NLS Diagnosis Of Affected Regional Lymph Nodes At A Mammary

Gland Cancer

O.P. Dergatch, Y.A. Somov,

M.A. Kolesnikov, L.V. Chernyshov

Mammary gland cancer is one of the most common women’s oncologic diseases. Its

annual growth rate in the developed countries is about 3%. In addition, this pathology

proves to be the primary cause of mortality among females affected by oncologic

diseases. The tactics of treatment and disease prognosis largely depend on the presence

or absence of any regional metastases. In this connection the problem of competent

diagnosis of affected regional lymph nodes becomes especially pertinent. With that end

in view a number of methods have been used, from physical to hardware-based

examinations. However, in 40% of the patients metastatic lesion of the lymph nodes in

the axillary area is not determined clinically and false positive data were observed in 25%

of cases. Instrumental diagnosis methods do not have a rich informational content either.

The NLS investigation of regional lymph nodes has been more extensively used lately.

Subject and methods of investigation

We have examined regional lymph nodes by means of a device NLS with a 4.9 GHz

nonlinear trigger sensor in 25 patients affected by mammary gland cancer in Phases I-III. The

obtained data were compared with the results of histological investigation of the

macro-preparations removed during surgery.

Investigation results

Of 25 patients examined prior to surgery as many as 1-3 affected lymph nodes were

detected in 20 patients. The derived results were practically fully confirmed by

histological investigation of the macro-preparations removed during surgery. Only in one

case NLS analysis did not detect affected nodes which we account for their small size.

During the NLS investigation the metastatic lymph nodes were found to have

pathological changes with quite a high degree of intensity. Flandler’s scale indicated 5-6

points in 80% of cases.

The fact that organo-saving surgery and in some cases tumorectomy are being more and

more extensively used these days makes the NLS investigation even more important.

Our own practical experience can confirm that. Patient B., 63 years old was admitted to

the clinic with regard to right mammary gland cancer in its early phase IIa after an

ischemic stroke in combination with ischemic heart disease and hypertension III.

Palpation did not detect any lymph node enlargement. The NLS investigation did not

detect metastasis-affect lymph nodes which allowed a tumorectomy for this patient at a

low hazard to life.

34Thus NLS investigation of regional lymph nodes with mammary gland cancer may

become a sufficiently reliable method for assessing their metastatic affection which

enables to pick out the most efficient tactics in treating patients with this kind of

pathology.