en Radiation Biology Radiation Biology تحقيق بديع Original Research <span style="font-weight: bold">Background:</span> Sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) is the standard of care for breast cancer treatment and it is getting wide acceptance in Iran. The radiation safety of the procedure has been investigated under controlled conditions, but the standard dose of radiotracer and techniques are not always observed in the community setting. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of the absorbed doses of radiation to the hands of operating surgeons. <span style="font-weight: bold">Materials and Methods:</span> Twenty consecutive SLNB procedures were studied. Radiation dose to the hands of the surgeons was measured by placing lithium fluoride thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) in the surgeons' glove. The radiation dose to the abdomen and thyroid area was measured by placing TLDs at these areas. The injected dose of radiotracer, the time interval to the surgery and the duration of the surgery were recorded. <span style="font-weight: bold">Results: </span>The injected dose of radiotracer ranged from 0.1 to 5 mCi. The highest absorbed dose was recorded by TLD, placed on the non-dominant hand third finger (189.1 μSv). Mean recorded doses were higher for non-dominant hand second finger (53.49 ± 24.60 μSv). The measured absorbed doses for the abdominal and thyroid area were lower than those for the fingers. <span style="font-weight: bold">Conclusion:</span> This study has confirmed the procedure safety, even with high dose of radiotracer. Nevertheless, it is advisable to use the lowest dose of the radiotracer to avoid the waste of resources. <span style="font-weight: bold">Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2012 10(1): 53-57 </span> Sentinel lymph node biopsy, radiation dose, radiotracer 53 57 http://ijrr.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-420&slc_lang=en&sid=1 M. Najafi 790031947532846002696 790031947532846002696 No H.A. Nedaie Nedaieha@sina.tums.ac.ir 790031947532846002697 790031947532846002697 Yes A. Lahooti 790031947532846002698 790031947532846002698 No R. Omranipour 790031947532846002699 790031947532846002699 No N. Nafissi 790031947532846002700 790031947532846002700 No M.E. Akbari 790031947532846002701 790031947532846002701 No A. Olfatbakhsh 790031947532846002702 790031947532846002702 No A. Kaviani 790031947532846002703 790031947532846002703 No N. Alavi 790031947532846002704 790031947532846002704 No