Plurifocal breast cancer and double lymphatic spread

Background. Sentinel node (SN) has been proved to be a reliable technique in predicting the lymphnodal state of the axilla in breast cancer. For the majority of the authors the intradermal and peritumoral injection is the best way. Patients and Methods. Our experience, from 1997, includes 587 cases of SN in women with resectable breast cancer less than 3 cm of diameter. We performed the lymphoscintigraphy after a peritumoral injection of radioactive tracer and, if the lesion was superficial, we associated an intradermal injection on the skin above the lesion itself. Two patients had plurifocal right breast cancer. We did two separate injections around each tumor. Results. The radioactive tracer spread towards the internal mammary chain and omolateral axillary nodes. Conclusions. We consider the peritumoral injection as essential in tumors located deeply in the breast (under ultrasound guide if not palpable)together with intradermal injection in superficial ones. Using this technique the possibility of a misindentification of the SN is reduce