Early-stage Breast Cancer — Sentinel Lymph Node Identification in Patients With Breast Cancer Using SPECT/CT
Citation(s)
Cheng G, Kurita S, Torigian DA, Alavi A Current status of sentinel lymph-node biopsy in patients with breast cancer. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2011 Mar;38(3):562-75. doi: 10.1007/s00259-010-1577-z. Epub 2010 Aug 11. Review.
Kim T, Giuliano AE, Lyman GH Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy in early-stage breast carcinoma: a metaanalysis. Cancer. 2006 Jan 1;106(1):4-16. Review.
Samphao S, Eremin JM, El-Sheemy M, Eremin O Management of the axilla in women with breast cancer: current clinical practice and a new selective targeted approach. Ann Surg Oncol. 2008 May;15(5):1282-96. doi: 10.1245/s10434-008-9863-8. Epub 2008 Mar 11. Review.
Somasundaram SK, Chicken DW, Keshtgar MR Detection of the sentinel lymph node in breast cancer. Br Med Bull. 2007;84:117-31. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldm032. Epub 2008 Jan 3. Review.
Role of Sentinel Lymph Node Identification in Patients With Breast Cancer Using SPECT/CT
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
