roads.

Benefited from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows for metastatic breast cancer conducted the first molecular test, surgical specialists can quickly assess whether there is the proliferation of breast cancer at risk. When a patient underwent tumor or mastectomy surgery, the doctor will only be detected by traditional methods of the lymph nodes closest to the breast in order to determine whether there is transfer of signs. When the immediate submission of organizations found to have tumors exist, would need to remove more lymph nodes, but under normal circumstances, need to conduct more in-depth a wide range of microscopic tests to determine whether the cancer has spread. The question is: Laboratory results will be out in two days, before patients have to live in a second operation may have to face hellish fear. A new molecular genetic test BLN laboratory test that after the implementation of the initial surgery, when doctors were to be passed by the molecular detection of breast cancer cells to accurate detection of sentinel gland. If the test results prove that there is cancer, doctors will immediately attack the lymph nodes have been removed, eliminating the need for patients to wait and might accept the pain of re-operation.