The use of methylene blue as a tracer agent in sentinel lymph node biopsy

Abstract

The use of a blue colored dye to localize the sentinel node has remained an essential component of the sentinel node biopsy procedure in breast cancer patients since its use was first reported in this context by Giuliano. The ability of blue dyes to stain lymphatics and enable visualization of their anatomical pathways, with a particle size small enough to be taken up by lymphatic channels but large enough to be filtered out in the first echelon lymph nodes, are inherent properties which make these dyes valuable. Methylene blue dye is an attractive alternative to Lymphazurin® blue dye for this application, and this chapter details its use. © 2011 Springer Science + Business Media.