Increasing radiation from sentinel node specimens in pathology over time

Abstract

Previous studies have recommended no special precautions for radiation when handling sentinel node specimens in the pathology laboratory. We reviewed 7 years of data concerning radioactivity in 2,902 sentinel node and primary resection specimens received in our pathology laboratory. The percentage of specimens with greater than background radiation (≥0.2 mrem/h) rose from 6.3% to 34.8% from 2003 to 2009 (P