Fig. 1
Overview of available tracers for SLN mapping in OSCC
| Peritumoral administered tracer | Time of application | Localization of SLNs | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methylene blue dye | Intraoperatively | INTRAOPERATIVELY identification of the SLNs stained with blue dye | - Availability | - Rapid loss of visibility of the marker in the presence of large amount of adipose tissue or significant intraoperative bleeding |
| 99mTc-labelled radiotracer | Preoperatively | PREOPERATIVELY conventional lymphoscintigraphy INTRAOPERATIVELY by gamma-probe | - Most investigated technique | - Subject to shine through phenomenon |
| Indocyanine green | Preoperatively | INTRAOPERATIVELY NIR fluorescence imagining system | - Possibility of small surgical incision (percutaneous visualization) | - Limited clinical experience in OSCC |
Overview of new tracers which can be administered around the primary tumor in order to map SLNs and possibilities of their preoperative and intraoperative detection
| Tracer | Preoperative SLNs detection | Intraoperative SLNs detection |
|---|---|---|
| Gadolinium-based paramagnetic contrast agent [Gd3+] | MR lymphography | - |
| Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPIO) | MR lymphography | magnetomer |
| Iodine-based contrast agent | CT lymphography | - |
| [89 Zr] – nanocolloid positron emitting radiotracer | PET lymphoscintigraphy | PET-probe |