ABSTRACT
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the excepted budgetary impact of gradually adopting a magnetic tracer (MT) over a radioisotope tracer in the detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in operable breast cancer ((BC) from the perspective of one French hospital without a nuclear medicine department. Material(s) and Method(s): This study was conducted in a population of patients with operable breast cancer with SLN dissection. A budget impact model based on a prospective study conducted between April 2020 and March 2021 at Saint Joseph Hospital was developed. The model estimates the costs and revenues associated with an increase in the use of the strategy of SLN detection with a MT versus an isotope over a three-year time horizon. Result(s): Fifty-four patients were included: 20 in the isotope group and 34 in the MT group. The operating time was not statistically different between the two groups (67 minutes for the MT versus 68 minutes for the isotope, p = 0.89). Secretarial time was higher in the isotope group (25 min more than for the TM group). On the basis of 383 patients who underwent surgery the first year and assuming an increase in activity of 10% per year for the standard-of-care strategy and 11.5% for the innovative strategy, the revenues and costs for the hospital are projected to increase for both strategies. However, the increased use of MT would result in an estimated cost to the hospital of 11,639 (9.06 per patient undergoing surgery) over a three-year period. Conclusion(s): The MT detection method provides autonomy to the surgeon in SNL detection. Its cost must be weighed against the simplification of the preoperative patient journey. Its use during the COVID-19 health crisis helped make patient journeys safer by avoiding visits to nuclear medicine departments, thus limiting the risk of infection. No conflict of interest. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved