Spreading Best Practice

The main method of sentinel node biopsy in use today involves a radioactive tracer, technetium-99m, and a gamma-ray detector. While effective, this method comes with significant problems. Firstly, the method is limited by the supply of molybdenum-99, which decays so quickly that it must be supplied to hospital nuclear medicine departments every week, and which is made in just a handful of nuclear reactors worldwide.

Secondly, the handling of radioactive materials is subject to stringent regulations, requiring special staff training and segregation of the waste from the operating theatre. Thirdly, the cost to the hospital of providing and handling the radioactive materials is high. Consequently, in all countries, the majority of women with breast cancer will never be offered sentinel node biopsy based on this method.

In contrast to the radioactive tracer, a typical magnetic tracer has a shelf life of several years. There are no staff safety issues, and therefore no regulatory burden. It is also much cheaper for the hospital than the radioactive tracer, and is therefore accessible to all.