scholarly journals AXILLARY LYMPH NODE DISSECTION IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE ROLE OF SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-356
Author(s):  
Nicolae Bacalbasa ◽  
◽  
Olivia Ionescu ◽  
Irina Balescu ◽  
◽  
...  

Rationale. Since its introduction in the early 1990s, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is regarded as the standard treatment for patients with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes (LNs) on initial presentation. Classically, when the SLN biopsy is negative, the axillary LN dissection (ALND) is no further necessary. On the other hand, performing complete ALND in case of a positive SLNB is controversial, recent data from randomized controlled studies suggesting that, in these cases, the tumor biology has a greater impact on the adjuvant treatment decision than the completion of an ALND. Objective. The aim of this review is to ascertain whether axillary LN surgery has survival benefits in women with early breast cancer and SLN involvement, either micro-metastatic or macro-metastatic. Moreover, it tries to assess the value of SLN biopsy before and after primary systemic chemotherapy and its role in the staging of the axilla in locally recurrent breast cancer. Materials and method. We searched Pubmed, Medline, the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials and G.I.N (Guidelines International Network) databases for English language articles about the need of ALND in women with both positive and negative SLNs using controlled vocabulary (e.g. “breast cancer”) and key words (e.g “sentinel lymph node”, “axilla dissection”). The analysis was restricted to retrospective studies and randomized controlled trials focusing on survival benefits in terms overall (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS). Conclusions. There is increasing evidence which indicates that ALND can be avoided in a specific group of patients with early breast cancer, even though the SLNB is positive. A correlation between the clinico-pathological features of the breast cancer and the probability of residual disease in the axilla, could allow the selection of cases in which ALND can be omitted. In the context of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, it is not yet established if positive SLNs could be converted to negative SLNs after chemotherapy as the rate of false-negative results is still high.

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Smriti Karki ◽  
Yasmin Hassen ◽  
Arunmoy Chakravorty ◽  
Karolina Ajauskaite ◽  
Ekambaram Dinkara Babu

Abstract Aims NICE guidelines have not defined the timing of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) with respect to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). While there is an ongoing debate, the emerging consensus is in favour of SLNB following NACT in clinically node-negative (cN0) patients which confers the advantage of better prognostic outcomes as a negative SLNB negates further Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (ALND) and prevents patients having further unnecessary surgery. Thus, the aim of the study was to establish whether unnecessary ALND can be safely avoided by performing SLNB after NACT. Method Retrospective case records review of all patients treated with ALND at a single institution was undertaken from January 2018 to December 2019. Results 73 patients had ALND in this time frame. Patients received SLNB before NACT and ALND was performed if they were found node-positive on SLNB. Out of 73 patients, 24 patients had no further nodal disease, 26 had 1-2 macrometastasis and 23 had 3 or more macrometastasis on ALND. 57/73 patients had early breast cancer (T1/T2). 21/57 were cN0 but and 5/21 had NACT following SLNB and ALND after NACT. Of the 5 patients, 2 (40%) had no nodal disease on ALND. Conclusion 40% patients could have avoided ALND if SLNB was done after NACT. Also, 68% (50/73) patients who had ALND only had <2 lymph node macrometastasis. This data implies that patients with early breast cancer may be getting subjected to a second operation which not only is unnecessary but also may have debilitating complications.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 454-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Mount ◽  
Nicholas R. White ◽  
Christophe L. Nguyen ◽  
Richard K. Orr ◽  
Robert B. Hird

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is used to detect axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer. Preoperative radiocolloid injection with lymphoscintigraphy (PL) is performed before SLNB. Few comparisons between 1- and 2-day PL protocols exist. Opponents of a 2-day protocol have expressed concerns of radiotracer washout to nonsentinel nodes. Proponents cite lack of scheduling conflicts between PL and surgery. A total of 387 consecutive patients with clinically node-negative breast cancer underwent SLNB with PL. Lymphoscintigraphy images were obtained within 30 minutes of radio-colloid injection. Axillary lymph node dissection was performed if the sentinel lymph node (SLN) could not be identified. Data were collected regarding PL technique and results. In all, 212 patients were included in the 2-day PL group and 175 patients in the 1-day PL group. Lymphoscintigraphy identified an axillary sentinel node in 143/212 (67.5%) of patients in the 2-day group and 127/175 (72.5%) in the 1-day group ( P = 0.28). SLN was identified at surgery in 209/212 (98.6%) patients in the 2-day group and 174/175 (99.4%) in the 1-day group ( P = 0.41). An average of 3 SLN was found at surgery in the 2-day group compared with 3.15 in the 1-day group ( P = 0.43). SLN was positive for metastatic disease in 54/212 (25.5%) patients in the 2-day group compared with 40/175 (22.9%) in the 1-day group ( P = 0.55). A 2-day lymphoscintigraphy protocol allows reliable detection of the SLN, of positive SLN and equivalent SLN harvest compared with a 1-day protocol. The timing of radiocolloid injection before SLNB can be left at the discretion of the surgeon.


2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel Perrier ◽  
Karima Nessah ◽  
Magali Morelle ◽  
Hervé Mignotte ◽  
Marie-Odile Carrère ◽  
...  

Objectives: The feasibility and accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in the treatment of breast cancer is widely acknowledged today. The aim of our study was to compare the hospital-related costs of this strategy with those of conventional axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).Methods: A retrospective study was carried out to determine the total direct medical costs for each of the two medical strategies. Two patient samples (n=43 for ALND; n=48 for SLNB) were selected at random among breast cancer patients at the Centre Léon Bérard, a comprehensive cancer treatment center in Lyon, France. Costs related to ALND carried out after SLNB (either immediately or at a later date) were included in SLNB costs (n=18 of 48 patients).Results: Total direct medical costs were significantly different in the two groups (median 1,965.86€ versus 1,429.93€, p=0.0076, Mann-Whitney U-test). The total cost for SLNB decreased even further for patients who underwent SLNB alone (median, 1,301€). Despite the high cost of anatomic pathology examinations and nuclear medicine (both favorable to ALND), the difference in direct medical costs for the two strategies was primarily due to the length of hospitalization, which differs significantly depending on the technique used (9-day median for ALND versus 3 days for SLNB, p<0.0001).Conclusions: A lower morbidity rate is favorable to the generalization of SLNB, when the patient's clinical state allows for it. From an economic point of view, SLNB also seems to be preferred, particularly because our results confirm those found in two published studies concerning the cost of SLNB.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazem Assi ◽  
Eman Sbaity ◽  
Mahmoud Abdelsalam ◽  
Ali Shamseddine

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) emerged in the 1990s as a new technique in the surgical management of the axilla for patients with early breast cancer, resulting in lower complication rates and better quality of life than axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). Today SLNB is firmly established in the armamentarium of clinicians treating breast cancer, but several questions remain. The goal of this paper is to review recent work addressing 4 questions that have been the subject of debate in the use of SLNB in the past few years: (a) What is the implication of finding micrometastases in the sentinel nodes? (b) Is ALND necessary in all patients who have a positive SLNB? (c) How accurate is SLNB after neoadjuvant therapy? (d) Can SLNB be used to stage the axilla in locally recurrent breast cancer following breast surgery with or without prior axillary surgery?


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