Augmented-Reality ICG Fluorescence Second-Look for Residual Nodal Disease After Axillary Dissection in Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer, Breast Neoplasms, Lymphatic Metastasis, Sentinel Lymph Node

indocyanine green, near-infrared fluorescence, fluorescence-guided surgery, augmented reality, axillary lymph node dissection, residual nodal disease, sentinel lymph node, breast cancer

This study tests whether special imaging goggles can help surgeons find lymph nodes that may be left behind during breast cancer surgery. The goggles show a fluorescent dye (indocyanine green, ICG) that is given during the operation and collects in lymph nodes. In breast cancer surgery, the surgeon removes lymph nodes from the armpit (axilla) to check whether the cancer has spread. Some nodes can be difficult to see and may remain after the surgeon believes the removal is complete. This study looks at whether the goggles can reveal such remaining nodes after the surgeon has declared the axillary surgery finished. Thirty patients having breast cancer surgery with removal of the axillary lymph nodes will take part. After the surgeon states the planned removal is complete, the surgeon will briefly re-examine the area using the goggles and the ICG signal. If additional glowing tissue is seen, the surgeon will decide-using normal surgical judgment-whether it is safe and appropriate to remove it. Any tissue removed this way is examined under the microscope to determine whether it is a lymph node and whether it contains cancer. The study measures how often this additional examination finds cancer-containing nodes that would otherwise have remained, where these nodes are located, whether the finding changes the cancer stage, and how much extra time the examination takes. The study also records any side effects. The results will help determine whether this approach should be studied in a larger trial.

Accurate axillary nodal staging is central to breast cancer management. During axillary lymph node dissection, some nodal tissue-particularly in the apical/high axilla-can remain after the operating surgeon considers the dissection complete. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) can highlight nodal tissue intraoperatively. This pilot evaluates a wearable augmented-reality imaging system that displays combined color and near-infrared information, used for a brief "second-look" examination after the surgeon has declared the axillary procedure complete. This is a prospective, single-arm pilot in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery with complete axillary lymph node dissection. After the surgeon prospectively declares the axillary procedure complete, a short additional in vivo fluorescence review of the surgical field is performed. If additional fluorescent tissue is identified, it is re-assessed under standard operating-room lighting and removed only if the surgeon judges removal safe and clinically appropriate; goggle findings do not replace standard surgical judgment. Any tissue removed at the second-look is submitted separately for histopathology, and findings are classified by tissue type and anatomic location. The study is exploratory and is not powered to demonstrate clinical benefit; it is intended to assess feasibility, safety, and an initial clinical signal to inform a larger study.

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