Imaging techniques to evaluate treatment of lymph node swelling in patients with breast cancer

This study wanted to find out if taking pictures of lymph nodes using medical imaging techniques helped in finding out if treatment for lymph node swelling was working. The study found that using lymphoscintigraphy helped in evaluating the treatment of lymph node swelling. 

It is common for lymph nodes to be affected during breast cancer treatment. Around 1 in every 6 people who are treated for cancer experience swelling in the lymph nodes. This is called lymphedema. It is possible to use medical imaging techniques to take photos of the lymph nodes and see how they are healing. This imaging is called lymphoscintigraphy. It is not known how useful it is to have these images in patients with breast cancer treated for lymphedema.

This study combined the results of five smaller studies. In total, 327 patients were analyzed. Most of the patients had lymph node swelling related to breast cancer. All of the patients had some sort of treatment to help lymph node swelling. In all the patients, lymphoscintigraphy was performed before and after treatment.

Lymphoscintigraphy was able to identify complications in the patients. It was also able to analyze how well the lymph nodes were functioning after treatment. It also helped the doctors figure out if more treatment was needed. In addition, the findings from the lymphoscintigraphy matched the level of function seen in other clinical measurements. 

The study concluded that lymphoscintigraphy is beneficial in determining how well a treatment for lymphedema is working in patients with breast cancer. 

This study took results from five smaller studies with different protocols. More controlled studies are needed.